A group of MPs including Laura have come together to call on Natural England to upgrade the North Wessex Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty into a National Park.
Led by South Swindon MP Sir Robert Buckland, Laura along with Danny Kruger MP, Sir Alok Sharma MP, and Kit Malthouse MP have written a joint letter to Chair of Natural England, Dr Tony Juniper CBE, calling for the upgrading of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which runs through all of their constituencies.
In the joint letter to Natural England, the MPs state that although National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty have the same protection in law, as confirmed by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, there are, however, major differences in purposes, governance, planning protections and powers, and Government funding.
The North Wessex Downs Area of Natural Outstanding Beauty is ringed by towns across the MPs’ constituencies, most are which are expanding towards, and in some cases across the National Landscape boundary. For example Wantage, Didcot, Wallingford, Pangbourne, Basingstoke, Andover, Ludgershall, Devizes, Lambourn, Calne and Swindon.
Local planning authorities in whose area AONBs lie are also subject to housebuilding targets, and the MPs state in the letter to Natural England that all too often they are seeing planning applications which take little account of the area that is covered by a nationally protected landscape, or the capacity of the landscape to accommodate change without harming the qualities for which it was designated.
Laura said:
"I am really excited about this campaign and hope Natural England will agree. With colleagues led by Sir Robert Buckland we are asking them to upgrade the entirety of the North Wessex Downs AONB into a National Park in special recognition of its environmental importance and beauty."
Leading the campaign, Sir Robert Buckland commenting on behalf of the group of MPs said:
“The North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty is undoubtedly among Britain’s most beautiful landscapes. Straddling the boundaries of Berkshire, Hampshire, Oxfordshire, and Wiltshire and covering 173 parishes, and indeed all of our constituencies, this is the third-largest national landscape in the country.
As Members of Parliament across the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, we are extremely keen to work together to protect and preserve the area for all of our constituents.
The upgrading of the North Wessex Downs into a National Park would offer further protection to the area from the many towns expanding towards and in some cases across, the National Landscape boundary.
Not only would upgrading the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to a National Park offer the area far greater protection, but it would also mean that the area would benefit from vastly greater core funding from DEFRA.
The North Wessex Downs are treasured and enjoyed by people throughout all of our constituencies, and it is our firm belief that we all have a responsibility to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the area for all of our constituents and indeed our future generations to come.
The upgrading of the North Wessex Downs into a National Park would offer one of Britain’s most beautiful landscapes the greater protection it urgently needs and is the best way to achieve this. We hope that Natural England will agree and take the necessary steps to upgrade the area into a National Park.”