§ Mr. ColvinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to be able to make an announcement on the extent of the New Forest heritage area. [6984]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordIn his answer of 14 July 1994,Official Report, column 767–69, announcing that the same planning policies as apply to a national park will apply to the wider New Forest heritage area, my right hon. Friend, the former Minister for the Environment and Countryside, said that the boundary of the heritage area would emerge from the current local plan process. The preparation and adoption of local plans is the responsibility of the statutory local planning authorities.
I understand that the relevant New Forest district local plans defining the New Forest heritage area boundary were adopted recently, but that an area of land north of Totton and to the east of the Totton western bypass is proposed by the district council in the deposited New Forest district local plan to be included in the heritage area. This proposal will be considered in the context of the emerging New Forest district-wide local plan.