Archived decisions

Agenda Item: 6

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Record of an Executive Decision:

Decision Maker:

Cabinet

Date of Decision:

27 October 2008

Decision Title:

New Forest National Park Plan and New Forest National Park Recreation Management Strategy Consultation Drafts

Decision Reference:

296

Report From:

Chief Executive, Director of Environment and Director of Recreation and Heritage

Contact name:

Andrew Smith, Alison Quant, David Carman

Tel:

023 8038 3407

Email:

[email protected]

1) Summary and Statement of Intent and Response to Consultation

    The County Council has long supported the sustainable development of the New Forest in a way that both conserves and recognises the communities which live and work within the New Forest. The County Council has no intention of introducing or investigating road pricing. The County Council does not foresee any circumstances in which it will share its statutory responsibility for highway, traffic matters or street lighting. The relevant recommendations are given below in the summary. The purpose of this section, which Cabinet is asked to adopt, is to make clear the County Council intent, irrespective of, and in place of any earlier plans.

    The following decisions were made:

    1.1 That Hampshire County Council will not investigate nor implement road
    pricing.

    1.2 That the following issues and the underlying discussion in this report are
    submitted as the County Council's strategic response to the consultation on
    the New Forest National Park Plan and the New Forest Recreation
    Management Strategy:

    (i) Issue 1. The restrictive nature of policies in the National Park Plan do not reflect fully the duty on the National Park Authority to foster the economic and social well-being of local communities across the whole Park. Given the relatively small size of the National Park and the relatively high density of settlement, greater degree of balance is required between the purposes of designation and the duty to foster the socio-economic wellbeing of its communities.

    (ii) Issue 2. The `zero growth' approach to activity in the vast majority of the National Park through the zoning of activities and facilities, combined with the proposed relocation of activities and facilities, will impact on the economic viability of the Park. It also imposes additional pressures on the County Council's facilities at Lepe Country Park and the rural lanes leading to it, and the Calshot Activities Centre.

    (iii) Issue 3. The priorities for the National Park Authority in relation to highway and transport matters are not in accord with those being set at a national level, and are in contradiction to the County Council's own policies for which it has a statutory responsibility. This will have a severe impact on the availability of the County Council's resources to deliver the targets and actions in the National Park Plan.

    (iv) Issue 4. Limitations on opportunities for development will in turn limit the availability of developer contributions to support highway network and transport objectives in the Plan.

    (v) Issue 5. The approach to recreation management must be subject to a rigorous assessment of the social and economic costs/benefits of the policy approach.

    (vi) Issue 6. The extent of degradation as a result of minerals working is overstated in the Plan and does not recognise the measures taken by the County Council to ensure that appropriate restoration is undertaken.

    (vii) Issue 7. The restrictive policies for development will impact on the County Council's abilities to deliver sustainable solutions for the management of waste and material resources as set out in the Materials Resources Strategy. The policies run counter to the National Park Authority's stated objective of reducing its environmental footprint.

    (viii) Issue 8. The restrictions on development will impact on the County Council's ability to deliver the development and rationalisation needs of schools, older persons' homes and other public service/front of house provision.

    (ix) Issue 9. The National Park Plan sets a specific and challenging target for reducing the environmental footprint of the Park. Whilst such aspirations are welcome, there is a lack of clarity about the individual activities that would deliver this and the implications of this for the Council.

    1.3 The County Council recognises the importance of a sustainable Recreational Management Strategy. In which case it would urge the authority to ensure that adequate arrangements are in place to research the impact of recreational pursuits in the New Forest; consult adequately with the different communities which live and work within the New Forest; and give due regard to the potential impact on areas adjacent to the National Park.

    1.4 That any further technical comment, observation or communication on the NPA proposal be agreed by the Director of Environment and the Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader.

 
 

2) Reasons for the decision

    a. To respond to the consultation on the statutory New Forest National Park Plan and the non-statutory New Forest Recreation Management Strategy, which have impacts on the delivery of the County Council's duties and responsibilities.

 

3) Other options considered and rejected:

 

    b. Option 1:

      i. To provide only officer technical comments. This would not give sufficient weight to the serious concerns that the County Council has with aspects of the National Park Plan.

 

4) Conflicts of Interest:

    c. Conflicts of interest declared by the decision-maker:

    None

 

    d. Conflicts of interest declared by other Executive Members consulted:

    None

 

5) Dispensation granted by the Standards Committee:

None

 

6) Any reasons for the matter being dealt with if urgent :

    None

 

7) Statement from the Decision Maker:

 
 

Approved by:

--------------------------------------------------

Date: 27 October 2008

Chairman

Councillor T.K. Thornber, CBE