CAR parks would be shut and vehicles barred from parts of the New Forest under controversial plans drawn up by local officials.

A senior councillor has ordered a re-think of the plans, saying they wouldn’t work in a free society.

The plans were produced by council officers after consultation with officials from the controversial New Forest National Park Authority. The authority has already been under fire for raising the possibility of dog-free car parks and road tolls in the Forest.

A draft of a district-wide tourism strategy, called Our Future Together 2, called for remote parts of the district to be labelled “Forest First” zones.

“Some areas of the district are valued for being wild and remote and should remain so. If the New Forest is to retain its integrity its needs must come first, before all visitor considerations,” the document said. It added: “We believe these areas should remain free of all visitor structures and adjacent car parks and vehicular access should be removed.”

It said the Forest First sites should contain areas for walking, cycling, riding and access for people with disabilities, with “all other forms of traffic being removed where possible”.

But New Forest District Council cabinet member Cllr Maureen Holding has told officials the council has no power to carry out the closures and they should rewrite the document. She said: “I thought the report was ambiguous and would cause more problems than it would solve. To say some areas should be free of car parks and that vehicle access should be removed is controversial, it’s in the province of the county council and I didn’t think we should go there.”

If car parks were closed, people could park in areas where they would do even more damage, she said, adding that officers had otherwise produced a “brilliant” tourism strategy.

David Dickenson, vice-chairman of the protest group NFDog – which opposes moves to ban dogs from parts of the Forest – also opposed the proposals. “If there truly has been nearly a doubling of numbers of tourists in the last 10 years.. will not a reduction in car parking space force more people into the remaining space, and ensure they do feel crowded?” he said.