TORY MPs have slammed plans for a new national park as “madness” and “rubbish”.
Ahead of Cop28, the Prime Minister announced the search for a new national park for England, with Chilterns, the Cotswolds and Dorset being considered as possible sites.
But a string of Tories in those constituencies are less than impressed with the plans, which were part of the party’s 2019 manifesto.
They pointed to higher house prices and lower employment in areas with national parks.
Tory MP for Dorset South Richard Drax told The Sun: “Yet again a proposal to impose a National Park on Dorset has risen from the dead despite virtually unanimous protestations against the idea last time in 2021.”
He added: “Our new unitary authority was aimed at reducing bureaucracy, saving money and giving councillors the flexibility to act in the county’s best interest, not least in the provision of homes.
“A national park would inflate the price of existing houses and push development of new ones into other beautiful parts of the county that fall outside the park. As Mrs Thatcher would say: “No, no, no!”.
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Another Tory MP described the proposal as “madness” and rubbish”, with a third one adding: “House prices higher. Employment lower. Just crazy given the situation we are facing.”
Tory MP Flick Drummond, whose constituency of Meon Valley is home to the South Downs National Park, said she welcomes the plan for a new one but added: “I will be urging the Government to increase funding for them all to reflect the expansion.
“Without increased funding there is a danger that the success they have had so far will not be sustained.”
Conservation advisory body Natural England will consider locations for the new national park, with the Government making the final decision next year.
The environmental push will also allocate £2.5 million to connect children with nature, and there will be £15 million to support national parks and national landscapes.
Environment Secretary Steve Barclay told ITV’s Good Morning Britain he wants the new national park close to an urban area to maximise public access.
He said: “I think one of the things we’re looking at is perhaps access to national parks and whether it should be nearer to some urban centres, and I was talking to the chief exec of Natural England about this last night.
“So we’re very open that it’s not that the Government is going to decide where this is. There’ll be a process of consultation led by Natural England, working with Government on it, but that’s what we want to use the next year to decide.”
Shadow environment secretary Steve Reed accused the Conservative Party of overseeing the “destruction” of the British countryside.
“Under their watch, the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, and waterways face the highest levels of illegal sewage discharges in our history,” he said.
