With its sunny climate and chalky soil, the South Downs National Park has become one of the UK’s premier wine-making regions. Lucy Howard, Planning Policy Manager, gives an update on a key new planning document that will help determine planning applications in this growing sector. A new Technical Advice Note (TAN) on viticulture was presented […]

An important restoration scheme that will provide tree planting and chalk grassland creation has been approved by the Authority. The restoration work was given the green light as part of a planning application that was considered by Planning Committee for Butser Hill Lime Works, close to the A3 and the village of Buriton, in Hampshire. […]

An appeal has been dismissed by the Government’s Planning Inspector after an enforcement notice was served by the Authority for a harmful change of use on a farm. Back in March 2020 an enforcement notice was served on the landowner of Land East of Pony Farm, near Worthing, in West Sussex. The notice was served […]

The Sussex Heritage Trust’s annual awards have been launched, with a brand-new award promoting outstanding design in the National Park. The only Sussex-wide Heritage Awards supports excellence in conservation, restoration, and the good design of newly-built projects, while also encouraging the use of traditional skills and crafts. This year the National Park Authority is sponsoring […]

Ruth Childs is Landscape Officer for the National Park and writes about her experiences as a leading advocate for landscape-led design on the local, regional and European stage. Like many specialist areas of work, the environment sector can be a small world. Recently I was reminded of this in a rather lovely way. Back in […]