NATIONAL Park bosses last night performed a stunning U-turn after scrapping a series of controversial plans that would have changed the face of the New Forest.

In a huge victory for campaigners, key parts of a blueprint for the future of ancient woodland have been ditched.

At a public meeting last night, the under-fire New Forest National Park Authority (NPA) pledged to scrap plans for: Dog free car parks.

Road tolls.

New curbs for recreational horse owners.

The controversial ideas all appeared in an original blueprint for the area released last year, which sparked mass rallies, protests and a 7,000 name petition.

A further contentious issue, the idea of labelling some living areas as “service villages”, was also abandoned.

Interim chief executive of the NPA Barrie Foley, who took up the reins after Lindsay Cornish sensationally quit her post in June, admitted that communication had been poor when the original document was released.

Ms Cornish resigned after an anonymous letter criticising her leadership style, and purportedly written by some of her own staff, was sent to one of Britain’s top civil servants.

NPA head of planning Steve Avery added: “It has been a period of turmoil and a lot of lessons have been learned. We recognise that it had all gone a bit wrong earlier on, which is why we wanted to embark on another programme of active engagement.”

The contents of the first version of the massive document sparked fury among horse owners, dog walkers and business owners in the New Forest.

Two action groups, Forest Uprising and One Voice, were even formed specifically to fight the proposals.

The next draft of the masterplan will be released for public view on October 22 before a revised version is taken to an Authority meeting for members to approve on December 10.

New Forest East MP Julian Lewis, who along with New Forest West MP Desmond Swayne has also been battling the plan, said the climbdown was a victory for campaigners After the meeting in Applemore Leisure Centre, he said: “What has happened is that the strength of public uproar has made change inevitable and on the good principle that the tree that survives is the one that bends with the gale rather than resisting it.

“The NPA has had the good sense to see that dictating to people in the New Forest is counter productive.”

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