NEWS JUST IN -We have been awarded funding from the National Trust via the Changing Chalk Project! This puts our chalk grassland on the map, and will fund new rounds of training on Chalk Grassland Conservation in Coldean.

Chalk Grassland is a wildflower and herb rich habitat, it is the home to species such as Pyramidal Orchids, Bee Orchids, Wild Marjoram, Wild Thyme and Devils Bit Scabious. Our Biodiversity Survey found these species and more on Coldean Common (site21a on the Brighton Urban Fringe Map).

Over the last 100years Chalk Grassland has declined in area by about 97%!! Making the fragments we have left extremely precious. It is one of the key habitats cited in the designation of the South Downs National Park and the Brighton Biosphere Region.

We work with volunteer groups to remove scrub (bushes) which grow and smother the small chalk grassland plants. We have previously commissioned professional ecological reports and developed a Management Plan . We continue to monitor the species on site to inform future management.

The site is rather ironically on the local housing register (City Plan Part 2- under: Site21a). In 2019 CCOrg was working with the Brighton and Hove Community Land Trust to explore a nature and community led development for local residents. (See CCOrg’s History). However, since learning of the global significance of the grassland, and since the adjacent new development (Denham Place) has vastly exceeded the targets for housing units in the local area, many Coldean residents believe that the development of Coldean Commons/Site 21a is inappropriate. CCOrg engaged with a broad range of groups working to understand and protect the Brighton Downland through the Brighton Downs Alliance, and in 2021 submitted an in depth response to BHCC’s Whole Estate Plan. CCOrg has also considered a range of alternatives and offered a draft Community Land Trust plan.

This year we hope to join forces with a range of stakeholders to discuss ideas and to look at how we can collaborate, consult the community, and engage with the council to protect this precious patch of nature.

If you want to come and help us conserve this magical habitat, you can follow our events on Instagram: Coldean Commons (@coldean_commons) • Instagram photos and videos

You can also join our group chat for updates using the link below:

https://t.me/+vF58DsZfDfAzNzhk

If neither of these channels are accessible to you, please email:

Coldeancommons@protonmail.com

Or

Lawrenceleather.leat@gmail.com