Minister Visits the South Downs
From left to right:Richard Shaw (Interim Chief Executive of the SDNPA Establishment Team) and the Minister are welcomed to Midhurst by John Etherington, Chairman of Midhurst Town Council outside Capron House.
Dec 11, 2009
Huw Irranca Davies, the Minister for the Marine and Natural Environment, visited Midhurst on 10 December 2009 for discussions with the Leaders of the 15 Local Authorities in the Park and with local farmers and landowners.
Discussions focused on the future role of the new National Park Authority, arrangements for planning, the importance of land management in safeguarding the beauty of the South Downs and the economic and environmental opportunities that National Park status can bring.
Notes to editors
The South Downs has been nationally recognised for its natural beauty and the opportunities it offers for open-air recreation, which is why it has been made into a National Park. For the first time, one permanent organisation, the South Downs National Park Authority, will take lead responsibility for keeping the South Downs National Park a special place.
The South Downs National Park
The South Downs National Park designation takes effect from 31 March 2010. The purposes of the South Downs National Park are:
1. To conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the area.
2. To promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the Park’s special qualities by the public
Covering an area over 1,600 square kilometres, the South Downs National Park stretches from Winchester in Hampshire to the chalk cliffs of Eastbourne in East Sussex, with over 107,000 people living in the area.
The South Downs National Park Authority
The National Park Authority’s role is to pursue the purposes of the National Park and in doing has a duty to:
To foster the economic and social well-being of the communities living within the National Park.
The South Downs National Park Authority begins its work on 1 April 2010 and has a year to prepare for taking on its full statutory powers and functions in April 2011.
For this first year, the Authority will decide on key policies and recruit the staff needed to help carry out the Park purposes. Once it becomes fully operational in April 2011, the Authority will be able to deliver programmes and take decisions as the Local Planning Authority.
The Authority is funded by central Government and run by a Board of Members who are comprised of:
~ 7 National Members appointed by the Secretary of State, Hilary Benn, through an open recruitment process.
~ 6 Parish council representatives nominated through hustings organised by SALC (Sussex Association for Local Councils).
~ 14 Local Authority nominees drawn from the 15 Local Authorities covering the Park area with Adur and Worthing opting to share a place.
The South Downs National Park Authority is currently based in Midhurst, West Sussex, but this is an interim arrangement until more permanent headquarters are found. No decisions as to the location of the HQ have been made as yet.
A small interim team is currently working with the Authority in its preparatory year and is headed by Interim Chief Executive, Richard Shaw.
National Parks
Britain's 15 National Parks are large areas of spectacular landscape that include mountains, meadows, moorlands, woods, coasts and wetlands. Known as Britain's Breathing Spaces, National Parks are areas of protected countryside that everyone can visit and enjoy. They are not owned by the Nation or managed only for their wildlife. They are mostly farmed landscapes where people live, work and shape the landscape.
For more information about UK National Parks please visit www.nationalparks.gov.uk
Contact Details
Please contact Jennie Saul, Interim Press & Publications Officer at South Downs National Park, for more information: jennie.saul@defra.gsi.gov.uk, tel 0300 303 1053
If you would like to receive a copy of our regular newsletter then please contact the SDNPA Establishment Team by emailing: jane.schiller@defra.gsi.gov.uk
The South Downs has been nationally recognised for its natural beauty and the opportunities it offers for open-air recreation, which is why it has been made into a National Park. For the first time, one permanent organisation, the South Downs National Park Authority, will take lead responsibility for keeping the South Downs National Park a special place.
The South Downs National Park
The South Downs National Park designation takes effect from 31 March 2010. The purposes of the South Downs National Park are:
1. To conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the area.
2. To promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the Park’s special qualities by the public
Covering an area over 1,600 square kilometres, the South Downs National Park stretches from Winchester in Hampshire to the chalk cliffs of Eastbourne in East Sussex, with over 107,000 people living in the area.
The South Downs National Park Authority
The National Park Authority’s role is to pursue the purposes of the National Park and in doing has a duty to:
To foster the economic and social well-being of the communities living within the National Park.
The South Downs National Park Authority begins its work on 1 April 2010 and has a year to prepare for taking on its full statutory powers and functions in April 2011.
For this first year, the Authority will decide on key policies and recruit the staff needed to help carry out the Park purposes. Once it becomes fully operational in April 2011, the Authority will be able to deliver programmes and take decisions as the Local Planning Authority.
The Authority is funded by central Government and run by a Board of Members who are comprised of:
~ 7 National Members appointed by the Secretary of State, Hilary Benn, through an open recruitment process.
~ 6 Parish council representatives nominated through hustings organised by SALC (Sussex Association for Local Councils).
~ 14 Local Authority nominees drawn from the 15 Local Authorities covering the Park area with Adur and Worthing opting to share a place.
The South Downs National Park Authority is currently based in Midhurst, West Sussex, but this is an interim arrangement until more permanent headquarters are found. No decisions as to the location of the HQ have been made as yet.
A small interim team is currently working with the Authority in its preparatory year and is headed by Interim Chief Executive, Richard Shaw.
National Parks
Britain's 15 National Parks are large areas of spectacular landscape that include mountains, meadows, moorlands, woods, coasts and wetlands. Known as Britain's Breathing Spaces, National Parks are areas of protected countryside that everyone can visit and enjoy. They are not owned by the Nation or managed only for their wildlife. They are mostly farmed landscapes where people live, work and shape the landscape.
For more information about UK National Parks please visit www.nationalparks.gov.uk
Contact Details
Please contact Jennie Saul, Interim Press & Publications Officer at South Downs National Park, for more information: jennie.saul@defra.gsi.gov.uk, tel 0300 303 1053
If you would like to receive a copy of our regular newsletter then please contact the SDNPA Establishment Team by emailing: jane.schiller@defra.gsi.gov.uk