THE ROLLING hills and market towns of the South Downs National Park today celebrate the fifth birthday of having national park status.

In 2010 the 1,674km2 area stretching for 140km from Eastbourne to Winchester in Hampshire was designated with the protected status and became the country’s newest national park.

National Park status sets the areas as conservation zones for their wildlife, natural beauty and cultural heritage and to promote enjoyment of the park’s unique qualities.

Plans to designate the area as a national park dated back as far as the 1920s and the South Downs was one of the original 12 areas recommended for the special status by Sir Arthur Hobhouse, the architect of the modern British National Park system. But the campaign for national park status did not gain traction until this century.

The park was awarded the status on April 1, 2010, and the newly-formed South Downs National Park Authority became fully operational a year later.

Five years on, the authority and conservationists have hailed the park a success.

A section of the park also received special UN protected status last year as part of the Brighton and Hove and Lewes Biosphere project. Critics of the park argue the authority is an unnecessary overhead and question the influence members of the authority living in Hampshire may have on local planning matters. Chris Todd, chairman of the Biosphere Partnership, said walking down the spine of the South Downs Way makes you feel “on top of the world “and there was no doubt the area was worthy of National Park status.

He said: “I was involved in campaigning for the national park some 15 years ago so I know it very well.

“I think it has been a success, although in some senses it’s true success will be seen in the longer term. The national park was designated five years ago today but the authority itself has only had four years to get going and get started.

“At times it has felt like we have wanted to move on faster and it has many successes such as drawing together money for new cycle routes.

“The national park has drawn people together and provided real focus. It has not suffered the problems the New Forest did when it started out. It was supported by the public but originally quite contentious amongst the authorities. It is a real mark of the park’s success that people have put this behind them to move forward.”

The park is the most populous national park in the country with more than 108,000 people living within its boundaries.

The South Downs includes Sussex visitor hotspots such as Beachy Head, the Seven Sisters Country Park, Cuckmere Valley and the Long Man of Wilmington.