We challenge candidates for Mayor of Sussex to champion our countryside

CPRE Sussex Director’s column written for West Sussex Gazette, August 2025.

Sussex is defined by its countryside. Our local landscapes are not just beautiful – they are vital to our economy, our wellbeing, and our identity.

More than half of Sussex is farmland and almost a quarter is made up of woodland, open space, and water. This is not empty land. It is working land, living land.

But right now that countryside – and the communities that care for it – is under siege.

Green fields are being swallowed by soulless, car-dependent housing estates, while brownfield sites remain derelict and existing homes fall into disrepair.

The government’s demand for 70,000 new dwellings in Sussex over five years, coupled with the slashing of planning safeguards, has opened the floodgates to unsustainable sprawl.

Developer profits are being put before local needs, failing the very people most in need of affordable housing.

Put simply, the Sussex countryside needs a champion.

If Sussex is, for good or ill, to have a Mayor next year, they need to be that champion. We’re challenging every mayoral candidate to put the countryside and its communities at the heart of their vision for Sussex by:

1. Prioritising the nearly 1,000 acres of brownfield in Sussex for new development.
2. Building genuinely affordable homes that serve people, not profits and stopping developers from sidestepping their duties.
3. Defending what makes Sussex unique by properly resourcing areas like the South Downs National Park.
4. Backing the rural economy by treating the countryside as core to our economic future.
5. Giving rural communities a voice by appointing a Commissioner for Rural Sussex.
6. Cleaning up rivers and supporting nature-friendly farming by holding water companies to account and pressing the government for real support for farmers.
7. Leading on climate with the formation of a Sussex Climate Commission.

This is a pivotal moment. Our new Mayor will have the chance to lead a region where the countryside is not collateral damage, but a core strength.

We call on all candidates to make that promise to the people of Sussex and that pledge to the countryside.

Away from the upcoming mayoral elections, next year also marks a major anniversary as the national CPRE charity celebrates its centenary.

To mark 100 years of campaigning to promote, enhance and protect the countryside, we want to bring together your favourite memories of the Sussex countryside.

You can send your pictures and stories of favourite spots, treasured memories, conservation work and family days out to info@cpresussex.org.uk.

Or why not share them with us in person at the CPRE Sussex Countryside Day on 6 September!

Held at the Knepp Estate, the event is a chance to learn more about the ongoing work to shape a greener future for Sussex – including what we want to see from our new Mayor.

There will be expert talks, kids’ activities and community stalls. Entrance is free but tickets should be booked in advance.

Book your place at: https://actionnetwork.org/events/countryside-day-2025-2.