The Camping and Caravanning Club Greenfields House, Westwood Way, Coventry, CV4 8JH

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National Parks

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We have 2 National Parks within the Southern Region. The South Downs and The New Forest.

 It is important that we look after these areas of outstanding natural beauty. Collectively maintains the fine balance between supporting the local economy and preserving/conserving  these wonderful places of nature. To help us achieve this goal The Region has a National Parks Officer who monitors the camping activity of DAs and Special Interest Sections within the Region. The National Parks Officer also liaises with Other Club Units, Local Authorities and other organisations who have an interest in the National Parks. The Region also has a Countryside Care Officer who coordinates assorted countryside care activities throughout the Region enabling those of us who have got so much out of the countryside to put a little back.

South Downs National Park - Report by Southern Region National Parks Officer for South Downs - Peter Maltby. January 2008

Camping in the South Downs 

The Government started the process of designating the South Downs as a National Park over seven years ago

The latest boundary proposed for the National Park corresponds closely to the outcrop of the chalk geological formation.

The area extends from Eastbourne to Winchester – about 72 miles. It is only about 5 miles wide at its eastern end, but widens to about ten miles towards the west.
Lewes, Steyning, Storrington, Petworth, Midhurst, Petersfield and New Alresford are to be excluded.

There is a map on the DEFRA website at

http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/issues/landscap/natparks/sdowns/index.htm

The Club (and all the other major Camping and Caravanning Clubs too) has agreed to give advance notice to the appropriate National Park Authority of all of our camping events within that National Park. A Club Green Paper requires Sites Secretaries to notify the local National Parks Sites Officer of their proposed events in the National Park by 1st May in the year preceding the event. The Green Paper covers proposed National Parks as well as established ones like Dartmoor, the Lake District or the New Forest.

The proposed change in status to that of a National Park is not a signal to cease camping in the Downs area. An area of land is only appropriate as a National Park if it contains significant opportunities for recreation. A National Park’s purposes are not only to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of the Park but also to promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of its special qualities. National Park Authorities also have a duty to seek to foster the economic and social well-being of their local communities.
Almost all of the South Downs area is within designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) with strong emphasis on conservation but without the second purpose of enjoyment.  So in theory at least, we in the Club will be in a stronger position to enjoy our chosen recreation in a National Park than within the old AONBs. And don’t forget the “fostering the economic and social well-being” bit. Club HQ reckons that we spend nearly £30 per unit/night when we are out and about and many rural shows or village festivities would fail without our support.

So I look forward to hearing about lots of events in the South Downs for 2008, 2009 and beyond.

Enjoy!

Peter Maltby

End of report

Map of the Southern Region

Contact National Parks Officer

Countryside Care Events

Contact Countryside Care Officer

visit the DEFRA website  www.defra.gov.uk for more details of national parks.

www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/issues/landscap/newforest/pdf/boundary-map.pdf to see the New Forest National Park map and boundary on the DEFRA website.

click here to launch camping in national parks forms in a Microsoft Word format