Release date: 5 July 2023
West Sussex and East Sussex County Councils have been appointed as the ‘Responsible Authorities’ for the production of two Local Nature Recovery Strategies for Sussex over the next 18 months: one covering West Sussex, and one for East Sussex and Brighton & Hove.
Local Nature Recovery Strategies are a flagship measure in the Environment Act 2021 to encourage more coordinated, practical, and focussed action and investment in nature. It is the first time that planning for nature recovery in England has been put on a statutory footing.
We will be working in partnership to produce these stakeholder-led and evidence-based strategies, supported by Brighton & Hove City Council and Natural England. We will explore what actions can be taken to address the biodiversity crisis in Sussex as well as related matters, including the impacts of climate change.
To develop these Local Nature Recovery Strategies, we will work in collaboration with key stakeholders, including the Sussex Nature Partnership, local authorities, the South Downs National Park Authority and the bodies for the two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Sussex Wildlife Trust, and major landowners.
Deborah Urquhart, West Sussex County Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, said: “I’m delighted that the County Council has been appointed to prepare the Local Nature Recovery Strategy for West Sussex. We look forward to working with East Sussex County Council, our partners, and a wide range of stakeholders, including local communities, farmers and landowners, and biodiversity and natural environment experts. We want our Local Nature Recovery Strategies for Sussex to link nature to people and places and to explore what actions can be taken to deliver positive change for nature and to aid its recovery.”
