Call to Transfer Lepe Country Park

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A modern wooden building with large windows, elevated on stilts, sits among trees in Lepe Country Park. There are outdoor stairs, picnic tables underneath, and a gravel area in the foreground under a partly cloudy sky.
The Lookout, a new restaurant and shop on the beach at Lepe Country Park in Hampshire © Photo: Gillian Pullinger | Alamy

Councillor David Harrison has called on officers at the New Forest National Park Authority to explore the possibility of negotiating the transfer of ownership of Lepe Country Park from Hampshire County Council to the New Forest National Park Authority (NPA).

He believes the transfer could provide the NPA with a valuable source of income at a time when it is facing significant financial pressures.

The Authority relies almost entirely on direct funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and, unlike some other National Parks, has very limited opportunities to generate its own revenue through assets such as car parks and visitor centres.

According to Councillor Harrison, reductions in Defra funding have left the NPA without sufficient staff to meet all its obligations under the Partnership Plan, which involves working with partner organisations to protect and enhance the New Forest.

One positive outcome of Local Government Reorganisation could be the transfer of assets to local organisations that are better placed to manage them.

Transferring Lepe Country Park to the NPA could allow the Authority to benefit from income generated by car parking, the café and the visitor centre.

Councillor Harrison raised the proposal at a meeting of the Resources, Audit and Performance Committee, where no objections were expressed.

He believes the proposal should be pursued before any new combined authorities are established.

Councillor Harrison said that money raised in the New Forest should be retained and reinvested for the benefit of the New Forest.