The New Forest Association says campsites should not be located in highly designated sites

PREPARATIONS should be made to move some national park campsites to less environmentally sensitive sites, a leading Forest conservation group has urged, amid a claim that time is ticking on their 60-year licence.

Speaking at a Verderers’ Court meeting, New Forest Association chair Sarah Nield said the charity was trying to “establish the legal status of the campsites” in the face of “a complex legislative history”.

Ms Nield revealed: “Our understanding is that an undocumented licence of the campsites was granted to the then-Forestry Commission by the minister in or around November 1971 following recommendations for the control of camping and car parking on the open Forest by a steering committee set up for this purpose.”

The court heard that this licence could be granted for no more than 60 years, and therefore would expire around 2031. New Forest campsites are owned by Forestry England, and run and managed by Camping in the New Forest – a subsidiary of the New Forest Show Society – under a 10-year licence which expires in 2033.

The campsites are at Hollands Wood, Setthorns, Holmsley, Ocknell, Longbeech, Ashurst, Denny Wood, Roundhills, Alridge Hill and Matley Wood.

Ms Nield said: “There is thus certainly no more than eight years before the current licences expire. A relatively short time in Forest matters.”

The New Forest Association says that when the current licence does expire, the verderers would need to consent to any licence renewal or extension.

Forest campaigners have long argued that with today’s knowledge of the issues around campsites on the open Forest, permission for them would not be given near such fragile habitats.

Ms Nield added that campsites on the open Forest would continue only if the Verderers were able to meet their “strict statutory obligations” to conserve the Forest, protect commoning and satisfy the environmental standards governing protected landscapes.

“We recognise the benefits of camping provision in the Forest whether that is affordable visitor accommodation, enhancing visitors’ health and wellbeing and their appreciation of the Forest,” said Ms Nield. “However, camping, just like other facilities, needs to be in the ‘right place’ – not on a SSSI [Site of Special Scientific Interest] or Special Area of Conservation.”

She called for urgent clarification on the agreements setting out the legal status of the campsites. This understanding, Ms Nield said, would enable both the campsite operators and those involved in conservation of the New Forest to plan for the future.

“Investment decisions would rest on firm foundations, the relocation of unsuitable sites secured and managed with the minimum of disruption with income flows maintained as far as possible,” Ms Nield said. “We urge the verderers and Forestry England to agree the legal status of the campsites now and to plan for sustainable camping provision in the Forest.”

A spokesperson for Forestry England said: “Our campsites in the New Forest have become important places for people to engage with and understand nature and are a major contributor to the local economy. We believe it’s possible to strike a good balance between carefully managing the ecological impact of these sites and the social and economic benefits they deliver especially to the local community.

“We don’t have any current plans to permanently close sites. Given they were originally set up to reduce irresponsible behaviour and wild camping we would be concerned about the impact of removing them and this would need careful consideration. Added to this, the impact on visitors and the local community and economy would be considerable.

“We are open to exploring opportunities to makes changes which could include the numbers of pitches, distribution and locations and will continue to discuss ideas with our operator and other local partners and groups.”