New Forest campaigners overturn ‘crazy’ planning restrictions
Campaigners against “crazy” planning restrictions in the New Forest have been so successful that the national park authority wants them to be part of an equine advisory group to oversee future plans.
After a year-long fight by horse owners, the New Forest National Park Authority (NFNPA) has backed down over rules that would have forced many horse owners to get planning permission if they wanted to feed or rug their privately kept animals.
Many local authorities require planning permission when land is developed for stables and arenas.
But as part of an unpopular strategy to preserve the character of the Forest, the NFNPA widened this to include grazing on private land — if horses are rugged or fed, or more than one horse is grazed per hectare.
Officials were concerned by “a proliferation of insensitive fencing, poorly located stables and field shelters and bundles of plastic-wrapped hay”.
Tina Cant, of the pressure group Forest Uprising (news, 28 August 2008), said: “At a public meeting on 2 September, officers implied they were dropping these rules, but the ultimate decision will be made by authority members in December.”
But the NFNPA’s Stephen Avery told H&H: “The draft policy will be revised to bring it into line with the district council’s, which is accepted by local horse owners.”
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
A 7,200-name petition was submitted against the plans and Mr Avery acknowledged the opposition was instrumental in changing the authority’s mind.
He said: “We now have a new understanding with horse keepers and we want to build on this.”
The NFNPA has set up the New Forest Equine Forum, with representatives of the New Forest Breeding and Cattle Society, the British Horse Society and other equestrian groups, to help formulate the final draft plan for the national park.
This article was first published in Horse & Hound (17 September, ’09)
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.