Category Archives: National Park

Mobile promises

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Mobile phone antennae locations on Truleigh Hill
The Argus reports:

EE, O2, Three and Vodafone, which make up the Mobile Operators Association, have teamed up with National Parks England to sign [a] government-backed accord. .. The deal is intended to tackle so-called ‘notspots’ – areas where there is little to no mobile coverage. .. Although there are no specific measures in place for the South Downs as yet, it is understood new masts could be built. The accord states new masts would be shared between networks and designed to blend in with the surrounding environment.

SDNPA issues first article 4 direction [update]

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Soberton view
The Hampshire Chronicle reports:

Winchester city councillors agreed the retrospective application by Danny Bower, for a field at West Street in Soberton, for 130m of wooden posts and wire fencing. The application had been handed over by South Downs National Park after 21 letters of objections arguing the fencing was detrimental to the landscape and in direct violation of trust’s preservation policies. .. However councillors were told that if they refused permission the applicant would be entitled to claim compensation for an unknown amount in costs.

Our earlier post is here.

Fewer complaints

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Shortlisted for planning excellence in 2014
The Midhurst and Petworth Observer notes a report to the SDNPA from its director of planning, Tim Slaney:

[The] report showed that a total of 19 complaints were received in the year to March 31, 2014 compared with 32 the previous year when the new planning administration system was introduced and “numbers are considered to be relatively low”. .. A total of 2,366 planning applications were decided 
across the park last year by the authority’s own planning committee and all the planning authorities inside its boundaries. .. Almost 80 per cent of the total were decided in the allotted timescale of eight, 13 or 16 weeks and, said Mr Slaney: “This is considered to be a generally good overall level of performance.”

Removal of overhead power lines [2]

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Eyesore on the ridge above Fulking
The South Downs National Park Authority has another relevant press release on this topic:

UK Power Networks, which delivers electricity supplies in the South East, has just completed a project to remove 1.4 miles of power lines, poles and equipment at the Rathfinny Wine Estate. .. The £426,513 improvements were funded by the electricity distributor’s £6.6 million initiative to enhance nationally-protected landscapes. New underground cables have been laid to replace the power lines on the wine estate and National Trust’s Frog Firle Estate.

Pete Currell, from the South Downs National Park Authority, said: “This underground cabling is just one of three schemes happening in the National Park over the next two years and we hope that we’ll be able to announce two more in the very near future.”

The projects are chosen by a regional steering group of environment experts, including the South Downs National Park, and chaired by Natural England. UK Power Networks provides technical support and guidance and carries out the projects. Between 2010 and 2015 UK Power Networks has £6.6million to invest in projects to replace overhead lines with underground cables in AONBs and National Parks in the South East. Since 2005 the company has removed 86km of power lines to enhance some of Britain’s most important landscapes.

Earlier post here.

SDNPA issues first article 4 direction

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Soberton view
The Hampshire Chronicle reports:

For the first time, the national park authority has removed planning rights for a field at Bere Farm, Soberton, following concerns that the owner was preparing to subdivide it with fences. .. The 20-hectare field has been recognised for its contribution to local views by the Soberton and Newtown Village Design Statement. The article 4 direction removes ‘permitted development’ rights for fences and gates to help protect the panorama. It does not prohibit their erection but means that planning permission is needed beforehand.

The full report is here and the SDNPA press release is here.

In A Gadda Da Vida [update]

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Shoreham Cement Works interior by Darren Nisbett
The West Sussex County Times has been hearing the views of Hargreaves Group, the owner of the mooted iron butterfly sanctuary:

Some references in the media weren’t entirely true. We can’t agree with the SDNPA about what the proposed development will be. They want nice green fields and we don’t want a development unless it’s commercially feasible for us and that there’s some housing developments. The site currently has a B2 General Industrial use, which allows businesses to use the site within designated hours. We have tenants on the West of the site and we get a good return. We could sit on it for the next 20 years and not develop, but we want to work with the parish council and everyone to develop a worthwhile site. It’s a bit of a blight on the landscape and we want to develop it but we are looking at tens of millions of pounds. We’re willing to put in nice walkways and grass land, but we don’t want a butterfly sanctuary.

Read the rest of the report here. Our earlier post is here.

Update 23rd July: Hargreaves have more to say here.

Ash to ashes [update 2]

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Leaves on infected ash
The Midhurst and Petworth Observer reports:

In a report to an [SDNP] authority meeting, chief executive Trevor Beattie told members three cases of ash dieback (Chalara Fraxinea) had been confirmed inside the park. In addition, four cases had been reported just outside the boundaries near Chichester, Horsham and Eastbourne which, he said, risked spreading the disease into the national park. ..

Mr Beattie said: “There is no cure for ash dieback, the disease is here to stay and is expected to spread through the ash population from east to west .. evidence from the past two seasons suggests the spread is slower than expected and spores are moving at a rate of about 10km a year.”

Read the full story here.

A barren, flat land

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SDNPA Discovery Map filtered by viewpoints
If you click the image above you will be taken to the SDNPA’s “Discovery Map” of the National Park set to display all the viewpoints. As you will immediately discover, there are no viewpoints in the National Park. Obviously, that’s because the South Downs, like the Netherlands, is completely flat. Apart from the hyperbolically named Alice Holt Forest, there are no woods either. There are no art galleries, no gardens and no vineyards. If you are consulting this map in order to “Find out what the National Park has to offer!”, the answer from the Midhurst box-tickers is clear: very little.

GJMG

What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow out of this stony rubbish?

A restoration precedent

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The restored cart shed at Up Marden
Work has now been completed on the conservation of a 200-year-old cart shed in Up Marden, West Sussex. The project, a pilot which could be rolled out for other ‘Heritage at Risk’ across the South Downs has been carried out in partnership between the SDNPA, Weald & Downland Open Air Museum, Natural England and the landowner. The museum oversaw a programme of repair works through a new outreach programme giving museum students first-hand experience in masonry and timber frame conservation skills. This was the first conservation project that the museum had undertaken outside the museum grounds. The museum’s new outreach service could help the SDNPA to repair other historic buildings across the National Park. More here.

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The Fulking reservoirs and C19 water supply? Summersdeane Farm? Perching watermill? Rat’s Ramble? Perching Hill Barn? Fulking Grange?

SDNPA wins the lottery

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SDNPA wins the lottery
The Heathlands Reunited project will be led by the South Downs National Park Authority, working in partnership with Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust, Butterfly Conservation, Defence Estates (Home Counties), Forestry Commission, Hampshire County Council, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Sussex Wildlife Trust, National Trust, Natural England, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, The Lynchmere Society and West Sussex County Council. More information here.