The management of an East Hampshire beauty spot has been secured for the immediate future as a short-term lease has been backed by councillors.

But the long-term future of Catherington Down remains unclear with questions over who will oversee the site once Local Government Reorganisation has been completed.

Horndean Parish Council (HPC) has leased Catherington Down from Hampshire County Council for a decade but that 10-year agreement is coming to an end.

A similar contract could not be offered by HCC because of the looming re-organisation so a two-year extension has been offered in the interim.

Councillors who agreed to the short-term deal on Monday (February 9) were given three options following a meeting between members of the HCC Countryside Team and the HPC clerk, grounds manager and two councillors.

The other options included ending the lease and letting the HCC Countryside Service manage the site, or the county council relinquishing ownership to HPC.

The parish council will receive a small financial boost from extending the lease as the amount they receive from HCC to help with maintenance will double from £750 to £1,500. The county council will remain responsible for maintaining, but not necessarily replacing, roadside fences but everything else will be overseen by HPC.

“It’s a super asset for Horndean and Catherington, in particular, and it would be a shame to see ownership going somewhere remote,” said Cllr John Lay.

While councillors felt that ending the lease would be a “retrograde step”, there was an acceptance that HPC could do more with the site with more investment, with around £40,000 of replacement fencing needed.

Catherington Down is one of five Local Nature Reserves managed by the grounds team at HPC with Catherington Lith, Hazleton Common, Yoell’s Copse and Dell Piece West being the others.