West Sussex County Council: Proposed South Downs National Park

One of two chalk downland areas in Southern England, the South Downs extend from Winchester in Hampshire and through West Sussex to the sea at Beachy Head in East Sussex, a distance of 70 miles (115km). Once a single chalk outcrop it has long since eroded into two areas. The area exposed by this weathering is called the Weald.

In 1966 the Sussex Downs was designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The Weald gained the same recognition in 1983.

In 1999 the Government put forward a proposal to re-designate the Sussex Downs AONB and the East Hampshire AONB as the South Downs National Park. These web pages give information about what's happened since and what's to follow.

• 01. Information, facts and figures about the South Downs
• 02. Looking after the South Downs: the current situation
• 03. Area of Outstanding National Beauty (AONB) vs National Park
• 04. Designation - the Process
• 05. West Sussex County Council's position on the future of the South Downs
• 06. Timeline
• 07. Useful Links
• 08. Frequently asked questions (dispelling some myths)