The South Downs National Park recently announced that it was growing with a key landmark of the south coast joining its landscape.
The iconic Seven Sisters Country Park is no longer under county council control. Instead, the 280-hectare site has been transferred to SDNPA control. In return, the NPA has promised to invest almost £2m in building a new visitor centre.
The Authority has listed some initial plans to help improve the site while also protecting its wildlife. Plans include:
- Just under £2m of works to improve the current facilities, including a refurbished visitor centre, improved toilet facilities and food service, and renovated accommodations.
- Better educational signage.
- More rubbish and recycling bins.
- Improving habitat for a wide range of plants and animals including the adonis blue butterfly, skylark, redshank, yellow horned poppy, ringed plover, bee orchid and wigeon.
- The appointment of a ‘Writer in Residence’.
- A website to help people to plan their visit and better navigate and understand the features of the country park.
The first Writer in Residence has already been appointed. Alinah Azadeh will explore themes of diversity, climate and resilience in her role, which runs until the end of 2022. Thanks to funding from Arts Council England, she will be sharing her work at various in-person and online events.
Trevor Beattie, Chief Executive of the South Downs National Park Authority, said:
The site is part of a vibrant rural community and we want to widen the positive local impact of the country park. We want visitors to feel empowered to explore further along the South Downs Way, or the new England Coast Path, to travel on to other local sites, and to enjoy the wonderful pubs, shops, breweries and vineyards that the local community has to offer.
