Cuckmere Estuary Partnership

14 July 2009

Over 200 people attended a series of public workshops held by the Cuckmere Estuary Partnership to seek local views about the Cuckmere Estuary.  The events, held in Alfriston, Seaford and Eastbourne, were designed to allow members of the public to give their thoughts on the Estuary’s future. 

Partnership Officer Kate Cole explained: “This is a highly complex and very contentious local issue. The Cuckmere is one of the most beautiful and unspoiled estuaries in the south east, and, not surprisingly, feelings about its future are running high.  These events were important to us because they gave us the opportunity to hear what people believe is important about the Estuary, and suggest ways we could manage any future change.

“We were very pleased with the turn-out for the events, the willingness of everyone to contribute to the discussion, and the quality of the feedback we received.  It’s too early to summarise all the findings at this stage.  But a number of consistent themes emerged, such as the need to give full consideration to any flood risk to the A259, the importance of conserving and enhancing the natural habitat of the estuary, and the potential future role of the National Parks Authority.   We also had a wide range of specific comments and suggestions, from using money from the visitors’ car park to help maintain the valley, to enlisting community offenders to repair the banks.”

After an introductory presentation by Dr Rendel Williams from the University of Sussex, delegates were invited to take part in small working groups where discussions were led by a team of professional facilitators who ensured everyone present had the opportunity to have their say.   People were asked to discuss what matters most to them about the Cuckmere, their key concerns, their vision for the future of the Cuckmere, and what they felt to be the priorities for the future.

The evaluation from the first two events shows that 100% of those that answered the question said that they had plenty of opportunity to express their views and 96% said the event met their expectations. 

The Cuckmere Estuary Partnership is following up the main public events with a series of smaller themed workshops, looking at specific issues such as tourism and business, historic landscape and biodiversity. Invitations for these are being drawn from the main events.

The Partnership will be publishing a full report on the comments received during the engagement process in September.  The comments will then be used to inform the next steps for the future of the Estuary.