STORMCLOUDS are building up over the Countryside Agency's public consultation for the proposed New Forest National Park.

According to New Forest commoners the consultation period is just too short.

The commoners are complaining that, at a busy time of year for many of them, there is not enough time to prepare their case.

Their objection was taken up by New Forest East MP Dr Julian Lewis when he attended a Countryside Agency roadshow in Lyndhurst on Friday.

"The closing date is at the end of September, and some people have not even received their documentation from the Countryside Agency yet," said Dr Lewis.

"The matter caused a revolt at a meeting of New Forest Consultative Panel, and a former Verderer has proposed that the consultation period should be extended to the end of November.

"This was overwhelmingly carried, but the CA seems very reluctant to consider extending the period."

Commoner Olive Collins, a Consultative Panel representative for the New Forest Village Shops Association and secretary of the Commoning Animals Protection Society (CAPS) has given her reasons for objection to the time period of the consultation.

"The CA seems to have overlooked the fact that the New Forest is a rural tourist area in which a large percentage of the population is either involved in farming and/or the holiday trade," she said.

"During the next twelve weeks holiday businesses like mine will have to generate 47 per cent of their total annual income and this involves working from dawn to dusk seven days a week during that period.

"Even if one has the inclination and the energy it is highly unlikely that there will be any time left to participate in this consultation exercise and I think it is highly insensitive of the CA to choose this time of the year especially when the commoners, farmers and the tourist industry are struggling to make up for losses incurred during the Foot & Mouth Disease crisis.

"It is also worrying that several Panel members, including parish representatives, expressed concern last night that they had not yet received the relevant documentation.

"I know CAPS has not yet received it either, even though the society was involved and responded to the earlier consultation on the boundary."

Marion Spain of the Countryside Agency said the feelings of the panel would be considered.

"We have allowed the same period of time - three months - as for the boundary consultation," she said.

"Obviously this has been an exceptional year with the Foot & Mouth crisis, so we will be giving the matter some thought."