9:50am Thursday 5th November 2009
NATIONAL Park bosses have approved a new blueprint for the future of the New Forest after hailing it as a leap forward.
The first management plan produced by the National Park Authority (NPA) sparked thousands of objections after it was published last year.
The NPA has now produced a new version after admitting it made mistakes in the past.
Controversial proposals to introduce dog-free car parks, road tolls and tighter restrictions on recreational horse keeping have been omitted from the latest document, which outlines a vision for the next 20 years.
Members supported the strategy at a meeting of the organisation.
David Harrison said: “It’s still a draft that can be altered and probably will be, but it will help us to become a supportive organisation rather than one that imposes its ideas on others.” Jeremy Heron added: “This new draft is a leap forward.”
Peter Roberts, chairman of the New Forest Association’s planning committee, accused the NPA of attempting to merely “hold the line” instead of trying to improve the Forest.
But Steve Avery, the NPA’s director of strategy and planning, said: “The overall vision is largely unchanged. It’s a shorter document – because that’s what people wanted – but it’s still firmly grounded in preserving the New Forest’s special qualities.”
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