ENVIRONMENTAL campaigner CHRIS TODD describes how we can better safeguard the South Downs for the generations of the future

IT WAS 100 years ago that Sir Herbert Carden, former mayor of Brighton, bought up swathes of downland to prevent it being developed and to protect the town’s water supply. He then passed on that land to the council at cost price to safeguard it for future generations.

Without his foresight we probably wouldn’t have as much of the Downs left as we do today. By and large that legacy has been respected and the downland estate has remained largely intact. The notable exceptions were the sale of St Mary’s Farm, behind Stanmer Park, in the 1980s which led to grassland being ploughed up, woodland damaged and the introduction of shooting.

Then in 1995 there was an attempt to sell the entire downland estate. After a massive protest, the sale of the main bulk of the estate was stopped. In the end only Devil’s Dyke and Saddlescombe Farm were sold to the National Trust and East Brighton Golf Course to the golf club. The legacy of this battle was that the council then strongly backed the South Downs National Park campaign.

Yet today we appear to be back where we were in the 1990s, where some councillors have forgotten our heritage and the conservation reasons behind the original downland purchases. So it was good news on Thursday when the council paused the sales once again and will hold a review before deciding what to do next.

While Brighton’s stewardship of the Downs has been variable, improvements have been made over the years.

However, once in private hands, the council (and the public) will have very little influence as to what happens to the land. Not that it is suddenly going to be built upon. That isn’t likely with the South Downs National Park in charge of planning, although as we’ve seen with its recent approval for a superstore-sized car park in the centre of Stanmer, it’s not immune from approving damaging developments.

The greater fear is that this is the thin edge of the wedge. Once councillors get an appetite for selling off these smaller parcels of land they might then get rid of the whole lot.

However, it is clear from the information given to councillors on Thursday that those in charge of our downland estate do not understand the issues.

This raises a serious question as to whether the estate is best served by remaining under the control of the property services department. It appears to see the South Downs purely as an economic asset with no wider public or social benefit.

With the forthcoming review we have a real opportunity to reset the relationship with our downland estate and reconnect it with the public.

If done well, it would safeguard important wildlife habitats, improve access, safeguard our water supply and be a great economic asset, helping the city broaden its tourism appeal.

However, we need to look at what has gone wrong.

Why was Stanmer Park allowed to decline in the way that it did and could this have been avoided? Lessons need to be learned, not least that we need to stop sucking money out of the downland estate.

If its rental income was ring-fenced for use on the Downs, we would be in a better place than we are at present.

There is a good argument for running the downland estate along National Park lines with a focus on improving the health and wellbeing of residents. This would be an improvement over current arrangements.

There are other opportunities we could also pursue. At the last election Labour pledged to improve access to the South Downs National Park.

So far it has done little on this but there is one opportunity it could grasp to realise its pledge, which could cost the council virtually nothing.

One of the big issues for people accessing the South Downs is getting across the A27. This is particularly acute at Falmer, Ditchling Road (where a new walking and cycling route was created up to the bypass), Mill Road and Dyke Road.

Highways England has designated funds specifically to address historic severance issues caused by the strategic road network, which the A27 is a part of. Working in partnership with the National Park and Highways England, the council could achieve real improvements to areas which are currently awkward or dangerous for people to walk and cycle out on to the South Downs.

This is the sort of positive action and attitude we need if we are to make the most of this fabulous resource we are very lucky to own. Only then will we reap the full range of benefits the South Downs, lying on our doorstep, can provide.

  • Chris Todd is from Brighton and Hove Friends of the Earth