Autumn 2024 Update from the Chair – Sarah Nield

As we move from summer into autumn, with its morning mists, pony drafts and vibrant bracken, I wanted to share with members two areas of our current work namely planning matters and proposed cycling initiatives. I hasten to add that these are by no means the only areas that are taking our Trustees and Council’s time! There will be more of other issues in future updates.

Planning Matters – Our Planning and Transport Committee are busy responding to two important consultations – one national and one local.

National Planning Policy Framework

Almost as soon as they were elected our present Government issued a consultation on proposed reforms to the planning system which closes this month. The main area of concern for the New Forest relate to increasing housing targets placed on local authorities in pursuit of the Government’s drive to build more homes. There are also proposals for more support for renewable energy schemes.

We have been working closely with the Campaign for National Parks who are responding to the consultation on behalf of all national parks. Our response will build on their submission but with a focus upon the New Forest. Our particular concern are the pressures on the forest resulting from development in the council areas surrounding the national park, particularly in New Forest DC, Test Valley BC, Southampton CC and BCP council.

 We believe there is a need to co-ordinate and strengthen local authorities’ duties to protect this special place. The Government’s additional promise of boosting biodiversity and nature recovery make little sense unless our protected landscapes are just that – protected! Our current work on recreational mitigation from new housing dovetails with this message. 

Whilst of we desperately need sources of renewable and low carbon energy, the proposed support is simplistic, and we are asking for greater guidance to ensure that such schemes are sited in the appropriate place. 

The CO2 Pipeline

 Many of you will know of the Exxon proposal to pipe CO2 from Fawley refinery to be stored in a submarine store/aquifer south of Isle of Wight and the current consultation looks to the preferred corridor for the CO2 pipeline.  The consultation proposes 3 different routes one of which passes through the New Forest. It is proposed that it should run from Lepe through the Cadland, Beaulieu, Sowley and Pylewell estates then past Norley Wood, Boldre, Walhampton and to the north of Lymington before passing between Hordle and Everton and north of Milford-on-Sea on its route to the sea. The alternative two routes pass under the Solent and through the Isle of Wight. So all proposed corridors pass through protected landscapes. The mainland route is the longest and most expensive and will need to pass under several physical obstacles including the Beaulieu and Lymington rivers as well as the Lymington railway.

It is important to understand what this consultation does and does not do and its place in the process. The consultation looked solely to identifying a preferred corridor within which the pipeline will be laid. It does not consider the feasibility or need for carbon storage within saline aquifers in the proposed location.   The Solent Protection Society research and information provides more insight into this wider picture see https://solentprotection.org/exxon/.

It is expected that a decision on the preferred corridor will be made by the end of the year but then the serious feasibility and permissions will follow, including a statutory consultation into the preferred route within the chosen corridor. Due to the nature and scale of the proposal, it will be designated a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project with inspectors from the Planning Inspectorate appointed to make a recommendation to the Secretary of State who will make the final decision. This whole approval process is expected to take 2 or 3 years.

Our response to the consultation will concentrate on the impact on the New Forest as a highly protected area including the unknown impact of the yet to be decided route within the designated corridor. It will also highlight the proximity to areas of habitation and the disruption to major transport arteries during construction. We are also unconvinced that alternative routes and safety issues have been adequately considered.

We urge you to give your opinion of your preferred route to express the forest voice, you can do so at  https://www.solentco2pipeline.co.uk/. The consultation deadline is 30^th September 2024 so do not delay!

Cycling in the New Forest

Cycling over the open forest and inclosures has been a source of tension for some time. Cyclists complain that the permitted cycle routes are insufficiently connected and other forest users complain at the level of cycling off the permitted routes. For instance, our 2023 commoners’ survey revealed that off track cycle was the second most identified problem after stock petting and feeding and our recent Byelaw Survey reports many  instances of off-track cycling. It is thus welcome that Forestry England are proposing action to try and address these complaints The Depuy Surveyor made a presentment at the September Court which proposes extensions to the permitted cycle tracks with measures to try and address cycling beyond these permitted tracks. The presentment and map (with the extensions highlighted in red) can be found on the Verderers’ Website –  https://www.verderers.org.uk/announcements/foresty-england-presentment-18-09-24/. We are studying these proposals carefully and will be meeting Forestry England to learn more. In due course will respond to their proposals and make a presentment to the Verderers with both our support and concerns. At first sight some extensions are sensible others less so and there are some welcome initiatives to prevent off-track cycling, but the issue is whether these will be effective. We are particularly concerned that the impact on the forest itself does not appear to have been properly evaluated. There are statutory processes that need to be followed.

Also on the cycling front, there is a Hampshire County Council Consultation on the draft Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) for the New Forest area excluding the area covered by the Waterside LCWIP which was adopted in 2022. Full details are available on the Hampshire County Council website  https://www.hants.gov.uk/News/20240911NewForestLCWIPSurvey. We are also looking at these proposals carefully to ensure that they fulfil the promise of a sustainable active travel plan for the forest that will also protect its special qualities.