Eastbourne Downland Estate

Last updated

Eastbourne Downland Estate
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
Beachy Head, East Sussex, England-2Oct2011 (1).jpg
Beachy Head from the air
Location South East, England
EstablishedBought for the public in 1929
Visitors1 million
Governing bodyFarmers, Eastbourne Borough Council, South Downs National Park Authority, Natural England

The Eastbourne Downland Estate is an area of downland at the easternmost end of the South Downs National Park in East Sussex, England. It was bought by the public, following threats to the beauty spots of Beachy Head and the surrounding farmland, which led to a public campaign and Act of Parliament in 1926. [1] It is currently owned and managed, on behalf of the public, by Eastbourne Borough Council. [2]

Contents

Land Use

1,199 hectares (2,960 acres) is farmed, while 490 hectares (1,200 acres) is open public access land, including the land around the internationally famed Beachy Head beauty spot and Belle Tout Lighthouse.

The farmland is divided into four farms: Bullock Down Farm, Chalk Farm, Black Robin Farm and Cornish Farm. The farmers pay rent to the people of Eastbourne through Eastbourne Borough Council. [3]

Chalk Farm includes a hotel and learning disabilities centre. The Centre provides: "realistic training and work experience within the setting of a fully functioning hotel... for adults with learning disabilities, when they leave full-time education [and] for adults with learning disabilities of any working age." The ultimate aim of the centre is "to help students to increase their independent living skills as well as their ability to enter the real job market". [4] The hotel was once a Priory, reportedly connected with The Benedictine Abbey of Grestein and once owned by Robert de Norton, the first Norman Lord of Pevensey and half-brother of William the Conqueror. [5]

1926 Act of Parliament

The Eastbourne Corporation Act of 1926 was passed in both Houses of Parliament. The new law empowered the local authority in the area of the Eastbourne Downland Estate, to increase local taxation to fund a compulsory purchase of the land comprising the Estate. [1]

The purchase was completed in 1929, with tax money being transferred to two major local aristocratic landowning families for the land, sold at market rates. The amount paid was £91,291, 1s, 7d. [6]

Select Committee Hearing

Here are notable extracts from the detailed minutes of evidence given before a Select Committee of the House of Lords in 1926: [2]

Mr J Abady, Learned Counsel for Eastbourne Corporation, giving evidence: "The Corporation's desire, and I do not know that anybody questions it, is to preserve that beauty spot, to preserve it in its existing condition without being fenced in or ploughed up or built upon or dealt with in any way which would affect the general amenities. I do not think there is any question about that. The land in question consists of 4,100 acres. We want to ensure that the character of the land is preserved as it is at present."

Examination of the Mayor, Alderman Charles Knight, before the same Select Committee: "It is the deliberate intention of the Corporation, in promoting this clause, to secure the public the free and open use of the Downs in perpetuity?" The Mayor replied: "Absolutely."

2017 possible sale

In 2017, hundreds of concerned Eastbourne residents campaigned and marched for the continued public ownership of the Estate. [7] [8] Public pressure led to a policy change by Eastbourne Borough Council, cancelling the planned sale of the four farms within the estate.

Lobbying against the sale

On 30 January 2017, Dr Tony Whitbread, Chair of the South Downs Network, an "independent, voluntary network of conservation, environmental and community organisations with an interest in the South Downs", [9] published an open letter on the Network's behalf, addressed to David Tutt of Eastbourne Borough Council:

"We... urge you to stop the proposed sale... comprising three-quarters of the Eastbourne Downland Estate. This land is an invaluable public asset for the people of Eastbourne, for the local area and visitors from further afield. It has great value for its rich natural capital, its biodiversity and cultural heritage, to public amenity and the town’s drinking water supply. It is vital that ownership and management rest with... the democratic, publicly accountable local authority for Eastbourne... complying with the words and spirit of the 1926 Eastbourne Corporation Act. We strongly recommend that the Council rethinks its policy, looks more closely at the range of ecosystem services that the Eastbourne Downland generates and sets out a renewed vision for its Downs in harmony with its people. This should respect the fact that the land is held in trust by the Council on behalf of the people of Eastbourne. If you take this approach we will be more than happy to work with you, in partnership, to maximise the benefits from public land ownership; you can be assured that this would be a most popular move, applauded by the people of Eastbourne." [9]

U-turn on sale of Estate farms

A new policy announcement was made at the start of March 2017, with the sale of the Downland Estate said to be "off the table". [10]

Responses to March 2017 announcement

Margaret Paren, the Chair of the South Downs National Park Authority said on 7 March 2017: "We believe that this is a good decision for the farmers, for the environment, for the people of Eastbourne and for the National Park. The SDNPA will seek to work in partnership with... stakeholders to improve Eastbourne’s gateway to the National Park and to create an internationally respected exemplar of chalk grassland restoration. This marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for this precious downland." [11]

Caroline Ansell MP said on 8 March 2017: "The argument around protection of the land had not been won and the consultation with local people was deeply flawed." [12]

Conservation projects and standards

Sites of Special Scientific Interest

There are several designated Sites of Special Scientific Interest within the Eastbourne Downland Estate. [13] They include Willingdon Down, designated in 1986.

Drinking Water

The chalk aquifer underneath the Downland Estate is part of a larger natural water supply, that provides drinking water for 700,000 in the region. The Eastbourne Downland Estate falls into a government-designated Nitrate Vulnerable Zone. [14]

National Park

On 12 November 2009, the South Downs National Park was created, including the Eastbourne Downland Estate. The Park is managed by the South Downs National Park Authority.

Heritage Coast

The Countryside Commission (predecessor to Natural England), designated the coastal part of the Estate the country's first ever stretch of Heritage Coast. This designation is for coast that "is of particular natural beauty or importance and is managed to preserve this largely undeveloped beauty". [6]

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

The Eastbourne Downland Estate was included in the Sussex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), designated by the Countryside Commission on 22 June 1965. [6]

Marine Conservation Zone

The area west of Beachy Head was designated as an inshore marine conservation zone on 21 November 2013, titled Beachy Head West. [15]

There have been calls from wildlife groups, politicians and local fishermen to create a Beachy Head East zone. [16] [17] Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee has identified this area as being at high risk of damage and degradation due to the presence of sensitive habitats and species.

Plant Important Area

The Estate is home to several designated Plant Important Areas, in recognition of the variety and ecological value of plant life in the area. At a marine level, these include areas with rich populations of algae. [18]

Countryside Stewardship Agreements

As part of the Rural Development Programme for England, which replaced the Countryside Stewardship Scheme in 2014, funds are transferred from central government to help maintain and improve the Estate.

Regionally Important Geomorphological Site

The Estate is also a Regionally Important Geological Site (RIGS), a designation given for its value to Earth Science and earth heritage.

Archaeological sites

The estate contains 32 separately designated Scheduled Ancient Monuments (SAMs). The four farms contain a large proportion of those SAMs including the most important of all: the Combe Hill Neolithic Causewayed Camp, as well as the much-researched Bullock Down prehistoric field system, the Eastdean Down field system, and many prehistoric burial barrows. [19]

Neolithic era

Remains of flint flakes, hand tools and metal making have been found and studied on the areas now known as Bullock Down and Cornish Farms. Flints were selected to make Neolithic axes between 8500 and 4000BCE. There was a flint mine on Wilmington Hill. [20]

There are three ‘settlement’ sites and a causewayed enclosure at Combe Hill (identified by Musson in 1950). Most of the sites are artefacts find-spots and although one cremation site (Drewett 1982) and two inhumations (Ray 1909) are recorded. [21]

Roman era: Beachy Head Lady

A skeleton was discovered during archaeological work in 1953. It has been dated as belonging to a person who lived in the Roman era, in approximately 245 AD. During a 2014 heritage project, it was further discovered that the skeleton had genetic heritage from sub-Saharan Africa. Jo Seaman, heritage officer at Eastbourne Borough Council was quoted as reporting: "We know this lady was around 30 years old [when she died], grew up in the vicinity of what is now East Sussex, ate a good diet of fish and vegetables, her bones were without disease and her teeth were in good condition." [22]

Management

As of 2016, the management of the Eastbourne Downland Estate is the overall responsibility of Eastbourne Borough Council. The Council delegate day-to-day responsibility to Strutt & Parker (part of Christie's group), who act as land management agents, and to the four working farmers for various processes of land management work.

The Downland Management Plan and the Eastbourne Downland Forum

Eastbourne Borough Council publish an Eastbourne Downland Management Plan periodically, intended as a summary of goals and strategies for land management of the Estate.

According to the Eastbourne Downland Management Plan 2015–22, Appendix A, authored by Eastbourne Borough Council on 8 May 2015, the management of the Estate is also "influenced" by the Eastbourne Downland Forum. The Forum was created in the 1990s, as a means for stakeholders to meet and advise on management of the Estate. [23]

Neither minutes of its meetings, nor records of those in attendance, are published. There is no record of the Eastbourne Downland Forum influencing the Downland management, or even issuing a recommendation or guidance.

Downland Ranger Service

For most of the 20th Century frontline Estate management was delegated to a Downland Ranger Service.

British Pathé News filmed the Downland Ranger for an international newsreel in 1949. [24] In the item, Constable Henry Poole and his horse Thomas are shown to leave a stable at a Downs Police Station operated by Eastbourne County Borough Police. He is depicted later, variously: warning children not to sit on the edge of cliffs at Beachy Head; rounding up cattle; saving the lives of a ewe and a pigeon; putting out a small fire; receiving a note from a shepherd.

In the late 1990s, "practical management of the land [was] carried out by the Council's Downland Ranger Service and by various contractors who [were] supervised by the Ranger Service. The Council also [had] an Arboriculturist Officer to supervise the management of the 250 acres of deciduous woodland mostly on the Eastbourne Downland eastern escarpment." [25]

The Downland Ranger Service was closed in 2008 by Eastbourne Borough Council. The Council argued that the South Downs National Park Authority would serve as a replacement. [26] The Authority was not founded until 2009 and replacement Eastbourne Downland Ranger posts were not created, as of 2016.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Sussex</span> County of England

East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Sussex is the city of Brighton and Hove.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brighton and Hove</span> City and unitary authority in England

Brighton and Hove is a city with unitary authority status in East Sussex, England. There are multiple villages alongside the seaside resorts of Brighton and Hove in the district. It is administered by Brighton and Hove City Council, which is currently in Labour majority control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seaford, East Sussex</span> Town in East Sussex, England

Seaford is a town in East Sussex, England, east of Newhaven and west of Eastbourne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downland</span> Area of open chalk hills

Downland, chalkland, chalk downs or just downs are areas of open chalk hills, such as the North Downs. This term is used to describe the characteristic landscape in southern England where chalk is exposed at the surface. The name "downs" is derived from the Old English word dun, meaning "hill".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beachy Head</span> Chalk headland in East Sussex, England

Beachy Head is a chalk headland in East Sussex, England. It is situated close to Eastbourne, immediately east of the Seven Sisters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Downs Way</span> Long-distance footpath in the south of England

The South Downs Way is a long distance footpath and bridleway running along the South Downs in southern England. It is one of 16 National Trails in England and Wales. The trail runs for 160 km (100 mi) from Winchester in Hampshire to Eastbourne in East Sussex, with about 4,150 m (13,620 ft) of ascent and descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Downs</span> Range of chalk hills in southeast England

The South Downs are a range of chalk hills in the south-eastern coastal counties of England that extends for about 260 sq mi (670 km2) across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, in the Eastbourne Downland Estate, East Sussex, in the east. The Downs are bounded on the northern side by a steep escarpment, from whose crest there are extensive views northwards across the Weald. The South Downs National Park forms a much larger area than the chalk range of the South Downs, and includes large parts of the Weald.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Downs National Park</span> National park in South East England

The South Downs National Park is England's newest national park, designated on 31 March 2010. The park, covering an area of 1,627 square kilometres (628 sq mi) in southern England, stretches for 140 kilometres (87 mi) from Winchester in the west to Eastbourne in the east through the counties of Hampshire, West Sussex and East Sussex. The national park covers the chalk hills of the South Downs and a substantial part of a separate physiographic region, the western Weald, with its heavily wooded sandstone and clay hills and vales. The South Downs Way spans the entire length of the park and is the only National Trail that lies wholly within a national park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingston near Lewes</span> Village in East Sussex, England

Kingston near Lewes is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book and is located two miles (3.2 km) south of Lewes and is nestled in the South Downs. The parish is par of two Sites of Special Scientific Interest: the Lewes Brooks and Kingston Escarpment and Iford Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fulking</span> Human settlement in England

Fulking is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. The parish lies wholly with the South Downs National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pyecombe</span> Human settlement in England

Pyecombe is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. The name 'Pyecombe' may derive from the Saxon "pic" meaning point or pike, in which case it may mean "valley marked by a projecting hill".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodingdean</span> Suburb of Brighton, England

Woodingdean is an eastern suburb of the city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, separated from the main part of the city by downland and the Brighton Racecourse. The name Woodingdean came from Woodendean Farm which was situated in the south end of what is now Ovingdean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hangleton</span> Suburb of Hove, Sussex, England

Hangleton is a residential suburb of Hove, in the unparished area of Hove, in the Brighton and Hove district, in the ceremonial county of East Sussex, England. The area was developed in the 1930s after it was incorporated into the borough of Hove, but has ancient origins: its parish church was founded in the 11th century and retains 12th-century fabric, and the medieval manor house is Hove's oldest secular building. The village became depopulated in the medieval era and the church fell into ruins, and the population in the isolated hilltop parish only reached 100 in the early 20th century; but rapid 20th-century development resulted in more than 6,000 people living in Hangleton in 1951 and over 9,000 in 1961. By 2013 the population exceeded 14,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mile Oak</span> Human settlement in England

Mile Oak is a locality forming the northern part of the former parish of Portslade in the northwest corner of the city of Brighton and Hove, England. Now mostly residential, but originally an area of good-quality agricultural land, it covers the area north of Portslade village as far as the urban boundary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Sussex</span> Overview of the geography of Sussex

Sussex is a historic county and cultural region in the south of England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, north-east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West Sussex and East Sussex and the city of Brighton and Hove. The city of Brighton & Hove was created a unitary authority in 1997, and was granted City status in 2000. Until then Chichester had been Sussex's only city. By convention, Chichester is Sussex's capital city and Lewes is Sussex's county town.

The western Weald is an area of undulating countryside in Hampshire and West Sussex containing a mixture of woodland and heathland areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastbourne</span> Town in East Sussex, England

Eastbourne is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, 19 miles (31 km) east of Brighton and 54 miles (87 km) south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the larger Eastbourne Downland Estate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willingdon Down</span>

Willingdon Down is a 67.5-hectare (167-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest west of Willingdon, a suburb of Eastbourne in East Sussex. Part of it is a Neolithic causewayed enclosure which is a Scheduled Monument

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worthing Downland Estate</span>

The Worthing Downland Estate, Worthing Downs or Worthing Downland, is an area of land in the South Downs National Park in West Sussex, England, close to the town of Worthing. It was bought by the public, following threats to the beauty spot of Cissbury Ring and the surrounding farmland, which led to a public campaign purchases in the 1930s. It is currently owned and managed, on behalf of the public, by Worthing Borough Council.

<i>David Bangs</i> British writer and conservationist

David Bangs is a field naturalist, social historian, public artist, author and conservationist. He has written extensively on the countryside management, both historically and present day in the English county of Sussex.

References

  1. 1 2 Andydharma (16 December 2016). "Legal review of Eastbourne public downland sell-off". Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 30 September 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ↑ http://www.eastbourne.gov.uk/residents/leisure-and-events/parks/trees-and-downland/downland/downland-working-farms-proposal/?entryid108=253357 [ dead link ]
  4. ↑ "Chalk Farm Learning Disabilities Centre - East Sussex 1Space". www.eastsussex1space.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  5. ↑ "Chalk Farm". www.chalkfarmldc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 11 May 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 "South Downs". Archived from the original on 9 June 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  7. ↑ "Town centre march against council sale of Eastbourne's downland farms". www.eastbourneherald.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 February 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  8. ↑ Sussex, CPRE. "Hundreds Protest Against Eastbourne Downland Farms Sale - CPRE Sussex". Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  9. 1 2 Sussex, CPRE. "Write now: Selling Eastbourne Downs - CPRE Sussex".[ permanent dead link ]
  10. ↑ "Downland sale off after public backlash". The Argus. Archived from the original on 4 February 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  11. ↑ "Eastbourne BC decide not to sell downland farms. - South Downs National Park Authority". www.southdowns.gov.uk. 7 March 2017. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  12. ↑ "Eastbourne MP speaks out on cancelled farms sale". www.eastbourneherald.co.uk. Archived from the original on 8 March 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  13. ↑ "Downland Management". Archived from the original on 5 June 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  14. ↑ http://www.eastbourne.gov.uk/residents/leisure-and-events/parks/trees-and-downland/downland/downland-working-farms-proposal/?entryid108=253578 [ dead link ]
  15. ↑ "Marine conservation zone 2013 designation: Beachy Head West - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  16. ↑ "Beachy Head East recommended Marine Conservation Zone - The Wildlife Trusts". www.wildlifetrusts.org. Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  17. ↑ Williams, Sharon. "Beachy Head East Marine Conservation Zone Overdue Says Durling". www.eastbournebuzz.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  18. ↑ "Important Plant Areas". Plantlife. Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  19. ↑ "Protest against downland sell-off!". handsoffoursussexcountryside.blogspot.co.uk. 10 November 2016. Archived from the original on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  20. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 January 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  21. ↑ Prehistoric and medieval environment of Old Town, Eastbourne, Sussex Archaeology Collections 147 (2007), accessed on 12 May 2017
  22. ↑ "Centuries old Beachy Head Lady's face revealed". BBC News. 1 February 2014. Archived from the original on 1 January 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  23. ↑ Eastbourne Downland Management Plan 2015-22, Eastbourne Borough Council (2015), accessed on 12 May 2017
  24. ↑ Pathé, British. "Sussex Downs Ranger". www.britishpathe.com. Archived from the original on 18 November 2016. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  25. ↑ "Entertainments & Events". www.eastbourne.org. Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
  26. ↑ "Loss of Downland Ranger a retrograde step for town". Eastbourne Herald . 22 February 2008.[ dead link ]

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.