Are our Downs in peril?

Brighton and Hove Council has said it is committed to preserving rare species and habitats in the countryside but green campaigners still fear the downs may never be the same again.

Despite the council's stated commitment to preserving the South Downs, several key developments outlined in the local plan have given cause for concern that development is slowly eating into the protected area.

Much of the downland surrounding Brighton and Hove has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. In addition, the Countryside Agency has begun the process of designating the South Downs a national park.

The council insists it is committed to conserving rare species and habitats and to protecting the natural beauty of the AONB and those areas outside it which are considered of equal quality.

The local plan states development proposals affecting such areas should include a nature conservation report which would outline the impact of any proposals and what measures could be taken to offset any damage.

Development would only be permitted on downland when it enhanced the quality and character of the area, and was necessary for agricultural use or quiet, informal recreation activities.

The only other occasion when development would be permitted would be with a "proposal specifically identified elsewhere in the local plan" - a one-off caveat to cover such items as the proposed stadium at Falmer.

It is this key exception which has worried environmentalists, who say it provides a 'get-out clause' to develop on the downs if a need is identified.

Chris Todd, of Brighton and Hove Friends of the Earth, welcomed some measures in the plan, particularly the protection offered to allotments, but said he had concerns about the council's policy towards the AONB.

He said: "People will look at the local plan and think some of the policies in it are very good but you have to look very carefully at the specific wording.

"I am very suspicious of the sort of caveats which could potentially open the floodgates to other development. But because this nibbling away at the downs is done in a piecemeal fashion, nobody notices what is happening. Once they allow one development on the downs it will be the thin end of the wedge.

"I am not against development on the downs full stop. There are some little bits and pieces of land where development is appropriate but it must be development which is essential."

The council accepts some areas of the AONB have been identified for development but says overall the local plan introduces stronger protection for the downs. Sheila Holden, assistant environment and housing director, said: "People will talk about Patcham Court Farm, Hangleton Bottom and the stadium at Falmer, and ask how we can claim to be protecting the downs.

"The fact is, we have looked at the needs of the city and the quality of certain sites within the AONB and how they contribute to the AONB. We believe there is a case for saying they could be used for other things without detracting from the AONB."

She said the council had in turn tightened up protection of other areas, some of which were not previously covered.

She said: "Our policies of protecting the downs are quite rigorous and stringent. We have gone as far as we can. We also have very strong policies for some areas not within the AONB.

"We have extended that protection to other open areas that in previous plans were part of the built-up area."

As a result, an extra 126 hectares of land now have protection they did not have before, including parts of the Benfield Valley, Sheepcote Valley and land north of Coldean Lane.

But Coun Peter West, leader of the Green group, said: "For all the good work that has gone into the local plan, the threat of major development on the Downs completely lets it down. If the council is only interested in protecting the quality bits and letting the less important areas be developed, then we will end up with a patchwork of protected land while the rest will be covered over.

"It's not being hysterical. Once you allow one thing, the next follows. This is the way planning development works."