Councillors concerned by proposals for East Devon and Dorset 'Jurassic Park'

Concerns over plans for a real life 'Jurassic Park' covering parts of East Devon Dorset have been raised.

An independent review undertaken last year by Julian Glover into National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty noted there was potential for a new National Park to be formed from the combination of the Dorset AONB and the East Devon AONB.

But fears over a lack of democratic accountability of National Parks, what it would mean for the areas of the district outside the National Park boundary, and any evidence of what the future priorities and focus of any potential Dorset and East Devon National Park would be were raised at Wednesday night's full council meeting.

The Glover Review had also been considered at Tuesday's Strategic Planning Committee meeting where they agreed a special meeting of the committee should be convened to specifically look into what a new National Park could mean.

Wednesday's full council meeting considered a motion submitted by councillor Paul Arnott calling for a working group to engage with and understand the issues and opportunities which would arise from a new National Park, but councillors agreed that no decision would be made until impact of the economic position is made clear.

Putting forward his motion, councillor Arnott said that historically the position of East Devon District Council has been that they were opposed to the creation of a new National Park, saying it has been considered 'opportunistic and would lead to a loss of control'.

He said that he has no predetermined idea if there should be a National Park or not but a cross party working forum that was politically balanced should be formed to engage and consider the issues, and then report back to either Overview or Strategic Planning.

Councillor Susie Bond, Portfolio Holder for Strategic Development, though proposed that preliminary work be undertaken but that the council should agree that no decision would be taken until impact of economic implications of any National Park plan was made clear.

She added: "If the Strategic Planning Committee during the debate decide to set up a working group then that could happen."

Councillor Ian Thomas added: "I am concerned the report suggests 'a strong case' for combined Dorset and East Devon AONB's forming a future National Park and that Natural England and ministers consider the case.

"The implication for coastal East Devon Towns and Parishes, including our Trinity Parishes of Uplyme, Combpyne-Rousdon and Axmouth in the current East Devon AONB, but not the remainder of East Devon or our Blackdown Hills AONB, would be a massive planning authority dominated by Dorset interests."

He added that there is no proposal with the report that future National Park Authorities should become democratically elected bodies and the Glover Review acknowledges that diversity of the unelected National Park and AONB governing boards is deeply unrepresentative.

It revealed that 68 per cent are male and just 0.8 per cent of board members are black, Asian and minority ethnic groups.

Councillor Thomas said: "Equally worrying is that there are no members of any boards under the age of 25, with the average age 64 in National Parks, so I would be a youngster.

"The Glover Report submission refers to 'Dorset' 262 times, 'Devon' only 29 times, of which 20 were in the read through "Dorset and East Devon". East Devon feature in little beyond the 'title' and 'map', and is swiftly judged in the sweeping general assertion that 'similar arguments and benefits would apply to East Devon'.

"This ill-informed, casual dismissal of East Devon without evidence gives a strong indication of the future priorities and focus of any potential Dorset and East Devon National Park, so based on these, and other reasons, I am currently strongly opposed to any such National Park designation including East Devon."

Councillor Eleanor Rylance said that as a lot of East Devon would be part of the area the National Park would encompass, it would have a knock-on effect for the rest of the district which could have to take a greater share of the housing needs for the area, and councillor Geoff Pook said it would impact every single ward in East Devon, irrespective of whether that would be a part of the National Park or not.

Councillor Philip Skinner, who proposed the special meeting of the Strategic Planning Committee, said that it would allow them to listen to the evidence around National Parks and then they can make an informed decision.

No date for when the special meeting would make place has been announced and the council agreed not to take any position on whether they would be supporting the formation of a new National Park until more evidence had been presented over the impact that it would have comes forward.

The Glover Review had refers to the potential for a new National Park to include the East Devon AONB, but not the Blackdown Hills AONB.

It said that if a new National Park was to be created, there may be direct and indirect benefits, such as greater tourism activity but there could also be cost implications, which may fall nationally or locally, and there would be power by transferred from the district council to another body.

The three AONBs that the report explicitly comments on are The Chilterns, The Cotswolds and the combined area of Dorset AONB and East Devon AONB.