Good news on the future of our city’s downland. The review into the sites at Poynings Field and Plumpton Hill has recommended that these sites should not be sold.
The recommendation needs to be ratified in May by Brighton & Hove City Council’s Policy, Resources and Growth committee meeting.
It’s welcome news that these downland sites will be safeguarded by continued public ownership. It’s a vindication of our belief that enough money had already been raised without the need to sell these important assets.
Following the recent protests in Eastbourne and Brighton, politicians across Sussex have been reminded just how strongly people feel about their ownership of the South Downs. Rather than seeing these landholdings as liabilities, Councils need to start making more of their benefits.
Chris Todd, Brighton and Hove Friends of the Earth
