ECONOMIC REPORT SPELLS GOOD NEWS FOR SOUTH DOWNS
The report, Prosperity and Protection, commissioned by the Council for National Parks, showed that the majority of businesses surveyed in the three National Parks in the Yorkshire and Humber region felt national park designation had had a positive impact on their enterprise. Thousands of jobs were supported, and millions of pounds were brought into the local and regional economies because of the national parks. And this study only considered part of the economic worth of the national parks – further studies are being recommended to assess the total economic, social and environmental benefits of such areas.
Jon Martin, Chairman of the South Downs Society, said: “This report shows that national park status for the South Downs cannot come fast enough. It will strengthen the local economy in the Downs, and it will also be good for the landscape, wildlife and public enjoyment of the area.”
Robin Crane, Chairman of the South Downs Campaign, said: “I very much welcome this report which shows why the South East Plan, currently being scrutinised in public, needs to change. The Plan undervalues the contribution that landscapes such as the South Downs make to the regional economy. It also threatens the future of the South Downs with the proposed levels of development, particularly on the Sussex Coast. Pressure for more housing is immense and a South Downs National Park will be vital for the protection of this iconic landscape which is enjoyed by so many, both locally and from further afield.”
A report published in 2003 showed that there are over 39 million visits a year to the South Downs, mostly by local people, and that the landscape of the South Downs already generates £333 million for the regional economy.
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Notes
The South Downs Society is a charity set up to conserve and enhance the beauty and amenities of the South Downs for the benefit of the public. It was established in 1923 and successfully defeated proposals for unsuitable coastal development overlooking the famous Seven Sisters area.
The South Downs Campaign is a network of over 100 organisations (including the South Downs Society and the Council for National Parks). The SDC is generously supported by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.
The Council for National Parks (CNP) is the national charity which works to promote and protect National Parks in England and Wales. CNP undertook this Prosperity and Protection research project with financial support and/or advice from Yorkshire Forward, the three National Park Authorities involved in the study (Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors and Peak District National Parks), DEFRA, Natural England, the New Economics Foundation, the Nationwide Building Society, the Ramblers’ Association and the J Paul Getty Jr Charitable Trust.
The project surveyed over 400 businesses in the Parks, towns around them and, for comparison, the Yorkshire Wolds. It found:
· 69% of businesses in the National Parks believe high landscape quality has a positive impact on their business performance
· 26% of businesses think a deterioration in landscape quality would seriously affect their business
· over half of the Parks’ businesses feel that the National Park designation has had a positive impact on their enterprise.
The Examination in Public into the draft South East Plan started on 28 November 2006 in Woking and is due to continue until the end of March 2007. The main session affecting the South Downs will take place in January in Chichester.
The report “A survey of Recreational Visits to the Proposed South Downs National Park”, published in October 2003, was undertaken by Tourism South East with Geoff Broom Associates on behalf of the Countryside Agency.
The Society and the Campaign strongly support the Government’s proposal to make the South Downs a national park. Currently two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty exist in the South Downs: East Hampshire and the Sussex Downs and extend for approximately 80 miles, between Eastbourne in East Sussex and Winchester in Hampshire.