THE villages of Redlynch, Lover and Landford fall inside the draft New Forest National Park boundary published this week - but Ringwood and Fordingbridge are excluded.
The Wiltshire and Test Valley border of the proposed park falls only five miles short of Downton.
The draft map has been published as part of the process of designating the New Forest as a national park and will be used to allow local people to voice their opinions on the planned boundary.
The northern limit remains the same as the existing New Forest Heritage Area, but most of the Avon Valley has been included in the plans on the western side.
If the draft goes ahead in its current form, the three Wiltshire villages will join Hyde, Ibsley and other areas set to benefit from the government funding and greater planning protection of a national park.
Ringwood and Fordingbridge are not included in the plan because of modern development in the towns and the dominance of the A31 around Ringwood.
Heather MacIlwaine, senior countryside officer for the Countryside Agency, said: "We believe national park designation in this form is right for the Forest. It will bring the protection, management, resources and status it needs and deserves."
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