We are all now so used to the idea of the South Downs being a National Park, protected in law from inappropriate development, that few of us remember the great battle that was fought to secure this prize. Unlike the Peak District National Park, which was designated just 16 months after Royal Assent of the 1949 National Parks Act, it took over 80 years for the landscape of the South Downs to be safeguarded for future generations.
The recently published book ‘Fight for the South Downs’, written by Robin Crane and edited by Margaret Paren, tells the tale of this struggle. It is an important reminder of how David can triumph over Goliath, and the debt we owe a dedicated group of activists who have quietly retired to the shadows since their victory. Without their passion and determination we would surely be living in a landscape much depleted of its natural beauty.
The concept of National Parks in the UK dates back to the 1920s, when a newly elected Labour government tasked a committee with considering the case for their introduction. In evidence, it was suggested that 12 areas were suitable for protection and that of these “the High Peak and the South Downs would appear to have the first claim from the population point of view”, due to their proximity to urban areas.
As the book reveals, the above recommendation, and ones subsequent to this, were unfortunately never acted upon. It would be another 60 years before a group of seven passionate individuals, chaired by Robin Crane, came together, formed the South Downs National Park Campaign and saw the job through. The approach laid down at their initial meeting in 1990 was pivotal to their later success: to combine both national and local endeavour.
Over 20 years, a campaign that started with just seven individuals grew to representing 159 national, regional and local community groups. The national organisations provided access to ministers and opinion formers while the locals contributed passion and manpower. Given the number of voices, it was a miracle the campaign didn’t dissolve into infighting. In fact, Len Clark CBE wrote that the most remarkable feature of the campaign was that “harmony and good humour [were] maintained throughout”.
‘Fight for the South Downs’ is a ‘bible’ for wannabe campaigners of all persuasions. It demonstrates the importance of: good leadership, an army of helpers, a methodical approach, dealing only with facts, and most importantly, having the resilience to be in it for the long haul and to bounce back from setbacks along the way. Over the 20 years, members of the Campaign had to deal with a Public Inquiry, a change in legislation, an Appeal Court decision and a re-opened Inquiry that overturned the original findings, before finally succeeding in their mission to create the National Park in 2010.
What was music to my ears, was learning how critical the Western Weald was to the campaign. An equally fitting title could perhaps have been “How the West Was Won”.
Back in 1947, the Hobhouse Committee recommended creating a South Downs National Park from Eastbourne to Selborne, that included a small section of the Western Weald. However, fast-forward to the period 2000-2008 and the debate over the park boundary divided people into one of two camps. There were those who felt the future park should be chalk-only, and those who advocated for the inclusion of the geologically more varied and woody Western Weald. Fortunately for us, both Robin and Margaret live in the Western Weald and were fervent supporters of variety trumping uniformity. As they both pointed out in conversation, you need only look at the long, thin north/south pattern of Saxon parish boundaries to see the historical connection between Weald and Downland.
The story about the fight for the South Downs is ultimately one about the people who made it happen. While it was clearly a team effort, the focus must fall on former Chair Robin and Vice Chair Margaret as writer and editor of this valuable piece of local history. Although now 92 Robin still cuts an impressive figure, remembering campaign events and the contributions of others in incredible detail. Having forged a career as an award-winning, nature, filmmaker, after buying and teaching himself how to use a cinecamera, he is clearly someone who is not afraid to take the initiative and succeed. Margaret’s enormous contribution and depth of local knowledge was recognised in her being elected Chair of the new Park Authority for its first 10 years. Having met them both and seen how they live and breathe the National Park, it is clear team ‘Goliath’ were never going to prevail.
As someone with both a strong sense of social justice and passion for the local area, this book really resonated. Perhaps, a part of me is even disappointed I wasn’t able to play a role. Although I’ve had a home in the area since the 1990s, I was living overseas at the time the campaign was most active. However, I certainly appreciate the herculean efforts of others, as hopefully you do too. We are all short of time these days, but it is important that we are not passive bystanders in our local communities. As Robin, Margaret and others have clearly demonstrated, we all have the ability to make a difference.
Contributed by Malinka van der Gaauw of Rural Strides.
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