MARCH 2025 UPDATE KEY ANNOUCEMENTS & THE CONSULTATIVE PANEL

Three Important Announcements

Bird Nesting Time:  Its bird nesting time again and ground nesting birds need your respect. So please do adhere to Forestry England’s signs to stay out of sensitive areas and to keep to the main tracks. If you are walking with your dog, please also make sure they also keep to the main tracks and are under close control.

Annual General Meeting 2025:  Our Annual General Meeting takes place on Saturday 10^th May 2025 at 10.00am at Brockenhurst Village Hall. A formal announcement will be sent in due course. The constitution requires that any members wishing to put forward a resolution to the annual general meeting must do so by giving at least six (6) weeks’ notice to the Honorary Secretary secretary.fonf@gmail.com which is supported by the fifteen (15) members of the Association. The deadline for a members’ resolution notice is thus Saturday 29^th March 2025.

Our Next Event: Addressing Housing Needs In And Around The Forest –
Meet The Planners:   Our next event takes place on Thursday 3^rd April 2025 at 7pm at Brockenhurst Village Hall see https://newforestassociation.org/events/. We have been fortunate indeed to have persuaded three local planning officers from the New Forest National Park, New Forest District Council and Test Valley District Council to come and discuss the implications for the forest of increased government house building targets. This important event, which I urge you to attend, takes the form of a panel discussion chaired by Sarah Richards, Chair of the Planning & Transport Committee. To ensure your queries are answered Sarah invites members to submit questions prior to the event via email to the secretary secretary.fonf@gmail.com although of course you may also do so on the night.

The New Forest Consultative Panel

The Consultative Panel met recently and so I thought it a good opportunity to tell you a little more about this body and its recent business.

The Consultative Panel must be one of the largest organisations in the forest with over 80 organisations invited to attend. The New Forest Association is one of them along with other amenity, environmental and conservation organisations and representatives from local councils, sporting and recreation organisation, business and the statutory bodies. It meets four times a year and for over 30 years has been considered as the main consultative body within the forest.

At its March meeting, Brian Tarnoff was elected unopposed as Chair of the Panel. Brian is one of our Trustees and Council members and is well known around the forest. Those attending the panel learnt a great deal from the presentations made by David Illsley on the New Forest National Park local plan process and Steve Avery, also of the New Forest National Park on the many government consultations currently being undertaken which affect the forest. We will be responding to the local plan and to other consultations as appropriate.

There was also a presentation from Derek Tipp of the New Forest District Council to explain the current plans for a Hampshire and Solent Combined Authority and the consequent reorganisation of Hampshire local authorities. The consultation on the former closes on 13^th April 2025  is available here  https://consult.communities.gov.uk/lggc/hampshire-and-the-solent-devolution-consultation/.  The New Forest National Park authority will remain, but we are concerned that the forest’s needs and voice are not lost within the combined authority and that our neighbouring authorities fall within a constituency which is responsive to rural communities.

Last but by no means least was a presentation by the Deputy Surveyor, Craig Harrison, on Forestry England’s proposals for parking charges at their 130 or so forest car parks. The aim is financial to help fill their every widening funding gap. We understand this imperative if the forest is going to be adequately managed, rangers employed, and important conservation work funded.  Details, including the charges themselves will be revealed in time but it is expected that forest residents can take advantage of discounted charges whilst commoners and those working on the forest will be exempt. Hopefully, the level of any charges will still enable access for all. One key danger is displacement parking onto roadside verges, inclosure entrances, the villages’ already congested streets, the outer commons or indeed anywhere which is unprotected from the motor car.  We also wonder how these proposals fit with the long mooted spatial plans in the Recreational Management Strategy which call for the relocation and reduction in the number of car parks to funnel recreation away from sensitive and nature rich areas.