Musk thistle on the bank of a green
Campaigners are calling on the people of Sussex to ‘rise up and take action’ to protect 300 acres of former Downland before it is too late.
Seven Sisters, South Downs National Park
© Nick Rowland
CPRE Sussex has provided a detailed response to the Glover Committee call for evidence.
© Eastbourne Friends of the Earth
The result of the poll published in the Eastbourne Review asking local residents whether they would prefer the Council to sell the Freehold of the Downland Farms or make cuts to frontline services has resulted in the decision not to sell off the Downland Estate.
So as from now, the potential sale of the Farms is off the table.
CPRE, along with other organisations including the RSPB and WWF, are supporting an MPs Environment Pledge. MPs signing the pledge, drawn up by Green Alliance, will commit to keeping strong environmental and countryside protections in place following the EU referendum. The full text of the pledge and the list of MPs who have signed up so far can be found on the Green Alliance website.
View towards Cornish Farm © Roger Fenton
Below is the text of an open letter sent to Councillor Tutt, Leader of Eastbourne Borough Council by The South Downs Society and CPRE Sussex on 16 June, 2016.
Sheep at Butser Hill © Tez Goodyear
As part of their 80th anniversary, the Campaign for National Parks are starting a ‘Big Conversation about National Parks’ and encouraging as many people as possible to help shape National Parks for the future by completing their survey.
Fiona Howie, their chief executive said, "We are proud to stand up for National Parks. But, in our heart of hearts, we know they can be even better. To feed into our thinking about this, we are asking people to tell us what they think those changes could be."
Please help them by completing this survey!
Photo © Tez Goodyear
Mid Sussex update (January 2016)
The most significant story is the painfully rumbling saga of the District Council’s flailing attempts to pin down a draft of its new long term District Plan (it will run until 2031) that is fit to present to the Planning Inspectorate for public examination. We report separately below on the latest position, and on the representations that CPRE Sussex has made to the Council on the most recent changes that it has proposed to its draft plan. We remain deeply unhappy with key aspects of that draft Plan. It is too important and will be too longlasting for it to be wrong.
There is an important opportunity for MPs to tell the Government about the value of National Parks and to highlight why their funding should be protected in the upcoming spending review. The fact that millions of people participate in outdoor recreation in National Parks every year makes a significant contribution to the nation's economy and our health and well-being but these benefits are currently at risk due to cuts in funding.
Ruth Bradshaw, Policy and Research Manager, Campaign for National Parks below provides an informative overview of relevant policies in each of these, highlighting any mentions of National Parks, biodiversity and related issues.
