DEVELOPMENT THREAT TO THE NEW FOREST – URGENT
Please help us to help the New Forest. Your action is needed now!
Friends of the New Forest (New Forest Association) is urging our members and supporters to respond to a public consultation in order to protect part of the New Forest National Park from a development scheme that is proposing over 1500 houses (bigger than the size of Lyndhurst) to be built on or near the site of Fawley Power Station.
We believe that this development will have a detrimental impact on the ecology of the area and are urging people to oppose the scheme before the public consultation deadline to the National Park Authority Local Plan ends on 28th February.
Although the Fawley Power Station site itself is in the control of New Forest District Council, it is an ‘island’ within the National Park and the development impacts will fall heavily on the National Park. The proposals of the National Park Authority’s Local Plan could pave the way to development of 1500 or more houses that would clearly constitute a major development.
Your comments on Fawley Power Station Site in the New Forest National Park Authorities Plan should reflect:
• Need for use of site for building not proven.
• Site could be made safe and managed for conservation.
• In the long term the site could be included within the National Park.
If it is developed on the scale proposed (1500 houses) there will a catastrophic environmental impact on the New Forest:
• Extra traffic will cause loss of tranquillity
• Increased risk to Forest livestock – may lead to road widening and fencing.
• Extra recreation will bring more litter and more disturbances.
• Extra recreational horse keeping will raise the cost of renting back up land to beyond what a commoner can afford.
A town of this size will require additional development of schools, surgeries, shops, and pubs.
It will be larger than Lyndhurst (1374 households at 2011) – Would this be tolerated in, say, the Lake District?
In addition it is stated that National Park land will be required for an additional 120 houses:
‘Viability work commissioned by the Authority and New Forest District Council concludes that without some limited development in the National Park, this major brownfield site could only come forward with a very high density development on the brownfield site outside the National Park – development that in itself would have a detrimental impact on the surrounding National Park. ‘
This feels like being held to ransom and is clearly nonsense.
Many of the National Park Authority members are also Councillors of NFDC who are pursuing this development. How independent is the National Park Authority and how does this development meet the dual purposes of the Park?
This development does not foster the economic and social well-being of the local communities within the National Park – it drops a complete new settlement into its midst which does not in any way comply with National Park purposes.
Another major anomaly is the lack of protection for back-up grazing land. The practice of commoning is recognised as essential to the ecological and heritage assets of the area. Policy SP48 includes ‘…resisting the loss of back-up grazing (which is fundamental to commoning) through development…’
BUT Local Plan Policies SP22 and SP24 recommend approval for 60 houses at Ashurst and 40 houses at Sway that would result in the loss of back up grazing in direct contradiction to the earlier policy.
PLEASE OBJECT TO THE LOCAL PLAN
BEFORE THE END OF THIS MONTH
Particularly Policies SP22, SP24 and SP25
YOU MAY OBJECT BY emailing THE NATIONAL PARK PLANNING TEAM AT:
policy@newforestnpa.gov.uk
OR
BY FILLING IN THE NATIONAL PARK AUTHORITY FORM AT:
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/GJRLLJJ
Information about the local plan and a copy of the local plan are here:
http://www.newforestnpa.gov.uk/info/20040/planning_policy/361/local_plan
We are grateful for your support.
Friends of the New Forest
Registered Charity No. 260328
