New Forest: £125k council–National Trust protection plan

At a cabinet committee meeting in Crosfield Hall Romsey on Wednesday, April 8, councillors considered a report setting out how more homes in Test Valley will mean more people visiting the New Forest, increasing pressure on already sensitive habitats through walking, parking, dog walking, erosion and disturbance to wildlife.

The council is legally required under the Habitats Regulations to prevent harm to protected sites, including Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas and Ramsar wetlands, all of which apply to parts of the New Forest.

While the council already supports “off‑designation” mitigation – such as providing alternative green spaces for recreation, the report focused on “on‑designation” measures, managing visitors inside the Forest itself through a Strategic Access Management and Monitoring (SAMM) approach.

A New Forest scene (Image: Dieter Valerius)

The proposal is to fund a full‑time specialist role hosted by the National Trust, who would steer ecological and regulatory approvals and oversee practical projects such as new or improved footpaths, footbridges and access management.

Vicky Fletcher, general manager at National Trust, Mottisfont & South West Hants, told members: “This item is a result of several meetings between TVBC and the National Trust looking at the shared goals for both organisations. We are committed to working in partnership for the benefit of wildlife and our shared communities. I would like to say thank you very much to all of you for considering this item.”

The scheme would initially mitigate the impact of around 100 new homes, with potential to cover more as projects are delivered.

The work would concentrate on northern New Forest commons most used by Test Valley residents, including Canada Common, Plaitford Common and Penn Common, which are already under recreational pressure and are expected to see more visitors as local housing comes forward.

The National Trust owns and manages large areas of this land and is already seeing increased use of its sites, with added concern that planned car park charges by Forestry England could push more visitors onto Trust‑owned commons.

Cllr Phil Bundy said: "It can be seen there is a clear opportunity to work together with National Trust and to deliver a worthwhile scheme that will help protect those ecologically sensitive areas."

Chairman of the cabinet, Cllr Phil North, added: "It all seems pretty straight forward to me and sensible."

Cllr Stuart Macdonald said: "I fully support, I think this is very worthwhile."

The scheme is expected to cost £125,000 over two years, £100,000 for the post and £25,000 for technical surveys and studies, funded entirely from developer contributions already collected, with no call on council tax.

Recommendations were unanimously agreed and will go to full council on Thursday, April 22.