Archived decisions

HAMPSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

Decision Report

1. Executive Summary

1.1. The purpose of this paper is to seek approval of the County Council's response to the draft statutory New Forest National Park Management Plan (available in the Members' Room and on the following link: http://www.newforestnpa.gov.uk/nfnpa_326_09_annex_1_management_plan.pdf) and to agree that the County Council's response to the forthcoming New Forest National Park Local Development Framework (LDF) Core Strategy is delegated to the Director of Environment in consultation with the Leader and the Executive Member for Environment.

1.2. This paper seeks to:

(i) set out the history of the County Council's involvement in the Management Plan for the National Park; and

(ii) set out the comments of the County Council on the draft Management Plan.

2. Contextual information

1.1. The New Forest National Park Authority (NFNPA) published its combined draft LDF Core Strategy and Management Plan, together with a Recreation Strategy, for consultation in 2008. The combined Plan was highly controversial, and was considered by Cabinet in October 2008. Following that consultation the NFNPA has published a revised draft Management Plan that differs very substantially from the original Plan. It is now separated from the Core Strategy, which the NFNPA will be seeking to approve for consultation at its meeting on 10 December. It is anticipated that the formal consultation on the draft NFNPA Core Strategy will commence in late December or early January 2010, but at this stage the timetable for consultation is not known.

1.2. The new draft consultation Management Plan was received at the County Council on 22 October 2009 and the closing date for comments was 11 November 2009. The NFNPA will be working towards adoption of the Management Plan by 10 December. The Leader expressed his deep concern to the NFNPA about the limited time available for comment, and it has been made clear to the NFNPA that the Management Plan will be considered by Cabinet and that the deadline for consultation cannot be met. Comments have been sought through the Rural Policy Coordination Group and other interested groups and officers. Comments on Highways and Transport matters in the Management Plan have been submitted in a letter to the NPA in advance of this Cabinet meeting, attached as Appendix 1 to this report. The NPA has responded to those comments and it is welcomed that the NPA has undertaken to incorporate changes in the final version of the Management Plan that will address the concerns raised by the County Council. The response of the NPA is attached as Appendix 2. Two minor comments on that response are contained in Appendix 3.

3. General comments on the Management Plan

3.1. Many of the concerns surrounding the original combined Plan, expressed in the County Council's response to the consultation, have been addressed in the revised Management Plan. In particular, separating the Management Plan from the LDF Core Strategy provides a much clearer picture of the aspirations for management of the National Park. In general terms, the Management Plan presents a very inclusive and positive approach to future management and provides a more balanced approach to addressing social and economic interests in the National Park than the previous draft combined Management Plan and Core Strategy.

3.2. A preliminary draft of the new Management Plan was sent to the County Council in September 2009 for informal comment in advance of the publication of the consultation draft. Some of the comments on that preliminary document have been taken on board in the consultation draft, although some aspects, particularly in relation to highways and transport, remain to be addressed. These are set out in detail in Appendix 3 to this report.

3.3. Of particular concern is that there is no proper recognition that Hampshire County Council is the highway authority for the majority of the New Forest National Park area and that the National Park Authority has no direct highway authority responsibilities itself. This concern is reflected in the change of wording between the present and earlier versions of the Management Plan, where the County Council's role against a number of transport actions has changed from `lead partner' to `key partner'. This is misleading since the County Council's statutory role in these matters make it the lead authority. It would also aid clarity over the roles and responsibilities if the Local Transport Plan was referred to as the statutory policy document for all highway related matters in the National Park, rather than as a `key document'. The NPA has undertaken to incorporate changes in the final version of the Management Plan that will address these concerns.

3.4. The Management Plan is aspirational. This is welcomed, but those aspirations must be balanced by a recognition in the Management Plan of the constraints imposed on their delivery by the availability of resources and the demands of competing priorities. This is especially the case with highways and transport related objectives and policies, but also includes many other aspects of the Management Plan where the County Council is named as a key partner in delivery.

3.5. Comments on other aspects of the plan, for example on biodiversity and public access, are of a detailed nature. The main non-highway issues raised through the consultation relate to a willingness of the County Council to be identified as a key partner against a number of activities relating to biodiversity, access and climate change, and to the effective use of documents such as the Countryside Access Plan and the Biodiversity Action Plan. It is proposed that these comments are submitted with those of the Cabinet.

3.6. The Management Plan forms one component of a suite of forthcoming documents: the LDF Core Strategy, the Landscape Strategy, the Recreation Strategy and, at some future point, an economic strategy. It is difficult to provide meaningful comment on just one document of this suite without reference to the other documents. Any comments are therefore limited to the Management Plan, and are conditional upon the contents of the other strategies, particularly those of the Core Strategy.

4. Finance

4.1. There are no financial implications for the County Council arising from the contents of this report.

5. Recommendation

5.1. That the proposed County Council response to the draft New Forest National Park Management Plan be approved.

5.2. That authority to respond to the forthcoming New Forest National Park Local Development Framework Core Strategy is delegated to the Director of Environment in consultation with the Leader and the Executive Member for Environment.

2227Rpt/1095/DC

CORPORATE OR LEGAL INFORMATION:

Links to the Corporate Strategy

Other Significant Links

IMPACT ASSESSMENTS:

1. Equalities Impact Assessment:

1.1. Assessment of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act has been considered in this response but no adverse impact has been identified in terms of race, creed or gender.

2. Impact on Crime and Disorder:

2.1. Rural crime is an issue for the New Forest National Park. However, the Management Plan is not the mechanism for addressing crime and disorder issues. It is not a requirement within the statutory guidance for its preparation and so is not addressed in this report.

3. Climate Change:

a) How does what is being proposed impact on our carbon footprint / energy consumption?

No impact.

b) How does what is being proposed consider the need to adapt to climate change, and be resilient to its longer term impacts?

Climate change is a central theme in the Management Plan and adaptation to and mitigation of climate change impacts are addressed in a positive way.