Aim

Your donation can save Sussex’s beautiful landscapes and wildlife from rapacious development, climate breakdown and pollution

The Sussex countryside: beautiful, isn’t it? The South Downs National Park. The High Weald and Chichester Harbour Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The chalk cliffs and kelp forests of our coastlines. Pretty villages, vibrant towns. The source of delicious food and drink. The inspiration for art.  

But – the beautiful, tranquil Sussex that we love is under threat like never before.  

Rapacious developers forcing thousands of unaffordable homes into our countryside. Climate breakdown bringing heatwaves and flooding. Nature-hostile farming methods. Pollution of our water, air, land and dark skies.   

It doesn’t have to be like this. And you can make the change. 

CPRE Sussex is the charity which protects, celebrates and regenerates our beautiful, thriving Sussex countryside, to shape a greener future for all of us. Only CPRE Sussex looks at the issues in the round: considering the need for thriving villages, affordable housing and transport, and a rural economy that works, as well as protecting our wildlife, our rivers and seas, our beautiful landscapes, our dark night skies and our precious climate. 

We’re looking to raise £10,600 - including matched funds from Aviva - to help us: 

Fight a wave of climate-polluting development proposals, that will cause immeasurable harm to the Sussex countryside: 

• Oppose excessive, high-carbon, car-dependent developments of identikit ‘executive’ housing that do little to meet local needs for affordable homes. 
• Support communities fighting new fossil fuel extraction, such as Balcombe. 
• Challenge Gatwick Airport’s expansion proposal – which is contrary to the advice of the Government’s own Climate Change Committee. 
• Stand firm against major road-building projects, such as the current plan for the A27 at Arundel.

Accelerate the solutions to the countryside climate crisis: 

• Support residents to shape neighbourhood and local plans that set out the rules for the development we do want – such as affordable, low-carbon homes, new schools, green spaces for people and nature, and well-sited renewable energy. 
• Campaign for well-sited renewable energy – such as rooftop solar – and low-carbon transport. 
• Back nature-based solutions, such as tree-planting and saltmarsh restoration. 

Your contribution will fund: 

• Staff to support and grow our network of expert planning volunteers, who challenge poor planning applications for countryside- and climate-damaging developments. 
• Community planning and energy visioning workshops with local residents across East and West Sussex and Brighton & Hove. 
• Advocacy to take residents’ demands to developers, planners, councillors and MPs. 

That way we put the needs of our countryside first: beauty protected, climate change tackled, more space for nature. 

All donations will be matched pound for pound by Aviva, up to £250 per person – donate £50 and we get £100; donate £250 and we get £500. (If you can give more than £250, we would encourage you to do so; Aviva’s contribution is capped at £250 per person in these cases.)

We're grateful to Crowdfunder for hosting our appeal page; if you'd like to help cover their costs, you can give a 'tip' when you donate. But this is optional - you can choose not to tip, once you're on the payment page, by clicking 'other amount' under 'Optional tip' and entering £0.

This project successfully funded on 7th November 2023