Local people are overwhelmingly in favour of a South Downs National Park and want to see it established as soon as possible.

That's the gist of an informal assessment of copies of the responses to the publication of the designation order by the Countryside Agency.

"This is a firm endorsement of our work towards a South Downs National Park over the last two years and follows two consultations," said Jane Cecil, head of the finest countryside team at the Countryside Agency.

"We now know there will be a public inquiry, following the announcement by rural affairs minister, Alun Michael.

"There were close to 6,000 representations to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs during the deposit period. Around half were standard letters and referred to specific boundary issues.

"Of the remaining representations, 72% were in support of the principle of a South Downs National Park and almost all of those were from individuals.

"Almost all objections regarding the boundary (90%) argue for additional areas to be added and two-thirds come from people who support the principle of a national park.

"What has also become clearer is that only 5% of those sending non-standardised letters objected to the principle of a national park. Many were from local authorities and landowners.

"We will now ensure that the work towards the inquiry goes as smoothly as possible and hope that everyone will work together with us to this end," Jane Cecil emphasises.

l A tailor-made management body for the New Forest would be more appropriate than a national park, warns the National Farmers' Union.

Regional director, Shaun Leavey and group secretary, Chris Whitlock, have been giving evidence at the public inquiry into a proposed New Forest National Park, in Lyndhurst.

They warned against "trusting that politicians would appoint land managers and, in particular, commoners, to any future park authority".

The NFU maintains that the fragile landscape of the New Forest has been created through 1,000 years of commoning. It is the largest expanse of lowland heathland in the South and 5,000 ponies and cattle roam freely there.

Mr Whitlock said later: "Commoning is integral to the management of the Forest: all else is peripheral. Whatever the Countryside Agency recommends, ministers will have the final say on who serves on any authority.

"That's why the NFU believes any national park should be tailor-made and should stipulate the make-up of the authority - to include land managers and commoners."