LOCAL ramblers have expressed serious concerns over the exclusion of Petersfield and the A3 corridor from the area of search for the proposed South Downs National Park.

Dr Owen Plunkett, spokesman for the Hampshire Area Council of the Ramblers' Association and a member of the South Downs Campaign Group, said the group will "fight hard" to have the areas included.

His comments follow a special meeting organised by the Countryside Agency to explain the proposals for the boundary of the park.

He said: "We were happy with the boundaries suggested by the the landscape experts, but are very concerned that an important part of the East Hants Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has now been excluded from the area of search by the Countryside Agency board.

"Of course this is not the final boundary and we will fight hard for inclusion of Petersfield and the A3 corridor".

South Downs Campaign Group officer Robin Crane said a national park would offer a "high level of protection against inappropriate development" in the area.

The campaign group sent a letter to the Countryside Agency earlier this week outlining objections to the area of search.

Mr Crane said: "We applaud the vision of the Countryside Agency for having looked beyond the current boundaries of the two areas of outstanding natural beauty. 

"However, we are concerned with what they have left out, particularly the A3 corridor down to Petersfield, at such an early stage in the process.

"There are some important areas of the Adur and Ouse valleys which should be included, while a more consistent approach needs to be taken, especially north of the Downs, to protect the views across the Weald and to provide gateways into the National Park."

The exclusion of Petersfield and the A3 corridor raised concerns from a number of people and internationally-acclaimed botanist Francis Rose has also also criticised plans to leave out the River Rother Valley around Liss.

Earlier this year the Countryside Agency employed landscape experts to advise it on the quality of the landscape on the downs.

They reported their findings to a conference at Chichester in January.

It was eventually recommended that the two AONBs in East Hampshire and the Sussex Downs fully met the criteria for national park designation. They also recommended that some other areas outside the AONB boundaries also met the criteria.

These included the Itchen Valley to the north of Winchester, part of the Forest of Bere and other areas in Sussex.

Members of the Ramblers Association and the South Downs Campaign Group were delighted with these findings.

At a recent meeting a Countryside Agency spokesperson explained that although the areas do meet the landscape requirements, it was felt that the area did not have the necessary recreational quality.

But Dr Plunkett pointed out that Petersfield and the A3 corridor have an excellent network of rights of way used by many walkers and horseriders.