A MASS wake-up call has been given by East Hampshire District Council, to get residents of Bordon and surrounding villages talking about the proposals for the South Downs National Park.

The council has expressed its concern about possible apathy in the north of the district, which might be left to pick up the pieces if the proposals for the park are realised.

The Countryside Agency has identified an area of search in Hampshire and Sussex, from which the boundary of the proposed park will be drawn.

The area of search creeps around Bordon, Petersfield and Alton and up through the Hangers to include Alice Holt Forest.

But controversially, it does not include the A3 corridor which currently enjoys the protection of AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) status.

Areas like Bordon, Whitehill, Headley and Liphook have found themselves on the border of the area of search, sparking fears that they will be the prime target of housing developers.

EHDC cabinet member Patrick Burridge, whose portfolio covers the environment and the countryside, said that the district could be under enormous pressure in the future, with increased visitor numbers and restriction on development.

He said that Petersfield residents and their town council were "fighting like hell" to be included within the boundary of the proposed park.

And he explained that, should the town be successful, Bordon and Alton could be left to soak up the pressure of future development.

"What I really want is for everyone to be talking about this. Everyone should be voicing their concerns and their opinions," he said.

"Everyone in Petersfield seems to be having their say and I don't want this area to be left behind."

The councillor said that it was important that residents make their opinions known at this early stage, so that they influence the Countryside Agency before it draws up a draft boundary.

Mr Burridge explained that, while the national park would give no more protection that the existing AONBs, the possibility exists that EHDC could lose planning control for around 40 per cent of the district.

The district councillor, who is also the chairman of the north planning sub-committee, also expressed concern that house prices may increase in the district because of the park.

"I was reading an article in a newspaper which showed that house prices had increased by 10/15 per cent because of a national park," he explained.

"It really worries me that our children and grandchildren will not be able to afford a house in this district."

Mr Burridge said that the area of search produced by the Countryside Agency was "deliberately vague" and had left some villages in limbo because they did not know whether they were included in the area of search or not.

He said: "We really can't wait until September when the draft boundary is published and goes out for consultation."

The cabinet member said that the possibility of places such as Bordon, Liphook, Alton and Farnham becoming a "gateway" for visitors for an overnight stay or to commute from them into the park itself has also left uncertainty.

The district council had no idea how this could affect the character of those towns and villages.

However, he pointed out that the district council was fighting to limit the extent to which the park would encroach on the district and instead create a new tailor-made park.

Recently EHDC said that it would like the boundary to follow the chalk ridge which runs south of Petersfield and north of Clanfield.

Whitehill Town Council has followed suit and supported the same chalk ridge option, believing that a smaller national park would help to relieve the pressure of development.

Mr Burridge said: "If the national park was confined to the chalk ridge, there would be a substantial remnant of AONB to the north in EHDC, Winchester and Chichester.

"This large remnant of AONB could benefit from the enhanced funding and powers for AONBs which should be available through the new Countryside and Rights of Way Act."

Outdoor recreation would be easier to manage on a chalk ridge than in the lowland areas where farming and landscape is more vulnerable to visitor pressures.

"If the new South Downs National Park Authority becomes a planning authority in its own right, the remainder of EHDC will still be a viable planning unit and will not suffer from a large displacement of housing and employment beyond the national park boundaries."

Details about the proposals for the South Downs National Park can be found on the Countryside Agency's website http://www.countryside.gov.uk">www.countryside.gov.uk.

p To comment on the national park write to the head of the national park designation team Marion Spain at the Countryside Agency, Dacre House, 19 Dacre Street, London SW1H 0DH.