CPRE Sussex Director’s written column for The Argus, October 2025

As the candidates for the new Sussex Mayor become clearer, CPRE Sussex has been busy making sure the countryside and environment are at the top of the agenda. 

We believe the mayor could play a critical role in turning around a worrying situation. 

Right now, the countryside – and the communities that care for it – is under attack.   

That is why we have been writing to each of the candidates inviting them to meet with us and urging them to put the countryside and its communities at the heart of their vision for Sussex. 

Sussex is defined by its countryside.  

The rolling South Downs, ancient woodlands, winding rivers, and patchwork fields are not just beautiful – they are vital to our economy, our wellbeing, and our sense of who we are.  

More than 80% of Sussex is not developed land.  58% is farmland, with another 24% made up of woodland, open space, and water.   

The visitor economy in East Sussex alone is worth £3.9 billion, supporting a total economic impact of £5 billion – comparable to the entire economy of Iceland.   

This is not empty land. It is working land, living land. And for those of us who live in the towns and cities, the countryside represents an opportunity to escape the urban hustle and bustle for some peaceful time in nature. 

But people across the historic county feel angry, ignored and overwhelmed.  

They see green fields swallowed by soulless, car-dependent housing estates, while brownfield sites remain derelict and existing homes fall into disrepair.  

They see crops lost, and homes flooded, as climate change bites, but airport expansion is approved. 

They see our rivers and seas full of sewage, and farmland bird numbers collapsing.  

They feel abandoned by a system that puts developer and polluter profits before local needs.  

And they’re right to be angry.  

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

Yet there is brownfield land in Sussex with space for more than 26,000 homes on sites across the county. 

Around half of this land already has planning permission, and the amount is growing year on year.  

In Brighton & Hove alone, there are enough brownfield sites to deliver at least 8,600 homes. 

To add insult to injury, only a very small proportion of new homes are for social rent. 

For example, in the Horsham district, only 2% of completions in recent years were for affordable housing, none of which were for social rent. 

The system is failing the very people most in need of affordable housing, with more than 2,300 households across Sussex assessed as being owed a homelessness duty.   

At the same time, the government’s obsession with cutting ribbons on big new infrastructure projects, regardless of local impacts, has led to the approval of a second runway at Gatwick. 

This devastating decision will harm the health and wellbeing of local people, damage surrounding habitats and lead to massively increased greenhouse gas pollution for our climate.   

This isn’t growth. It’s erosion – of landscape, of trust, of identity.  

We are urging every mayoral candidate to make the countryside and its communities a priority, not an afterthought.  

Put simply, the Sussex countryside needs a champion.  

That is why we are asking each of the mayoral candidates to make a series of commitments: 

• Brownfield first – Prioritise the more than 1,200 acres of brownfield land in Sussex for new development. Make sure existing planning permissions are built. Push back against the government’s absurd and damaging housing targets.  

• Homes that serve people, not profits – Support councils, housing associations and community land trusts to deliver genuinely affordable homes, especially for social rent. Press government to reform broken “viability” rules that let developers sidestep their duties.  

• Defend what makes Sussex unique – Protect and properly resource the South Downs National Park, the High Weald and Chichester Harbour National Landscapes, and develop new protections for the Low Weald.  

• Back the rural economy – Treat the countryside as core to our economic future, reject the rhetoric of “nature vs Growth”. Report annually on its contribution to health, jobs, climate resilience and biodiversity – and make sure it features in every major decision.  

• Give rural communities a voice – Appoint a Commissioner for Rural Sussex. Visit a rural area every week. Put town and parish councils at the table, not on the sidelines.  

• Clean up rivers, support nature-friendly farming – Hold water companies accountable for sewage pollution. Press government for real support for farmers who protect wildlife and produce local food sustainably.  

• Lead on climate – Set up a Sussex Climate Commission. Launch a major retrofit programme for insulation, solar panels and heat pumps. Invest in walking, cycling, public transport – not road expansion or airport growth. 

These are not just priorities for CPRE Sussex – they are priorities for residents across the county. 

Research published earlier this year revealed Sussex residents believe a new mayor should put the environment, genuinely affordable housing and public transport at the heart of what they do. 

The research by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) identified the environment and transport as central to achieving the Government’s growth agenda.  

Residents felt a combined authority’s ability to plan and coordinate local services was its most consequential power – something CPRE Sussex agrees with.  

They wanted the focus to be on addressing water pollution and ensuring housing investment is accompanied by improved public transport links. 

This is a pivotal moment.  

The new mayor has the chance to lead a region that shows the UK how to grow without destroying what makes it special – where countryside is not collateral damage, but a core strength.  

We urge every candidate to make that promise to the people of Sussex. To make that pledge to the countryside. 

To help us ensure the countryside is a priority for the new mayor of Sussex you can write to the candidates echoing the requested commitments above. 

You can also find out more ways to shape a greener future for Sussex at cpresussex.org.uk/get-involved