Extra time for Forest consultation is pathetic and feeble – MP

12:51pm Saturday 11th October 2008

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NATIONAL Park chiefs have come under fire for giving New Forest residents only two extra weeks to comment on controversial plans for the area.

New Forest East MP Dr Julian Lewis described the National Park Authority (NPA) decision to extend the public consultation period by a fortnight as “utterly pathetic”.

He said it was a “microscopic concession” to campaigners battling the new blueprint, which includes tighter restrictions on horse and dog owners.

“Do they really think that extending the consultation period from ten weeks to 12 is going to do anything at all?”

said Dr Lewis.

“It’s a feeble move and just shows how out of touch they are with the strength of public feeling.”

However, the decision to extend the deadline was welcomed by Tina Cant, co-founder of the pressure group Forest Uprising, who described it as a victory for commonsense.

“It shows that the National Park Authority is acting sensibly and responsibly,” she said. “The extension will give people more time to read the document and form a view but it doesn’t alter our campaign.”

The authority’s chairman, Clive Chatters, said: “We have extended the consultation period to meet the needs of those who have said they would like more time to consider our draft plans, including parish councils and other organisations that have requested flexibility to fit their cycle of meetings.

“The extension also gives the authority’s members and officers more time to get out and about in the Forest and hear directly from people.

“We need to balance our wish to ensure that people have sufficient time to give us their views with the need to give ourselves time for full consideration of the outcome.”

The move comes just days after Forest Uprising staged a massive demonstration attended by at least 1,000 people.

Another protest will take place tomorrow, when the New Forest Dog Owners’ Group will hold a day of action at Brockenhurst Village Hall.

It says plans to create “dogfree”

car parks will exclude them from large parts of the Forest and could be followed by a complete ban on dog walking. Speakers at tomorrow’s event will include representatives from the Kennel Club and the Forest’s two MPs. Stephen Trotter, the NPA’s director of conservation, will speak at the hall and answer questions.