A MESSAGE FROM EAST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL
PLEASE RESPOND BY 4 JULY 2025
DITCHLING COMMON COUNTRY PARK S106 IMPROVEMENT PROJECT – PUBLIC CONSULTATION.
Dear Mid-Sussex Area Bridleways Group,
I am writing to make you aware of an East Sussex County Council public consultation to help shape the future management of Ditchling Common Country Park. The consultation runs from the 6 June to the 4 July 2025. Please see below for further detail.
East Sussex County Council’s Rights of Way & Countryside Team is responsible for the management of Ditchling Common Country Park (DCCP).
DCCP is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This status is because of the important and rare acid grassland on the site. As landowner, it is the County Council’s duty to maintain and protect this habitat.
DCCP is also home to many important insect, reptile, bird, and mammal species, including hairstreak butterflies, dormice, and bats.
The Park is a popular destination for walking, dog walking, horse riding, fishing, and nature lovers. The needs of these users must be balanced with the management of the SSSI habitats at DCCP.
Funding has been made available from a nearby housing development in Burgess Hill. These funds are for the management, maintenance, and improvement of Ditchling Common County Park – both in terms of public access and the site’s ecology.
The County Council is already committed to spending some of this funding to meet our SSSI management obligations.
We would, however, be keen to hear your organisation’s views so we can make the best use of the resources we have. This would help us to make sure that Ditchling Common Country Park meets the needs of visitors while protecting and improving this valuable habitat into the future.
You can give feedback to us via the online consultation here: https://consultation.eastsussex.gov.uk/economy-transport-environment/ditchling-common/
Please submit only one response on behalf of Mid-Sussex Area Bridleways Group, however, the views of individuals are also important and welcome, so please feel free to forward the survey link to others who may be interested.
So that you can discuss your answers before filling out the questionnaire, a hard copy is attached.
If you need more time to complete the survey, please let me know.
Yours sincerely,
Alistair Wallis
Principal Countryside Maintenance Officer
Rights of Way & Countryside, CET
eastsussex.gov.uk/countryside-sites
ESCC Rights of Way
Tel: 0345 6080 193
Email: rightsofway@eastsussex.gov.uk
