Q: What about the National Park Authority? Should we postpone making a decision (and ask the Environment Agency to postpone withdrawal of the flood defences) until after the NPA is in place and able to express its view?
A: The National Park Authority would not have affected the Environment Agency’s decision to withdraw flood maintenance, as the EA process followed official government (Defra) policy.
The South Downs National Park will be a material consideration in any activities likely to affect the landscape of this nationally designated area. However, the area is already similarly protected, certainly in planning terms, with its current Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty national designation. National Parks have two purposes: conserving natural beauty and promoting opportunities for understanding and enjoyment; if there is a conflict between the two, conservation takes precedence. The National Park does not mean land is “nationalised”, so the views of the relevant landowners will be pre-eminent in any future Cuckmere Estuary planning.
The National Park Authority will effectively be a mini local authority; this is different to the current South Downs Joint Committee, which is, as the name states, a “joint committee” of the 15 local authorities across the area. The timescale suggested by Defra is for the “shadow NPA” (i.e. its members to be in place) by April 2010, with the fully operational SDNPA by April 2011. However, this organisation has to set up from scratch, so it will probably be some time before detailed operational matters are seriously on the agenda (i.e. it is unlikely that the SDNPA will take a view on the Cuckmere Estuary in April 2011).
The National Park Authority will operate within its twin purposes, it will not take over the responsibility of other “authorities”, so the Environment Agency, the Local Highway Authority (ESCC) and others will still have their roles and responsibilities. As such, the SDNPA will not take over the decision-making process for the Cuckmere Estuary; it will, however, be an important player, with a view very much shaped by its express purposes (which are broadly similar to the current South Downs Joint Committee). There is one significant difference over the current arrangements, in that the SDNPA will be the planning authority for the area. However, although it will eventually carry out strategic planning for the South Downs, one option being seriously considered is for the new SDNPA to delegate back to the local authorities the development control function. This is for the SDNPA to decide, so the outcome of this will not be known before 2010 or 2011, hence the likelihood that the SDNPA will not be in a position to take a view on detailed local matters such as the Cuckmere Estuary early on.
The South Downs Joint Committee, though not the same as the future SDNPA, is the current vehicle for views on this nationally protected AONB/NP landscape. The Joint Committee has set solid foundations for the protection, conservation and enhancement of the South Downs.
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