SHOCK and amazement has been expressed by Greatham residents over the news that the village has now been excluded from the proposed South Downs National Park.
At last WednesdayÕs annual meeting of the parish council, residents voiced their frustration at the news and questioned what the next step would be.
As previously reported by The Herald, the Countryside Agency is now recommending that the entire village be left outside the proposed park boundary.
This is because the village was previously split into two by the boundary with only half the village deemed to meet the criteria for inclusion.
Residents campaigned to have the remaining part of the village within the boundary but the CA decided to go in the opposite direction and exclude the whole village rather than split it.
Resident Anna Dale-Harris told the council that she feared that being left outside of the park boundary would result in the village receiving less protection from development.
ÒThe national park would be the top level of protection and we will go down the rungs of the ladder,Ó she said.
She said that the CAÕs justification for excluding Greatham was ÒrubbishÓ and argued that the village has a strong case for its inclusion.
District and parish councillor Judy Onslow told the meeting that she was ÒamazedÓ when she heard the news of GreathamÕs exclusion.
But she said that there were many questions which remained to be answered by the CA and that the full impact of its recommendation was not yet known.
ÒThe idea is just so big that this consultation is going to go on for quite some time,Ó she said.
ÒIt will be a different type of national park from that which currently exists.
ÒDifferent rules will apply but I think that we have got to wait and see what they are.Ó
Parish council chairman Elwyn Evans said that the CA had not yet revealed exactly where the new boundary would be but promised that once this information was known the parish council would fight hard for Greatham.