Letter: Does Forestry England want no one to park in the New Forest?

SIR – Having been born in the New Forest and lived here most of my life, I deplore the cynical attitude of Forestry England who seem to be intending to charge people to park in the Forest car parks (A&T, 24th June).

I remember when there were no dragons’ teeth and car parks were never closed off.

It seems to me that over the last few years, FE has pursued a campaign of reducing car park sizes, closing car parks and putting dragons’ teeth and ditches at gate entrances designed to make it much harder to park in the Forest.

It appears they would prefer it if no one was able to park on the Forest.

With the influx of visitors into the Forest in summer months, they should be providing more car parking areas, not less.

Perhaps they are intending to charge people for parking on the verges when they have no other choice because parking spaces are so limited. Intending to charge for parking in Forest car parks is the last straw.

Can anyone talk sense into the FE or are they just blind to the needs of local people and visitors to the Forest?

John Dunlop,
Sway