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Why do most councils fail to enforce energy standards in rental homes despite having the  legal power to do so?

This blog post is by one of our members, Sam Powell, who is also one of our Eastbourne Energy Champions:

Why Do Councils Fail to Enforce Energy Standards in Rental Homes Despite Having the Power to Do So?

‘Understanding EPCs’ chart at an Energise Sussex Coast (ESC) training day. ESC actively partners with Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC), offering energy and retrofit advice to local households. 

MEES and EPC Consultations: Change in the Rented Sector?

The UK government is consulting on significant MEES (Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard) and EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) changes, including new low-carbon EPC metrics, a proposed minimum rating of C for rented properties, and a higher landlord ‘cash cap’ for improvement costs. These reforms aim to raise energy standards in private and social rented housing, targeting fuel poverty and incentivising low-carbon energy efficient options.

The government ‘guidance’ on MEES states, “MEES Regulations are enforced by local authorities, who have a range of powers to check and ensure compliance.” The Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015 (PRP Regulations 2015 from now on) require a minimum rating of EPC E for the rented sector. However, according to Climate Emergency UK (CE UK), three-quarters of single-tier and district/borough councils were not actively enforcing MEES in 2021-2022.

Will these proposed reforms shift the dynamics between councils, landlords and tenants concerning energy efficiency and fuel poverty? And can tighter standards make a real difference in the rented sector?

EPCs, MEES, and the 2025 Reform Push

EPCs were introduced in 2007 as part of the now-defunct Home Information Packs (HIPs) under Part 5 of the Housing Act 2004. Initially required only for homes with four or more bedrooms being marketed for sale, the scheme was gradually extended to smaller properties and, from 1 October 2008, to all rental properties. This broader rollout drew from the EU’s 2002 (but published in 2003) Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), later transposed into UK law through the Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012.

According to the Office for National Statistics, “just over 69% of all residential dwellings in England, and 66% in Wales, had at least one EPC registration since records began in 2007, as of March 2024.” They are currently valid for 10 years and rate a property’s energy efficiency from A (most efficient) to G (least). The measurement is, as a government guide states, “based on the performance potential of the building itself (the fabric) and its services (such as heating, insulation, ventilation and fuels used).” EPCs are designed to inform landlords and tenants about a home’s energy performance and how to improve it, tackling both emissions (as homes in 2022 produced roughly 20% of greenhouse gases according to a 2024 gov report) and fuel poverty.

MEES legislation, introduced via the PRP Regulations 2015, requires landlords in the Private Rented Sector (PRS) to meet a minimum EPC rating to let out a property legally. Since 2018, all new tenancies have required an EPC E rating or higher, and from April 2020, this rule has applied to all tenancies.

Yet, in practice, MEES enforcement from local authorities has been patchy since its introduction and the reliability of EPC ratings in both the domestic and non-domestic spheres has come under debate (Yuan and Choudhary, 2023 and recent debates). 

MEES compliance is based heavily on the EPC’s Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) metric, “which grades buildings on the basis of running costs”, the consultation clarifies, as well as an Environment Impact Rating (EIR) measuring carbon dioxide emissions. However, this could change. As part of the government’s 2025 MEES consultation, ‘Improving the energy performance of privately rented homes’- closing on 2 May 2025 – there are proposals to overhaul the methodology utilising the policy consulted in the recently closed EPC consultation. The two consultations work in a policy synergy.

In the EPC consultation, amongst other aspects consulted, like reducing the validity period length of EPCs, the government proposed EPCs to reflect actual building low carbon performance more accurately. They propose new metrics measuring ‘energy cost’, ‘carbon’, ‘energy use’, ‘fabric performance’, ‘heating system’, and ‘smart readiness’, alongside possible ‘other metrics’ in the future. The new eco-performance-based metric system seeks to influence MEES compliance along low-carbon lines. 

As the Climate Change Committee (CCC) have argued, “Currently the EER metric does not adequately incentivise homeowners to install fabric efficiency measures. The cheapest and easiest way to improve a home’s EER is often to fit a more efficient fossil fuel boiler (which reduces fuel consumption) or install solar PV (which reduces or offsets electricity consumption).” As the MEES consultation notes, “given the higher cost of electricity relative to gas, installing an electric heating component, such as a heat pump, may result in higher estimated running costs and a lower EPC rating, without additional cost-saving measures such as improved fabric and smart technologies.” The government hopes to replace the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) with a ‘Home Energy Model’ to encourage low-carbon energy efficiency. 

The new MEES consultation also suggests a major tightening of standards:

  • All new tenancies would need to meet EPC C by 2028
  • All existing tenancies by 2030

This could affect a significant portion of the housing stock: Approximately 2.58 million (52%), half of all rental properties, have an EPC below C. According to CE UK’s 2023 scorecards, 71% of “council owned social housing” meets EPC C or above, but only 43% of UK homes overall. Yet, other reports, like the 2025 ‘Energy Efficiency of Homes’ document from the government, state that 52% of all homes do. 

Government statistics also show that In Q1 of 2024, 36% of “existing dwellings” in England and Wales had an EER rated D and 8% rated E (figure 1). However, the proposed MEES legislation only applies to rented homes, either social or private, and the consultation states that EPCs rated C or above, issued before the future planned EPC reforms in 2026, will remain valid until they expire under existing rules.

To support compliance, and amongst other consulted issues, the MEES consultation proposes:

  • Raising the landlord’s “cash cap” for improvements from £3,500 to £15,000 (or £10,000 for “affordability exemptions”) to cover the ‘real costs’
  • Requiring updated EPCs when the current ones expire
  • New EPC methodology
  • Increasing fines from £5,000 to £30,000 per property

These proposed changes are part of a potential broader suite of reforms like 1) The Renters Rights Bill (currently at the committee stage in the House of Lords), outlined later in the article, and 2) the Environmental Targets (Public Authorities) Bill, attempting to make it a statutory requirement for “public bodies to contribute to [the] delivery of targets set under the Environment Act 2021 and Climate Change Act 2008.” 

If passed, these MEES and EPC changes could represent a significant overhaul of rental energy standards, making enforcement and a council’s ability to act all the more critical. The previous Conservative government proposed these EPC C targets by 2025 for new tenancies and 2028 for existing in the now-shelved Minimum Energy Performance of Buildings (No. 2) Bill tabled in 2021 but benched in 2023. Similar ideas and more are currently on the table.

Conflict

On BBC Breakfast, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband defended the proposed amendments to PRP Regulations 2015  legislation provided power by the Energy Act 2011 (which included the Green Deal) that stated 1 April 2018 as the latest date for regulations (section 43). Miliband cites average upgrade costs of £6,000 (£6,100–£6,800, as stated in the consultation document) needed to bring rented properties up to the newly proposed standard. 

However, the National Residential Landlords Association Chief Executive Ben Beadle argues that some landlords may leave the market or raise rent to pass the potential costs of upgrades onto the tenant, especially in low-yield areas. He stated it would take over 10 years, £20bn for the sector, with grants not covering. Critics say the reforms are overly burdensome and could shrink PRS supply. 

Miliband countered these concerns, citing survey data suggesting tenant support and landlord willingness to upgrade. He said, “I believe, and organisations that represent renters believe, this will benefit renters.”

The Case for MEES Reform

‘Where the Heat Goes’ image from an Energise Sussex Coast training day.

According to Better Housing, Better Health, upgrading a home from EPC E to C could save the tenant £520 a year in energy costs. Homes rated E cost up to £1,208 more annually than the most efficient ones. C-rated homes cost £688 more. Insulation upgrades, double glazing and boiler upgrades can reduce energy bills and emissions, helping households cope with rising energy caps like the 6.4% increase from April–June 2025.

Poor housing efficiency is also a health issue. Cold homes worsen respiratory illness and place pressure on the NHS. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero says E–G rated homes are far more likely to result in cold-related illness or fuel poverty.

The Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) seventh carbon budget calls for an EPC C minimum to meet net zero and for heating systems like heat pumps to become more economically “attractive” than gas boilers. The government acknowledges MEES and enforcing landlord obligations as one of CCC’s “top 10 priority actions.” CCC has repeatedly called for governments to review EPC metrics so they are optimised for measuring emission reduction.

Groups like Friends of the Earth and the Centre for Sustainable Energy recommend councils appoint MEES officers to enforce rules and support landlords. These officers could issue notices and penalties, maintain compliance records, and publish data to hold landlords publicly accountable, but more importantly, work with landlords.

Why MEES Enforcement Lags

According to CE UK’s 2023 scorecards, only three district or borough councils out of the 164 asked, South Derbyshire, Thanet, and West Lindsey, enforced MEES in over 100 homes between  2021/22. 119 took no action, and 42 issued between “1-100 compliance or enforcement notices…”. In 2021–22, three-quarters of single-tier and district/borough councils were not actively enforcing MEES. 

Although the forthcoming 2025 CE UK scorecards might paint a slightly improved picture regarding MEES enforcement, unsurprisingly, a key reason given by councils when CMS law did their research in 2023 appears to be resourcing. Due to budget constraints, Richmond and Wandsworth Councils said that MEES isn’t a priority. Merton Council, which shares regulatory services with these boroughs, only recently advertised for a MEES officer, showing a change. Worcestershire similarly cited cuts to its small trading standards team. As CMS law noted, there’s been a 25% decrease in trading standards inspectors from 2014 – 2024 and a 32% decrease in trading standards budgets from 2010 – 2019. 

One way MEES enforcement costs could be countered is by recovering unpaid financial MEES penalties as debt owed to the enforcement authority, a process enabled by the PRP regulations 2015 (part 3, 45). Another is to recoup any penalties. However, many councils lack ringfenced funding or political will to set the project up to outline all properties EPC and hire an enforcer, keeping MEES low on the agenda.

How Eastbourne Borough Council Performs on MEES Enforcement

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) show a median EPC rating of C for Eastbourne. However, a closer look at the government’s EPC database reveals properties with expired or F-rated EPCs (although further clarification is needed to show if they are in the rented sector). Median figures can hide housing disparities – older buildings, HMOs, and low-income areas tend to have poorer energy standards.

CE UK gave Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC) zero points for MEES enforcement on the 2023 scorecards. Freedom of Information (FOI) data was used to answer Q1.8 of the scorecard’s “Buildings and Heating” section, asking whether councils actively enforce MEES, and showed no notices or penalties issued by EBC. The council also scored just 1 out of 3 points for EPC C coverage, suggesting only 50–60% of homes and buildings meet EPC C. Higher points were available for 60%+ and 90%+ coverage. 

Other areas in which EBC were marked down on at the time of scoring (but has made some progress on since) included retrofit progress on council-owned buildings, fully costed council-housing retrofit plans, powering council operations by renewable energy and an increase in the efficiency of its council housing stock. EBC scored 64% overall in the Buildings and Heating section.

According to available data, EBC is the landlord of 3,441 council homes (Housing Ombudsman 2023-24). Out of the town’s roughly 45,609 homes, around 18,061 homes in Eastbourne are rented, according to the 2021 census. 13% are ‘social rented’, and 26.6% are ‘private rented’, totalling 39.6%. Based on the current EER ratings, 2.8% of all ‘existing and new’ properties in England and Wales (Q1 2024) fall below E. This potentially means 1277 properties in Eastbourne, and 39.6%  of those (505) equating to the private rented sector. If approximately half the rented sector is currently below C, then that would possibly include roughly 9,030 properties potentially needing improvement in Eastbourne if the law changes. However, applying these national-based formulas likely obscures Eastbourne’s actual figure due to housing stock differences between national and local statistics – something a MEES officer could clarify.

In council documents, EBC and its councillors have stated that they wish to improve the private rented sector. Under the ‘Housing and Energy’ and ‘Energy Efficiency’ sections of their website, they list services, like the Warm Home Check Service (via East Sussex County Council (ESCC)) and the Home Upgrade Grant (phase 2), providing a consortium bid EBC was a part of with a ringfenced £2.9 million (announced 22 March 2023) a scheme which ended 31 March 2025. EBC acknowledges MEES on their website and talks about energy efficiency in their preparation documents for the new, improved Local Plan, which will be forthcoming later this year as stated in the recent Eastbourne Local Development Scheme plans. 

In their 2024 annual report, in the “Improve energy efficiency, reduce emissions, and lower bills” section, EBC states, “Annual targets for 2024 have been achieved in the last year of the current contract. Number of Warm and Well Helpline cases supported, number of Warm Home Check visit assessments completed & % of WHC clients receiving a major heating or insulation measure funded by ECO or grant.” EBC also cites how ESCC are seeking to, from April 2025, “offer a single-point-of-contact home energy efficiency and fuel poverty reduction advice and signposting service for anyone in East Sussex living in a cold home.” 

EBC seems to be partly taking the lead from ESCC and national services regarding energy efficiency advice services. Nationally, the government has promoted schemes like ECO4, The HUG, The Local Grant, zero-VAT insulation, and the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, offering £7,500 to transition to “low carbon heating systems including heat pumps and biomass boiler.” These changes comprise the government’s broader plans within the Warm Homes Plan, Future Homes Standard, the creation of Great British Energy, and the Climate and Nature Bill.

Reactive and Proactive Approaches

Despite the buildings and heating progress EBC has made in their decarbonisation project, surveying their stock and solar projects and so on, outlined in their annual reports since 2020 and prior documents, it appears that EBC and other councils have taken a fairly reactive approach to MEES, offering services and waiting for private tenants or landlords to come forward. This is evidenced more sharply by other councils, like North East Lincolnshire Council, which told CMS law, “the authority reacts to complaints received.”

By contrast, Wealden District Council appointed a MEES officer who provides direct landlord contact and exemption guidance. Other councils are also hiring MEES officers, which could be reflected in the national update on the CE UK scorecards forthcoming in June 2025.

One problem with reactive enforcement is that tenants in vulnerable situations may fear eviction or rent increases if they report poor conditions. This is especially problematic while Section 21 no-fault evictions remain legal, despite government pledges to ban them in the Renters Rights Bill. 82% of 208 councils approached by CMS Law in 2023 said they take an “intelligence-led approach” in reacting to complaints.

Eastbourne has a lot of older housing stock, some of which is in the PRS. In the ‘Conservation Area’ of Eastbourne (see the 2017  Conservation Consultation), housing is distinguished between two key eras: 1850 – 1870 and 1880 – 1910.

A Note on the Renters Rights Bill

Although MEES was the central topic of this article. It’s hard not to mention that running alongside MEES reform is the Renters Rights Bill (2025). These proposed changes combined could significantly change the housing and energy sectors. Amongst other things, the bill proposes:

  • Ban Section 21 “no-fault” evictions
  • Cap rent increases at one per year under Section 13 rules
  • Apply the Decent Homes Standard to the PRS
  • Apply Awaabs’s law to the PRS to address health hazards like mould and damp within timeframes
  • Introduce a PRS property database and ombudsman
  • Ban bidding wars and DSS discrimination

Conclusion

MEES remains a crucial but underused tool as the UK targets net-zero and better housing standards. Councils hold the power but often lack the capacity, funding, or political will to act decisively. 

EBC has made environmentally friendly building and heating decisions but has lagged in MEES enforcement. As stricter thresholds loom, councils may need to boost their MEES response, especially in areas with older housing and large PRS sectors.

Clear national guidance, local resources, and strong tenant protections will be key. Monitoring local outcomes as new policy unfolds will show what truly works.

What Can Be Done Now?

If funding allowed, EBC could take five realistic steps:

  • Appoint a MEES Officer – reallocate staff or use grants to create the role
  • Publish Annual MEES and EPC Data – track progress and improve targeting
  • Engage Landlords Proactively – briefings, plain-language guidance, webinar support
  • Embed MEES in the forthcoming Local Plan – integrate enforcement into future policy
  • Empower Tenants – offer advice, grant knowledge, and support networks, which councils do under the current reactive approach. 

Generally, a successful proactive approach adopted by councils nationwide will significantly impact the dual problem of fuel poverty and emission reductions.

Have your say on the MEES consultation before 2 May 2025; the survey is accessible here.

There’s nothing neutral about carbon neutrality

In anticipation of the forthcoming Eastbourne Carbon Neutral 2030 Symposium on Saturday April 26th at Emmanuel Church, Upperton Road, Eastbourne (free tickets bookable here), Andrew Durling, Executive Director of the Eastbourne Eco Action Network CIC, provides a personal perspective:

The phrase ‘carbon neutrality’ sounds very dry and technical, doesn’t it? Hardly a phrase to set the pulse racing! But let’s unpack what the phrase really means and why we should actually get very excited about it.

First off, there’s nothing neutral about carbon itself. Far from it, carbon is one of the most positive and amazing things one can talk about.

For carbon is the fundamental building block of all life on Earth. Its unique ability to form stable bonds with itself and other elements allows for the creation of the complex molecules that make up living organisms, including carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids like DNA and RNA. Without carbon, life as we know it would not exist.

But because carbon manifests in  so many different forms and interacts in so many ways with so many other elements and life forms, it forms one of the key cycles on Earth, helping to maintain a dynamic equilibrium of Earth’s ecosystems. This carbon cycle is the continuous movement of carbon atoms between the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, land, and living organisms. This cycle is crucial for sustaining life in several ways:

  • Regulation of Earth’s Temperature: Carbon dioxide () in the atmosphere acts as a greenhouse gas, trapping heat and keeping the planet at a habitable temperature. The carbon cycle helps regulate the concentration of in the atmosphere.
  • Foundation of Food Webs: Through photosynthesis, plants absorb from the atmosphere and convert it into organic compounds, forming the base of most food webs. Animals obtain carbon by consuming plants or other animals.
  • Nutrient Availability: The decomposition of organic matter returns carbon to the soil, providing essential nutrients for plant growth.
  • Ocean Chemistry: The ocean absorbs a significant amount of atmospheric , influencing its chemistry and supporting marine life.

But, human activities, particularly the burning of carbon in the form of fossil fuels and deforestation, have significantly disrupted the natural carbon cycle, leading to an increase in atmospheric   concentrations. This enhancement of the greenhouse effect is the primary driver of global warming and climate change, posing existential challenges to human societies and ecosystems worldwide. Understanding and managing our impact on the carbon cycle is crucial for ensuring a sustainable future for human life on Earth. Carbon neutrality is therefore simply a technical way of saying that we care about the carbon cycle and want to restore it to its normal function of sustaining all life.

So we need to bring the carbon cycle back into balance, by significantly reducing carbon emissions and capturing the carbon emitted through activities like tree planting and soil restoration, so that the excess of carbon emitted is balanced, or neutralised, by an increased ability of the land and ocean to absorb the excess carbon; hence the term ‘carbon neutrality’. Now, each one of us can assist in this process in a myriad of ways. But we have to be strongly motivated to do so, otherwise we won’t collectively engage with the carbon neutrality strategy with the necessary enthusiasm that such a great challenge demands.

 Of course, we each have our own motivations for engaging with carbon neutrality, or climate actions and sustainability strategies in general. But here’s my perspective, one that helps to keep me motivated anyway: what greater motivation can there be than for each of us to feel we can become an integral part of the work of Gaia, our planetary home personified by the Ancient Greeks as the Earth Mother? Gaia was the name given by renowned scientist James Lovelock to Earth’s ability to function as if it were a living system, regulating itself constantly to keep the planet viable for all life. So whatever we do to facilitate carbon neutrality could be seen as an act of care towards Gaia – Earth as a living being – and a gesture of solidarity with all of life, even – especially if one is religiously or spiritually inclined – a demonstration of one’s love for all of God’s creation. With this recognition of a deeper meaning to engagement with carbon neutrality, then any action in support of it becomes meaningful and positive in itself, affirming one’s deep connection with all of life and all that supports life, especially the carbon cycle itself.

Therefore, whatever targets are set, like making Eastbourne carbon neutral by 2030, becomes achievable simply because it is no longer just a technical exercise but rather something that is ethically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually good and worthy in itself. Furthermore, the strength of the collective motivation of all those  strongly engaged in actions that facilitate carbon neutrality becomes enough to enable any target, including the 2030 target, to be met whatever the challenges may be, just as the collective motivation of the  British people in 1940 to stand up against the threat of fascism despite incredible odds was enough to ensure not only that defeat was avoided but that victory over fascism would eventually be achieved.

Perhaps ‘carbon neutrality’ should be replaced with a new phrase? How about ‘carbon positivity’? Any other suggestions?

Eastbourne Carbon Neutral 2030 Symposium

Eastbourne Carbon Neutral Symposium

  • When: Saturday 26th April
  • from 1pm to 4.30pm
  • Where: Emmanuel Church
    Upperton Road, Eastbourne
Book your place

This Symposium follows on from the first one held in 2024 and will look at

  • What is happening locally to help achieve carbon neutrality by 2030?
  • What more can we do?

The venue for this event is Emmanuel Church, a modern building run by a team that has won a coveted Eco Church award for its efforts to meet high environmental and sustainability standards.

A variety of speakers will provide the background for the Carbon Neutral 2030 campaign and review the progress made so far, followed by reports on major EEAN initiatives of 2025. Our keynote speakers are Professor Scarlett McNally and Richard Watson, OBE.

Finally, there will be a plenary incorporating a Q&A session chaired by Lord Ralph Lucas to explore the pathway we need to take collectively as a community for the next 5 years, and particularly for the next year, to help achieve the 2030 target.

Spaces will be limited, so please book your free ticket as soon as possible. Refreshments will be provided free of charge. 

See further information and book your place here.

NOTE: you don’t have to register to use the booking system – you can select the option to Continue as Guest

Our keynote speakers include Professor Scarlett McNally and Richard Watson.

Countdown to 2030

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Cheaper ways to travel by bus

Cheaper ways to travel by bus

Making sense of the new fare structures in East Sussex.

The £2 fare cap was introduced in September 2022 to make bus travel more affordable and to encourage more people to travel by bus. It also helped to make bus travel less confusing. Most adult fares were £2 so we knew how much each journey would cost.

The difference between the true fare and the £2 cap was made up from national government funding with money set aside extended to the end of 2024. The fare cap has been successful in bringing more people back to buses, but real and lasting change doesn’t happen overnight and the new government sensibly decided to extend the fare cap into 2025. However, the maximum fare has increased from £2 to £3. Some local authorities and operators have taken this change as an opportunity to review tickets and see whether lower fares can be offered.

Will you pay £1, £2 or £3?

East Sussex County Council have worked with local bus operators to reduce the impact of the higher fare cap using Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) money, which is separate to the national fare cap funding. There are now three single fares for adults, £1, £2 and £3.

On January 1st, some fares went down to £1, some stayed at £2 and some went up to £3. The fare you pay depends on the actual fare set by the bus operator – what you would pay if there wasn’t a national cap.

The table below compares the uncapped fare with what you pay now.

Uncapped fare You Pay
Under £2
£1
£2 – £2.99
£2
£3 or more
£3

As we have got so used to paying £2 fares, it’s hard to know what the fares for trips would be without the cap.

The safest way to find out what your bus journey will cost before you travel, is to check the bus operator web pages or use their apps (see links to bus operators below.)

At the time of writing, the same journey can have different costs with different bus operators. For example, a journey from Willingdon Church Street to Polegate currently costs £2 on Stagecoach buses and £3 on Brighton & Hove buses. The good news from the East Sussex BSIP team is that bus operators are currently reviewing some of their fares and adjusting them to make them more consistent. Watch this space.

Children’s fares are not capped in East Sussex, but they start from 50p.

Read on to find out about ways to travel for less.

stickman style cartoon of man sitting on a bench at a bus stop looking confused

Find the deal for you ...

Are you travelling with children?

Adult fare payers or concessionary pass holders can bring up to four children under the age of 19, for 50 pence each. You must travel with all of the children for their whole journey.

For children travelling without an adult, see  ‘Are you under 19?’ below.

stickman style drawing of woman and three children waiting a a bus stop. the children all have 50p written on their t-shirts

Are you catching more than one bus?

Remember, the fare cap applies to a single bus journey. If your journey involves catching two buses, the total price could be anything between £2 and £6 each way. Better deals are available and we’ve highlighted some of the best deals below.

Return fares

Stagecoach no longer offer return tickets, but check what the return fare is with Brighton & Hove Buses, Compass or Cuckmere as this may save you money.

Day Rider ticket

If your journey involves more than one bus, then an East Sussex Day Rider ticket may be your best option. Bus operators offer their own day rider ticket for use on their buses only. You can also buy the East Sussex multi-operator Day Rider ticket for use on: Stagecoach, Brighton & Hove Buses, Metrobus, Compass, Cuckmere, Big Lemon and Wealden Community Transport services within East Sussex.

A multi-operator day ticket will cost you:

  • £3.75 if you are under 19
  • £4.75 if you are 19-29
  • £6.10 if you are 30 or over

You can buy an East Sussex multi-operator ticket from the bus operators: either use the app or buy from the driver on the bus. If you are buying from the driver, be very clear you want a multi-operator ticket – they often assume you want one just for their services.

You can use multi-operator tickets on bus services within the East Sussex County Council area. Note that this area does not include Brighton & Hove, but if your trip starts or ends in East Sussex, you can use your Day Rider ticket. For example, if you travel from Eastbourne to Brighton on the 12, or 28 bus, you can use your ticket. If you make a trip that starts in Brighton and ends in Brighton, you cannot use your ticket. Similarly, you can travel from Eastbourne to Tunbridge Wells in Kent and back again on Stagecoach bus 51, using a multi-operator ticket, but you cannot use an East Sussex ticket on a journey that starts and ends in Kent. 

If you are under 30 and want to buy a  discounted ticket, you can use the ESCC Age Verification app. 3-ID cards can also be used as proof of age, along with official documents such as a passport or driving license, but you may not want to carry these official documents around with you.

line drawing of two buses next to each other

Are you under 19? (deals for school age children)

 These fares are for unaccompanied children:
  • The East Sussex weekly Freedom Pass for under 19s is still £15. With this bus pass, you can have unlimited travel (on as many bus services as you like with as many operators as you like) on any bus in the East Sussex area for seven days in a row, at all times and days of the year. (This price may be changed at end of July 2025.) The Freedom Pass is a paper ticket which you must buy on the bus. Use the ESCC Age Verification app to prove your age.
  • Off-peak travel (after 6pm on school days and anytime on weekends, bank holidays and school holidays) Unaccompanied children (under 19s) pay £1 for a single fare during off-peak hours.
  • If you travel to and from school within the Eastbourne and Hailsham travel zone (see below), Stagecoach offer a 7 day ‘Eastbourne child weekly ticket’ for £13.50. This is a paper ticket sold on the bus. It is not available from their app. To buy this ticket you will need to be in school uniform, or carry a valid 3iD card. See  Stagecoach information on fare deals for travelling to school, (also covers the annual Student Rider bus pass). 
stickman drawing of three children waiting at a bus stop

If you don’t travel every day

Stagecoach Flexi tickets with Stagecoach app

Flexi tickets are designed for people who have different travel patterns, for example hybrid workers who don’t have to travel to work every day. You can buy

  • Flexi5 – 5 Day Rider tickets for the price of 4, or
  • Flexi10 – 10 Day Rider tickets for the price of 7

Flexi tickets allow you to travel any time of day within specific zones. You can choose which days you want to travel on, as long as you use all tickets within 12 months of purchasing them.
You can buy Flexi tickets for the Eastbourne network zone, or for the Southeast network.

The Eastbourne network zone covers Eastbourne, Willingdon, Polegate, Hailsham, Upper Horsebridge, Roebuck Park, Stone Cross, Pevensey, Westham and everything in between.

The Southeast network zone covers bus services across Kent and East Sussex. (for example Canterbury, Ashford, Ramsgate, Margate, Folkestone, Dover, New Romney, Lydd, Rye, Tenterden, Northiam, Hawkhurst, Hastings, Bexhill-on-Sea, Pevensey, and Eastbourne network.)
You need a mobile phone and the Stagecoach app to buy and use Flexi tickets.

See also Stagecoach MegaRider 7 day and 30 day tickets.

advert for a stagecoach shows hand holding mobile with a flexi5 ticket on screen. Above the phone are the words 'Flexi5 - a bus ticket designed for flexible and part-time workers. Flexi5 - 5 DayRider tickets for the price of 4. Use them anytime in the same year.'
Eastbourne Area Bus Zone - click on the image to go to original document.

Going out for the evening? (from 6pm)

With the Stagecoach South East EveningRider you can have unlimited travel for one evening on all Stagecoach buses in the South East region until 04:00 the following day – adult fare £4.50

EveningRider group fares

The Stagecoach South East Group EveningRider is a new offer for up to five people travelling together in the evening. Five adults can travel together for one evening for £10.

Other group tickets from Stagecoach include East Sussex Group Day Rider, South East Group DayRider – see Stagecoach Group tickets

Links to more information

Latest posts

Bus Into The Future !

New (almost!) double decker buses have appeared on the Stagecoach Eastbourne route 1A in recent weeks, featuring audio announcements of next stops. This is very important for anyone with sight impairment, but reassuring for everyone on the bus – especially those new to bus travel or unfamiliar with the area. In due course, all buses will be required to install this facility giving us a ’step change’ in the quality of bus travel. The display on the front of these buses is in clear ‘white on black’ type, a departure from the current coloured type. Seating is comfortable and charging points standard.

New Improvements

ESCC EVENT- DISPLAYS ON SHOW:
ESCC EVENT- DISPLAYS ON SHOW:
Other improvements are to follow in due course including those unveiled at County Hall in mid-January. An invited audience of groups and individuals saw examples of bus stop information displays designed to help those with sight impairment, while benefiting all users. A large number of bus stops in East Sussex, Brighton and Hove (220) will see these installed, including an audio version with instructions in braille.

Maintaining and Improving Reliability of our Buses

Services restored and increased though the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) over the last year have added journey opportunities and attracted new passengers. Their voices are now heard through bus user groups set up in Eastbourne and Hastings areas where concerns are aired and opportunities for improvements discussed with local authorities and bus operators. Improvements there certainly have been and more are in the pipeline with bus priority measures coming for Eastbourne to benefit bus services on the Hailsham – Stone Cross – North Langney – Seaside corridor as well as the Hailsham – Polegate – Willingdon – DGH – Eastbourne corridor. These are congestion busters!
BRIGHTON. AND HOVE ‘COASTER’ SERVICE 12 PASSING EXCEAT - SEVEN SISTERS COUNTRY PARK
BRIGHTON. AND HOVE ‘COASTER’ SERVICE 12 PASSING EXCEAT – SEVEN SISTERS COUNTRY PARK
To the west, the success of the popular Brighton and Hove 12/12X13X routes is worthy of note. The proposals between Eastbourne and Brighton are key to its continuing success and development against a backdrop of congestion hotspots, so we strongly support those measures proposed for: A259 Upperton Road – Station Parade, Eastbourne; A259 Newhaven, The Drove – Denton Roundabout; A259 Telscombe Cliffs – Peacehaven.

Conclusion

Buses are certainly getting better: wi-fi is now standard along with the ‘kneeling’ function to allow easy access for all. Derrick Coffee EEAN Transport Group

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Franchising or Enhanced Partnerships?

Deregulation

By the 1980’s bus services in England were in decline, with rising costs, increasing subsidies and so in order to address this problem the government of the time decided to deregulate bus services. This meant that private bus operators were allowed to set up bus routes, timetables, services and fares. This process was not a disaster, but the ever-increasing popularity of the private car weakened the need for buses. What we have now is a patchwork of bus operators who prioritised the most profitable routes at the cost of reducing services on less attractive routes such as those in rural areas. Bus companies do not have to make all their bus routes profitable and to their credit they do run some routes at a loss paid for by more profitable routes. Currently most bus routes in the Eastbourne and South Wealden area are operated by Stagecoach but East Sussex County Council (ESCC) subsidise some non-commercial bus routes mainly in rural areas, additionally ESCC also operate the free bus pass scheme for older people.

Bus Back Better

Buses are the most important form of public transport in England accounting for 53% of public transport journeys. But the number of bus users and bus miles is falling. In 2023 bus passenger numbers fell to 3.4 billion from 4.6 billion in 2009. In March 2021 the Department for Transport announced their plans to improve bus services in England via ‘Bus Back Better’. This resulted in roll out of Bus Service Improvement Plans including Enhanced Partnerships (EP) and franchising options, but very few bus franchising schemes have been introduced.

What is an Enhanced Partnership (EP)?

An EP is a model through which the local transport authority and bus operators jointly agree a plan to improve bus services. The plan is a voluntary arrangement and attracts funding from government. East Sussex County Council currently operate an EP with declared aims such as: • Improving fares and ticketing • Improving bus infrastructure • Introducing bus priority measures • Reduce harmful emissions • Improve digital accessibility • Improve public transport information
Inside of Bus
Inside of Bus

What is Franchising?

Franchising is a model of providing bus services where Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) such as county councils take control of how buses are run, this could be on a specific route or a particular area and ask bus operators to bid to operate these routes. The LTA would specify the route, frequency of service, timetable and fares. The current government is keen to further improve bus services and so is encouraging LTA’s to introduce franchising schemes. Franchising is not a new idea and is the model currently used in London, the Channel Islands and in many regions and cities in Europe. Greater Manchester has, this month, just finalised the third tranche of their franchise network and Liverpool are well underway in their planning.

Why we need good bus services?

Bus Stop
Bus Stop
• There are many people in society that do not have the luxury of having their own car or motorcycle and to them good bus services are vital. • There are those that are unable to drive or are too young to drive, they too need good bus services. • Buses connect our communities and allow access for many to health, leisure and education services. • Good bus services can also get people out of their cars and so free up road space which will assist in making buses more reliable. • Using buses will help us reach our carbon reduction targets. • Less traffic on our roads will lead to less pollution. • If bus services become more profitable through greater passenger numbers, then funding can be invested in electric buses. Cambridge and Peterborough consultation document

Some thoughts:

• Analysis seems to show that franchising brings more benefits. • Enhanced partnerships will mean less financial risk to transport authorities. • In a shrinking economy can we afford to place a greater financial burden on local authorities? • The main opposition to bus services is the private car, which is just too convenient, this will not change without a huge shift in public values which is not going to happen soon, if at all. • Do local transport authorities have the expertise to operate bus ticket strategies, bus fare policy, network design, bus timetables etc? • The setting up of a franchise scheme would have very large set up costs. • Perhaps a compromise position could be reached whereby some areas have a franchise scheme while neighbouring areas have an Enhanced Partnership? • Most franchising schemes that are currently in place or are being planned are in locations with high population densities such as Manchester and Liverpool. East Sussex is very much a rural area and hence will be more costly to operate a bus service.

Unitary Authorities

In January 2025 East Sussex County Council applied with West Sussex County Council and Brighton City Council to become a Mayoral Strategic Authority. It is reported that this could unlock significant power and resources to these areas. Transport could be one area to benefit if more funding becomes available as the authority could potentially introduce franchising schemes.

Conclusion 

At the end of the day either the Franchise or the current Enhanced Partnership model will improve bus services in the area. David Everson Eastbourne ECO Action Network Jan 2025

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Transport/ Planning Integration

Transport and Planning integration is the key to a sustainable, healthy future. In the big battle against climate change, the one missing yet key weapon in the armoury, accepted by all policy makers for decades but infuriatingly absent in practice, is the full integration of ’transport’ and ‘planning’. We must abandon ‘silo thinking’ around ‘transport’ and ‘planning’. They should be integrated to avoid the procession of car based developments being delivered across the UK. Until that happens, we won’t increase the take-up of shared transport (bus/train/tram) and increase levels of walking and cycling necessary to meet targets. At the same time it will improve the nation’s physical and mental health. Fewer cars will free up space for nature, housing, business and children’s play and reduce congestion. Policy documents have recognised this over 50 years: delivery on the ground is sadly the exception. The new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) must deliver such integration if it is to be fit for purpose. Failure to do so would be unfair both to current and future generations. Based on a letter published Jan 2025  in iNews   Derrick Coffee

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Living with a Heat Pump

There seems to be a reluctance for people to install heat pumps even though there is a generous grant of £7500 to help with installation costs. The government’s target to install 600,000 per year has been woefully missed with only 72,000 installed in 2022.
Recent surveys show that only 16% of people are likely to install a heat pump in the foreseeable future. Part of the reason for the low uptake is misinformation in some sections of the media. The cost of fitting an ASHP to a 3 bedroom property is about £12,500, but the actual cost becomes £5,000 when the grant is taken into account, this is comparable to fitting a new gas boiler.

Fear of the unknown!

Many people are unsure about heat pump technology, even though virtually the same technology has been used in fridges for over 100 years. Other concerns are about noise, where to place the heat pump, the potential need for larger radiators in the home. Heat pumps run off electricity, which is expensive when compared to gas – sooner the government stops using electricity prices to subsidise gas prices the better it will be for the uptake of heat pumps.
Of course, not many people are going to remove an operational gas boiler just to have a heat pump installed, although that is exactly what I did just over a year ago.

Why install a Heat Pump?

Heat Pump

I decided to install an air source heat pump, solar PV and battery storage in order to make my home carbon free in terms of its energy supply. Virtually everyone is going to have to have a carbon free energy source by 2050. The sooner we do it the better if we are to restrict climate change to manageable levels.

How does an Air Source Heat Pump work?

• Electrical energy is used to operate the air source heat pump
• Air is drawn into the pump and energy is removed from air which makes it colder
• The energy extracted from the air is passed on by the heat pump to heat the domestic hot water or heat the home via radiators.

Magic, well not really!

. Process Map

Because the energy taken from the outside air is free the system works very effectively.
If the heat pump uses 1 Unit of electricity from the grid it can provide 3 Units of energy to the home.
The energy I purchase to run the heat pump is from carbon free sources, hence no carbon is emitted in providing energy to my home.

Things to consider!

Water Tank

• The heat pump needs to be placed outside with unrestricted air flow around it.
• The pump can’t be placed within 1 metre of a property boundary.
• The pump needs to be as close as possible to the hot water tank so as to reduce heat losses.
• The system stores hot water rather than producing it on demand
• The heat pump can’t have a volume greater than 0.6 m³ due to current planning regulations. Most companies design their domestic heat pumps to be just less than 0.6m³

• Central heating radiators will potentially need to be replaced with ones that have a larger surface area,  this is relatively easy to do.

Radiator

• The heat pump makes very little noise and can’t be heard inside the house.
• Currently most heat pump systems are ‘low temperature’ in that the radiators do not get very hot as they would with a gas boiler. This means that rooms take longer to heat up.
• Heat pumps work best in well insulated houses (as do gas boilers).

Does it work and at what cost to maintain?

Yes it works. My heat pump provides both hot water and heating throughout the year and there have been no problems. Maintenance is done via an annual service which costs £112 /year.

Over the past year, 2024, the heat pump took 2700 Units of electricity (kWh) to run. But because the heat pump captures free energy from the outside air, the total energy output I got from the system was 6750 kWh –(this figure was somewhat disappointing as expectations were for 8100 kWh- the system has now been recalibrated and hopefully next year the higher figure will be achieved).

Do the Maths.

• If I take 2700 Units from the grid and 1 Unit of electricity costs £0.25 then the cost of running the heat pump to provide household heating and hot water for a year is:
£0.25 x 2700 = £675
• The energy out of the heat pump system in terms of hot water and room heating is worth:£0.25 x 6750 = £1687 That is amazing!

How to find out about heat pumps?

• Check with your energy supplier, many now install heat pumps as part of their services.
• Costs will vary depending on the size of your property, the type of heat pump.

Free information session

There is a free session on Air Source Heat Pumps to be run by Eastbourne Eco Action Network and Energise Sussex Coast on Tuesday 28th January from 7-9pm, in the Willingdon Trees Community Centre. For more information, contact Eastbourne Eco Action Network.
See you there?

David Everson
Eastbourne Eco Action Network
Jan 2025

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20 MPH Reducing Injuries

What would make the biggest difference to reducing the ‘Killed and Seriously Injured’ (KSIs) on the roads in East Sussex ? The answer looks like 20mph. This has been shown to be true in Europe and the UK. So why is East Sussex failing to understand this and will the May 2025 County elections make a difference to the approach?

ESCC Current Policy

One of the ongoing issues within East Sussex County Council (ESCC) is their determination to stick to their current policy PS05/02 towards  20 mph zones and limits. There have been numerous motions, from opposition councillors, to change their approach but all have failed. This has also meant that in the latest list of planned improvements there are none around 20mph.

Elsewhere in UK

So what would a lower limit of 20 mph do? Remembering that most higher speed limits, such as 40, 50 and 70 mph would stay the same.

Similar reductions have been seen in parts of Scotland and councils such as Oxford.  It would appear that across the UK nothing has made as much of a difference to reducing KSI figures as 20mph .

One of the concerns is that drivers will not accept the 20mph. However research from DfT shows poor compliance at higher speeds. Plus having some vehicles been driven at 20mph may well affect the behaviour of others

 

 

Even if the number of incidents stayed the same the severity of injury is less, if the speed limit is reduced.

ESCC overall approach

So now it is  worth examining neighbours, where East Sussex is  worse than equivalent councils

Source West Sussex

So one view, might be that ESCC are trapped by their own bureaucracy, in reducing all their interventions to very small scale schemes. This does not have a major effect on the overall KSIs and keeps East Sussex at 150% (See above) of the  England KSI average per mile. Currently large sums are spent on consultation, Traffic regulation orders, match funding, sifting, rejecting, reviews and very little on delivery and construction. This is not the most cost-effective option.

The main arguments put forward by ESCC are:-

    • 20 mph limits only reduce speeds by 1 or 2 mph
    • There will be a greater burden of the Police
    • The ESCC targeted approach is better
    • To be effective, speed limits need to be set at a level which appears reasonable to a driver
    • They do not have sufficient funds to meet all the 20mph requests.

Item 4. Above should be re-worded to read, ‘where it is reasonable to a pedestrian’, who is after all the most vulnerable road user.

For more background  it is worth reading the full ESCC Scrutiny Review of 20mph You can follow their logic. But the key question is, ‘Has their existing policy made a difference?’  Yes, perhaps safety is increased in very small, selected areas but overall on a county wide basis the numbers are still poor when compared to other counties.

RoSPA

Now let us look at the evidence of how 20 mph limits and zones do make a significant difference. This is an excellent review by the Royal Society of Prevention of Accidents and gives a good analysis of where they have been implemented.

“ 20 mph limits have been shown to reduce traffic speed, although not as much as 20mph zones with traffic calming. However, they are considerably less expensive to implement, which means that wider areas can be covered. They also provide additional benefits, such as encouraging more physical activity, such as walking and cycling. They can also greatly improve the character of a residential area and quality of life of the residents. 20mph limits are most appropriate for roads where average speeds are already low… and use of the road also gives the clear impression that a 20mph speed or below is the most appropriate. “

RoSPA’s guide to 20 mph

Local Transport Plan

So is there hope for the future in the Local Transport Plan 4 (LTP4)? Covering up to 2050. The answer is not encouraging, with ESCC sticking to the same mantras:
“The delivery of lower speed limits including 20mph speed limits and zones in the County is done in accordance with East Sussex County Council adopted Policy PS05/02. This policy reflects national guidance and best practice for setting speed limits.”and “The LTP4 policies clearly highlighted that the adopted ESCC Policy PS05/02 is the determinant for setting lower speed limits in the county”

Other links

For further reading There is plenty of evidence and examples at

20splenty.org

Wales and default 20mph

Conclusion

• East Sussex has a much higher than average number of KSIs
• The current approach of small piecemeal interventions, of all  types of schemes,  is not making enough difference to overall road safety. Spending large amounts resisting and rejecting schemes rather than implementing.
• Higher speed limits do not make for good ‘placemaking’, a requirement of LTP4

It is hoped that the May 2025 Council elections will change the balance of power and result in a different direction.

Paul Humphreys – EEAN Transport Group

Review of 2024: a personal perspective from our Executive Director

Looking back on 2024, it’s clear that the transition to a Net Zero Eastbourne is gathering pace. Eastbourne DGH, through its decarbonisation project which started in 2022, has now become the first renewable heated hospital in the UK after having replaced its steam heating system with a 4.8MWth multi-stage heat pump system, which provides renewable heat to the building. Coupled with the solar PV array over one of its car parks, and a major insulation retrofit to improve the thermal efficiency of the hospital, the DGH will now be reducing its carbon emission by 4,100 tonnes per annum, amount to a cumulative total of 24,600 tonnes by 2030, a significant contribution towards the town’s Carbon Neutral 2030 target.

Another step change in Eastbourne’s renewable energy transition will occur when the Suncoast Solar Farm is built within the next few years, after having been granted planning permission by Eastbourne Borough Council earlier this year. When completed, the solar farm will have a capacity of 20MW, equivalent to supplying the power needs of 6,400 homes. This is a big step up from the mere 5 or 6 MW of solar power capacity currently installed across the borough.  When local microgrids and regional energy pricing becomes a reality over the next decade or so, then the renewable power from the solar farm can be sold direct to local residents and businesses, reducing energy bills locally because solar power is so much cheaper than fossil fuels. There has understandably been much local concern about the need to protect the biodiversity of the site when the solar farm is built, and one of our members wrote a blog post about this issue, which can be adequately addressed if an appropriate biodiversity management plan is implemented, as many existing solar farms in the UK demonstrate.

But these large projects have to be supplemented by supporting individual households across the borough to gain access to renewable energy and energy efficiency installation schemes, as domestic properties account for more than 40% of the town’s overall carbon emissions. So Eastbourne Eco Action Network (EEAN) has this year continued to develop an ever stronger partnership with Energise Sussex Coast, an award-winning community energy cooperative. Together we have developed an Eastbourne Energy Champions network of trained volunteers able to give basic energy advice to local residents and signpost them to sources of expert help – such as Energise Sussex Coast provides – if they are in fuel poverty or need to make their homes warmer. A second round of Energy Champions training began in Eastbourne a couple of weeks ago and will continue in 2025, so if you wish to receive free training to become an Energy Champion volunteer, please let us know. The more, the merrier!

Another big source of carbon emissions in Eastbourne is the transport sector, which is not surprising given the high degree of dependence of the town on cars for moving around, coupled with the lack of Active Travel infrastructure such as safe cycle lanes. To raise awareness about the need to make local cycling safer, especially for kids going to school, the 4th Eastbourne Kidical Mass Bike Ride took place in May, which many EEAN members joined in with. The lack of bus lanes also restricts the quality and reliability of the local bus service, but progress toward rectifying this was achieved this year when East Sussex County Council approved plans to put bus lanes in Seaside, a key arterial road in town notorious for its traffic congestion. Many EEAN members engaged extensively with the consultation process in order to support the introduction of the bus lanes.

But further improvements are needed to local bus services to make travelling by bus a much better alternative to driving for local residents, which is why this year EEAN set up an Eastbourne Bus User Group, bringing together local stakeholders to collaborate on making these improvements. To encourage people to think about driving less, EEAN’s EcoTransport Group once again organised a Car Free Day in Eastbourne, in Hyde Gardens. EEAN also held a very productive workshop in February about the latest Local Transport Plan (LPT4) prepared by East Sussex County Council.

For a fuller picture of all that is being done in Eastbourne to make the town more sustainable and carbon free, please look at our One Planet Eastbourne community ecosystem digital platform, which is hosting plans made by some local businesses, including those who get free support from EEAN to help devise such plans. Some local businesses do show great climate leadership through their efforts to become more eco-friendly and environmentally sustainable, and Richard Garland gave a keynote speech at our Eastbourne Carbon Neutral 2030 Symposium earlier this year to explain how his business is progressing on its sustainability journey.

Given that the impacts of climate change are arriving thick and fast now, the need for climate adaptation is becoming ever more urgent. Part of such adaptation is figuring out how local food growing can be better protected  from climate impacts such as increased flooding incidents, increased frequency and severity of droughts and heatwaves, and so on. EEAN has partnered up with Eastbourne Food Partnership and Blue Heart to investigate how local food growers are coping with such impacts and what strategies, if any, they are using to better adapt to those impacts. Part of that investigation involved visiting local groups involved in community food growing, such as Gather Community Garden, Pevensey Bay allotments, Pevensey & Westham Community Forest Garden, and Langney Community Centre. A presentation on EEAN’s research on local food growing and climate change was made at the recent Eastbourne Food Summit.

Other highlights this year was exhibiting at the Spring Water Festival Eco Fair, wonderfully organised by Plastic Free Eastbourne, and engaging with the pop-up Climate Hubs in the Beacon shopping centre in collaboration with volunteers from the Eastbourne Climate Coalition. We’ve also engaged with the hard-working volunteers of the Eastbourne United Nations Association, who have a fantastically effective carbon sequestration programme that is supported by many residents and organisations in the borough, as well as by Eastbourne Borough Council. It’s also worth a shout-out to the magnificent volunteers of Treebourne, an organisation EEAN helped to develop in its early days. Treebourne has planted many thousands of new trees across the town, which will not only help wildlife but also create vital shade to help significantly cool the streets and public spaces when the inevitable intense heatwaves arrive.

Eastbourne Borough Council continues to reduce its own carbon emissions, and the latest yearly update to its Climate Change Strategy is now available online. An independent assessment of the progress the council is making with its Climate Change Strategy, compared with all other comparable local councils, is available from Climate Emergency UK, which has a detailed scorecard for Eastbourne. EEAN continues to collaborate with the council on ways to develop and improve its climate strategy; to assist this collaboration, all the directors of  EEAN have received the Certificate in Carbon Literacy from the Carbon Literacy Project after receiving training organised by Community Energy South.

EEAN also engages in the community consultation process  that the Environment Agency organises regarding its Pevensey Bay to Eastbourne Coastal Management Scheme, which this year published its plans for protecting the local area from flooding for the period 2027 to 2037. The success of this scheme is vital if Eastbourne – a low-lying coastal community very much in the front line of climate change – is to have any kind of viable, sustainable future in the long-term.

But while we still have our present coastline to enjoy, another EEAN project this year was to design an upgrade to the East Sussex Coastal Culture Trail, a key tourist route that connects up some of Eastbourne’s cultural assets with other cultural assets all the way to Hastings. The upgrade is necessary due to the current lack of safe connectivity between destinations along the trail, especially for walkers and cyclists. Bringing together the many stakeholders who need to collaborate on such an upgrade was a key part of the project. To facilitate that, EEAN and Bespoke Cycle Group organised a Summer Cycle Ride for them so that they could see for themselves exactly where the upgrade is needed. With Active Travel improvements to the trail, the local tourist economy would benefit from increased visitor numbers, coupled with an increased uptake in cycling, facilitating a modal shift away from car driving along the coast.

To conclude, I wish to express my heartfelt appreciation and thanks for the tremendous work of so many volunteers to help drive forward climate action locally, action which helps make the town better for all through co-benefits such as cleaner air, safer streets, greener public spaces, etc. We all deserve a rest over the festive period! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to one and all!

This Annual Review was prepared by EEAN’s Executive Director, Andrew Durling, who also prepared the Annual reviews for 2022 and 2023.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Growing in a changing climate: an Eastbourne Food Summit presentation

Guest blog by Robert McGowan from the Eastbourne Eco Action Network CIC, based on his presentation at the Eastbourne Food Summit in October 2024:

We at Eastbourne Eco Action Network are helping the town become carbon neutral by 2030, which means working with communities, businesses and the local councils on the many environmental challenges we face. One of the things we can do is bring people together and give people the chance to tell their stories and discuss openly the most effective ways to take action.

Two years ago, we organised the Sustainable Business & Solar Summit next door at the Welcome Building – and one of the key questions we wanted to ask was: we live in officially the sunniest town in the UK – so why is there so little solar energy generation? Particularly on the large flat roofs of the industrial and retail units – and the enormous car parks that surround them.

Last year we convened the Sustainable Transport & Active Travel Summit at the Welcome Building, which also brought together lots of experts and brilliant people. The leading question I wanted to ask was why Eastbourne is practically the only seaside town in the country without a safe, traffic-free way of riding a bicycle or scooter along the seafront. I’m not sure if we have the answer to that – but at least we publicly asked the question! Fast forward to this year – and the theme of the conference is sustainable food production and distribution in the local area – brilliantly organised by the Eastbourne Food Partnership. I’m not sure if they have a key question to frame the theme this year – but can I suggest one: how is it that the sunniest town in the UK can also seem to be one of the wettest?

Illustrated map of the Eastbourne area

Helen Cann, 2024

And it’s the impact of a changing climate on local food production – growing – that I’m going to talk about today. We’re currently working on a project with Blue Heart, which is looking at innovative ways to predict and mitigate the impact of flooding in Eastbourne and southern Wealden for the benefit of local people, businesses and the environment.

Learning about the real experiences of growing is the heart of our project – as such we have developed a survey that’ll go out to everyone involved in the Eastbourne Food Partnership in the next few days.

So the theme is change. But perhaps I should start with something that hasn’t changed very much at all: the rock and soil that lies beneath us. This is one of William Smith’s famous – and beautiful – geological maps of Sussex, from 1819. It shows the green of the chalk South Downs that of
course meets the sea at Beachy Head. The light blue is Wealden clay, and the greyish bit in the middle is Hastings Greensand – which is often more substantial than the word sand suggests and forms the blocks from which St Mary’s Church in Old Town is made.

Geological map of Sussex

William Smith, 1819. The Geological Society.

The open, treeless downland was created thousands of years ago by Neolithic farmers, who built imposing, fortified villages on hilltops. Much of the East Sussex downs continued to be farmed and grazed through the Iron age and Roman times. The great forests of the Weald were sometimes cleared for hunting estates in the Saxon period that would have included livestock and crops. The Sussex iron industry was built on the iron-bearing clays and sandstones that were scorched in blast furnaces fuelled by charcoal made from the surrounding woodland.

 A Delineation of the Strata of England and Wales and Part of Scotland

William Smith, 1815. The Geological Society.

And of course, the different underlying rocks and clays and their varying character and chemical composition had implications for what could be grown where – and the growing community here will be far more knowledgeable about that than I am. But, as George Monbiot points out in his brilliant book Regenesis, much about soil does remain mysterious:

“Soil is this thin cushion between rock and air on which the entirety of human society and civilization is built. 99% of our calories come from it. It’s an extraordinarily complex ecosystem.

It’s more than that – it’s a biological structure, like a coral reef. It’s built by the organisms that inhabit it. If it weren’t for those organisms, there would be no soil. But it’s also got properties, unlike any other ecosystem or biological structure that we know.

In fact, there’s quite a heated debate among some soil scientists as to what soil even is. It’s got some characteristics which make it seem almost like a super organism, in that they get these extra-ordinary synchronized events taking place right across the soil. It is incredible that this system upon which we totally depend is almost unknown to us.”

Eastbourne remained an area of small rural settlements until the 19th century. Four hamlets occupied the site of the modern town. By the middle of the 1800s most of the area had fallen into the hands of two landowning families: the Gilberts (who had inherited land from the Gildredge family) and the Cavendish family. William Cavendish, the Duke of Devonshire, hired Henry Currey in 1859 to prepare plans for an entirely new resort town – and the rest is history.

Perhaps slightly less well known, is the story of Mary Ann Gilbert. Born in Lewes in 1776, she had a relatively poor childhood after her father died. In 1814 she inherited swathes of land and property in Sussex from her uncle. She was married to Davies Giddy, who took on the Gilbert name: they lived at Gildredge Manor and had eight children together.

Mary Ann Gilbert

Ozias Humphrey, 1796

Shocked by the extent of hardship and poverty in Sussex in the 1820s, which led to the Swing Riots, Mary Ann set up a scheme to cultivate land at Whitbread Hollow, beyond Meads and on the way to Beachy Head, which is now a sports field belonging to Bede’s School. She hired 27 labourers to shift fertile clays from nearby marshland and transport it to the allotment site – and remove flints and pebbles. They managed to produce a healthy crop of potatoes.

By 1832 Mary Ann had nearly 200 people renting allotments, growing mangelwurzels, turnips and potatoes and the occasional pig. She kept detailed reports and calculations and encouraged good practice such as using seaweed as fertilizer and introducing water butts. The number of allotment holders had doubled to over 400 by 1844. She also founded agricultural schools at Willingdon and East Dean that were staffed by teachers from the local workhouse.

Mary Ann Gilbert’s experiment reduced poverty in Sussex by almost half. It was an agricultural revolution that was the foundation of the allotments we see across the country. I think you’ll agree, it’s a really inspiring story of a local woman and one I didn’t know until very recently – I must thank Sally Lee from Rooted Community Food for enlightening me – it’s a shame she can’t be here today.

Mary Ann Gilbert died in 1845, but her legacy is still felt. Eastbourne Allotments & Garden Society, has overseen the town’s 14 allotment sites for many years. The society currently rent out over 1,200 plots, all of which are in high demand, with hundreds of people on a three-year waiting list for a plot.

Whitbread Hollow

Robert McGowan, 2017

Could it be that allotments are actually becoming fashionable? I’m beginning to think so. And why not? We seem to be in an age of anxiety – be it technology overload or concerns about pollution or the reliability of exports and imports from neighbouring countries. And this seems to be a time when lots of people want high quality, healthy, affordable local fruit and veg – plus social contact with like-minded people, exercise and a general warm glow and sense of wellbeing. That’s certainly what I’ve picked up from my visits to the Gather and Rooted community gardens. They’ve kindly agreed to fill in our survey about growing in a changing climate – and hopefully many of the other local growers will too.

Gather Community Garden

Robert McGowan, 2024

We will analyse the results and report back in a few weeks’ time. Perhaps not surprisingly, given the very wet weather over the last couple of years – rainfall around 30% above average this year – and the fact that many allotments and gardens are located on the floodplain – the feedback so far has centred on designing ways of improving drainage on plots. French drains and wicking beds have been mentioned, along with more water butts and ponds.

In recent weeks we’ve been talking about fundraising for a community cargo bike that can help with deliveries to community fridges, food banks and retailers. We might be better off with a community cargo boat!

Rooted Community Food

Robert McGowan, 2004

 

A video of Robert McGowan’s presentation at the Eastbourne Food Summit is available here:

https://youtu.be/XuAlNry3k-w?si=Zgl4k51JTGrDRXcg

Bus lane in Eastbourne gets a step closer to reality

Eastbourne Eco Action Network (EEAN) welcomes the decision to approve the new bus lanes. The East Sussex County Council (ESCC) Lead Member for Transport and Environment now supports the revised plans for bus priority measures along Seaside and St Anthony’s Avenue. This being part of the county council’s Bus Service Improvement Plan.

The second public consultation showed that the majority (56%) of replies supported the new plans. Following concerns from local residents and businesses, changes have been made to the original proposal with the result that there will be more parking places than originally planned along the route.

The new plans are predicted to have little or no detrimental effect to journey times along the two roads but would reduce bus journey times, greatly improve reliability and make the bus an attractive alternative for short, local and cross-town trips.

Local councils want to support public transport, walking, cycling and wheeling. ESCC have received £41 million from the government to support better bus services. Bus priority is important for Eastbourne to be able to move to a more sustainable transport system in the future. Buses provide transport for all members of the population including the old, young, disabled and those unable to afford cars.

EEAN are confident that the bus priority measures will be successfully introduced and that local businesses will continue to thrive.

https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/opinion/bus-lane-in-eastbourne-gets-a-step-closer-to-reality-4879544

David Everson

Chair EEAN Transport Group

Let’s try and agree on new transport schemes

There has to be a better way to implement new transport schemes, than making two sets of campaigners, fight it out.

Seaside

The contentious Eastbourne Seaside bus lanes, which have now been agreed by East Sussex County Council (ESCC), still have to be redrawn and then go back to the Department for Transport , for a third time, for final sign off. Large amounts of money have already been spent on redesigning, two consultations, micro modelling traffic flows, health and safety and equality assessments . All this while nothing has been built and a year has gone by.

Non Bus Lane Options

However is seems that outside of the formal process it is possible for the various campaigning sides to agree what they think would work.

In terms of the £41M Bus Service Improvement Programme (BSIP) measures this includes:-

A scheme, proposed in the BSIP consultation, of a 100m ‘bus gate’ at then end of Atlantic Drive and the Crumbles, that would join the North and South harbours for buses. Perhaps a modified version of the 5 and 5A could then run along the seafront and through the harbour. This could lead to a faster and more regular service for the new housing developments.

Priority Traffic Lights for buses, where they actively change the lights, to let them through. You can see the idea at Huggetts Lane in Willingdon , where lights miss a phase if nobody wants to turn right or the green light stays longer if more traffic is on one direction. This makes the traffic flow better. Now add in the detection of buses and perhaps have longer, or earlier green phases. Of course the other vehicles on the same carriageway would also benefit. ESCC have £1.5M for 34 locations where there will be priority lights. Let us make the most of these time savings.

These are both examples of widespread support. There is then less likelihood of campaigners disagreeing and more of the tight budget will be spent on actually building schemes.

Cycling

The same idea should also be used for cycle routes, where there is a often a consensus, that off-road routes do not cause issues for motor vehicles. Such successful schemes include Horsey Sewer, Cuckoo Trail and the A27 shared path to Firle. So let us prioritise these where possible, instead of contentious and poorly configured solutions that are ‘shoehorned’ into narrow spaces on roads and footways.

Based on letter in Eastbourne Herald and Sussex Express ( on line)

Paul Humphreys – EEAN Transport Group

New Houses need more Solar Panels

What a wasted opportunity! Thousands of new houses are being built in South Wealden without enough solar panels. Very similar in Eastbourne where apart from small schemes, houses are being built with either no or inadequate solar. This being the sunniest place in the UK!

Background

The price of solar panels ( Photovoltaic PV) keeps dropping dramatically . So why do local councils not influence builders in making the most of this clean energy?

It would make sense to reduce electricity grid demand by ensuring that all our newly built homes have enough solar panels. This does not appear to be happening. Where they are included, there can be as few as 2 panels and no battery. This would provide up to 1kW. This is barely enough to run a toaster.

Eastbourne’s previous MP, Caroline Ansell, in 2022 backed a bill, to make solar panels mandatory on new homes. “Solar costs have fallen by 50 per cent in the last seven years and I believe it is now the right time to ensure developers put this technology on all new homes. This is a win for homeowners and the planet. Installing solar is green and it will cut energy costs for people when gas and electricity prices are high and will remain so for some time.”

Sunsave says “The benefit of legally mandated solar panels on new builds in the UK would be enormous, and it seems to be on the horizon. However, until that time, it’s crucial that developers refrain from putting a pointlessly small number of solar panels on the roofs of new properties, as this only causes headaches for homeowners further down the line. “

Locally

Hindsland – Eastbourne Road Polegate

Some developers are doing well and some not. Here is an example in Hindsland (Polegate) . There will be 180 houses, where each unit, has around 2 solar panels. Next to it will be Mornings Mill with 800 units. Let us hope this will do better.

In the main picture is an estate in Hellingly. These houses have 4 to 6 panels. However on the other side of the road is a huge estate with next to none.

Building Regulations

So solar panels aren’t compulsory on new builds. They have become a common way for developers to meet certain building regulations. Many builders choose to install them in order to meet the required SAP (Standard Assessment Procedure) score for energy efficiency.

By incorporating solar panels in the roof, developers enhance the property’s energy performance and raise their SAP score. This score is a calculation of its energy cost performance and renewable energy sources. Each building’s SAP score is then used in its Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating.

SAP scores are on a scale of 1 to 100+ with higher scores indicating better energy efficiency and less environmental impact. A score of over 100 would mean that the property’s net cost of energy over the year is nil, perhaps due to exporting back to the grid.

According to the UK Government’s most recent survey, the average SAP rating was less than 70 points. So how do developers get a higher score?

      • Walls, roofs, and floors are well-insulated
      • High-efficiency boilers or heat pump
      • Solar panels
      • Using double/ triple-glazed windows LED lighting
      • Mechanical ventilation heat recovery (MVHR)
      • Less heat loss by design & construction
      • Smart thermostats & heating controls

So solar panels are just one way to increase the score. But adding only 2 panels can have negative effects. One common problem is that developers don’t use all the available roof space. The property gets a higher SAP score but with only a few panels the actual impact on energy bills is negligible.

This can then create challenges if the homeowner decides to expand their solar panel system. Sometimes the original panels might be sunk into the roof and will need to be removed, to allow for a larger system, which adds to the total cost.

From the house to the Power Grid is becoming bi-directional (From Octopus )

Often the developers will provide an EV charger, for each house, but this will need to use the national grid . What a waste ! When more panels and batteries could result in free power. The idea of ‘National Grid 2.0’ allows for electric cars with solar panels and a battery, to export excess energy and provide enough household energy for up to a week.

Conclusion

Many developers appear to be installing as few solar panels as possible. This will not support net zero.  There should be a minimum number. Perhaps  4 panels  in a ‘standard house’ with even  more in larger ones.

Paul Humphreys – EEAN Transport Group

 

New Bus User Group for South Wealden and Eastbourne

Guest Blog by David Everson

The importance of bus services in and around Eastbourne was a major topic at the initial meeting of the Eastbourne Area Bus Users Group (EABUG). This event took place in Eastbourne Town Hall on 16th October 2024. The group is an initiative of the Eastbourne Eco Action Network (EEAN). It aims to provide an interface between bus users, bus companies and local authorities. EABUG plans to meet three times a year.

Prominent among those present were representatives of local bus companies, Stagecoach, Brighton & Hove and Cuckmere buses. Also present were representatives of local disability groups, local and county councillors plus members of the public.

Jill Shacklock and David Everson (EEAN) both highlighted the need for good bus services. This was for those who could not drive or afford to drive, school children, those with disabilities or the elderly. They also emphasised the need to develop good sustainable transport systems.

East Sussex CC

A member of the East Sussex  Bus Team, Donnalyn Morris, gave an update on a variety of infrastructure projects that had been taking place in Eastbourne and Friston. Work on the Hailsham Mobility Hub was yet to start, with discussions currently taking place with Tesco about the project. The consultation about the proposed Bus Priority measures along Seaside and St Anthony’s in Eastbourne had now completed and a decision would be made in November.

Stagecoach

Matthew Arnold, Commercial Director, Stagecoach South East expressed concern over the detrimental effect that congestion had on bus punctuality and highlighted problems in Eastbourne. He described  these as the worst in the south east. He stated that car traffic was up 15% on pre Covid levels whilst bus passenger numbers had only risen to 94% of pre-Covid usage.

In addition, he also stated that buses were hindered by lack of co-ordination in the planning of roadworks. There needed to be more advance information sharing between ESCC and utility companies.

Brighton & Hove

Ben Garcia, from Brighton and Hove Buses, informed the meeting of recent improvements to their bus services. They are now a UK lead when it comes to inclusivity on their buses. They have dementia friendly seating and their drivers are trained to be ‘Dementia Friends’. All their buses are ‘talking buses’.

Cuckmere

Nick Price from Cuckmere Buses informed the meeting that their operation of eight, 16 seater buses were all driven by volunteers and that their new timetables would be published soon.

The main body of the meeting involved presentations, discussions and workshops about ‘Accessible Information’ on buses. New legislation requires most buses to provide information to passengers about the bus number and route and next stop information. Importantly the information must be given both visually and aurally. The new legislation came into force on 1st October 2024 for buses registered after October 2019. Older buses that need to be retrofitted with display boards and sound systems must be accessible by October 2026.

Using Apps

During the meeting there was a short presentation on how to use both Stagecoach and Brighton & Hove Bus Apps. QR codes were also highlighted as a quick means of accessing information at bus stops. A limiting factor for both of these sources of information is the necessity to have a Smart phone to access it.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of EABUG is planned for February 2025.

For further details please visit – Eastbourne ECO Action Network.

https://ecoactioneb.co.uk/about/eastbourne-area-bus-user-group

Email : bususereastbourne@gmail.com

David Everson

(Chair EEAN Transport Group)

growing food in a changing climate: a community garden view

Some of us from the Eastbourne Eco Action Network team paid a visit to the Gather Community Garden at the Churchdale allotments in Eastbourne recently and had a chat with the team there about how they deal with some of the impacts of climate change on their site. The community garden is well-managed with a large team of volunteers busily looking after a wide variety of food crops, with much of the surplus distributed to foodbanks and community fridges across the town, helping to alleviate food insecurity locally through a steady supply of fresh, organic, nutritious fruit and vegetables.

What emerged from the chat was that the garden experiences growing problems from both the stronger winds and more intense rainfall events that climate change is bringing to the local area. The winds can now be so strong that the roofs of various wooden structures around the site may be blown off at times, or the structures themselves might be blown over, resulting in much maintenance work to repair and reinforce those structures. The wind effect is most pronounced on the side of the site most exposed to the wind because of a lack of trees on that side, but the opposite side of the site is bounded by a line of very tall trees, providing good wind protection on that side.

section of garden where flooding is most severe

More significantly, the site experiences severe flooding at times, especially as the site is very much in the Eastbourne Levels, a low-lying area of town almost at sea-level and therefore difficult to drain fast enough during periods of intense rainfall. The solution that the garden is seeking is the insertion of a French drain alongside one side of the site, then linking that drain to a drainage ditch (the Horsey Sewer) just outside the entrance to the site. This ditch is part of a vast network of drainage ditches that help to drain the Eastbourne and Pevensey levels, which receive a huge volume of water from the many rivers and streams flowing into them throughout the water catchment area. Indeed, without this drainage network, the Eastbourne Levels would revert to becoming the marshland it once was centuries ago.

a diagram of a traditional French drain

According to Wikipedia, “A French drain (also known by other names including trench drain, blind drain, rubble drain, and rock drain) is a trench filled with gravel or rock, or both, with or without a perforated pipe that redirects surface water and groundwater away from an area. The perforated pipe is called a weeping tile (also called a drain tile or perimeter tile). When the pipe is draining, it “weeps”, or exudes liquids. It was named during a time period when drainpipes were made from terracotta tiles. French drains are primarily used to prevent ground and surface water from penetrating or damaging building foundations and as an alternative to open ditches or storm sewers for streets and highways. Alternatively, French drains may be used to distribute water, such as a septic drain field at the outlet of a typical septic tank sewage treatment system. French drains are also used behind retaining walls to relieve ground water pressure”.

But the garden is waiting for permission from the Environment Agency for permission to connect the French drain to the drainage network, as the agency has the ultimate responsibility for the network and controls the water quality as well as maintaining the many pumps and sluice gates that regulate the flow of water through the network. This permission is essential before work on installing the drain can begin (assuming sufficient funds can be raised for this project).

Whilst we were at the garden, we talked to a volunteer about his work and discovered that one of the problems the site experiences in very hot summers is the soil drying out and becoming very hard, making it difficult to break up when preparing a new growing bed. There is plenty of mains water on site so watering the rowing beds is not an issue (apart from the labour involved!),  so there is not an emphasis on having lots of rainwater butts on site like we saw on other sites like the forest garden in Pevensey, which lacks mains water. However, the volunteer did report that he would like to see a large water container sunk into the ground on site to store water so as to reduce the amount of walking from the mains water pipes outside site to the growing beds.

Bus Lane Consultation – Seaside and St Anthony’s

Introduction

Guest Blog by David Everson – Chair of the EEAN Transport Group

Information for those wishing to complete the ESCC Bus Priority Measures consultation for Seaside and St Anthony’s, Eastbourne, which closes on 18th August 2024.

The consultation documentation can be found by following the link below.
Bus Priority Consultation

The EEAN Transport Group support the revised proposals for Bus Priority Measures and would encourage as many people as possible to support the plans in a positive way.

As we look to the future, we need to encourage the use of mass transport systems such as buses to reduce congestion on our roads. Bus can be used by most people including the young and old who are not able to drive a car, or other sections of the community who cannot afford to drive.

Key points 

  • The plan to spend £3 million is a significant investment for Eastbourne and will help the town move towards sustainable transport in the long term.
  • The plan will reduce bus journey times through the proposed bus lane area particularly at peak times making bus use a more attractive option for travellers.
  • The introduction of several pedestrian crossings will improve pedestrian safety and assist those who walk to bus stops.
  • The bus lanes will take up some road space and the amount of parking along Seaside will be reduced. However, surveys carried out by ESCC indicate that sufficient parking will remain for both residents and local businesses.
  • Traffic flow through the project area will be eased and so reduce congestion along Seaside and St Anthony’s. This will make buses more reliable.
  • If passenger numbers increase due to the bus priority measures, then bus companies will be more likely to invest in more buses on routes.
  • If buses are not hindered by congestion, then it is much more likely that bus companies will invest in electric buses which will assist in efforts to decarbonise our transport and improve air quality.
  • There is no evidence that the introduction of a bus lane will damage the viability of local businesses, in fact studies have shown that bus lanes can increase footfall for businesses along routes.
  • Eastbourne is one of the most car dependant towns in the South East of England and the provision of bus lanes will encourage people on to the buses.

ecotransportgp@gmail.com
August 2024

 

growing food in a changing climate: a community centre view

Eastbourne Food Partnership’s community engagement stall.

At a recent community fair at the Langney Community Centre, at which the Eastbourne Food Partnership ran a community engagement stall with regards to the new community garden being developed outside the centre, I chatted with Martin Hills, the gardener employed part-time by the centre to help design and develop the community garden on land owned by Eastbourne Borough Council. Martin is a qualified permaculture designer and is applying his knowledge of permaculture design principles to help design the community garden, which is about 0.75 acres in size. As he says in his garden plan: “The aim is for a thriving, self-sustaining ecosystem that meets the needs of its inhabitants – including human. To this end, it will be a place where people want to be, a place of beauty, a place that appeals to all the senses, a place where some human food can be grown, a place to play, a place to sit and quietly reflect, a place to connect with Nature”.

Martin Hills with his community garden design.
Martin standing in front of the community garden.

As the garden design incorporates vegetable beds already partly prepared, and an orchard already under development, as well as a forest garden that would contain plants that can be foraged, I asked Martin about how the food growing systems in the garden would cope with the extreme weather events now more frequently occurring as climate change accelerates. He replied that the key is diversity of planting and designing in resilience to the garden. The greater the diversity of food crops and plants grown within the garden, the more likely that there would be some crops in any year that would survive extreme weather events, even if other crops failed in that year, something that would have to be expected and accepted to some extent as climate change progresses. Increasing the chance of survivability would be made possible by the extensive use of no-dig methods, deep-rooting plants (especially perennials), and cover-mulching (with compost and humus produced on-site) to protect the stability and quality of the soil as well as ensuring enough drainage to prevent the soil from either drying out too much or becoming too wet. The site is on a slope, and elevated above the Eastbourne floodplain, so it does not suffer the kind of extensive flooding during extreme rainfall events that, for example, some of the allotments sites in the lower part of town do.

Google satellite image of Langney community garden.

The addition of forest gardening principles within the garden also helps as it increases biological sustainability and plant diversity, attracts pollinators and other beneficial wildlife, helps keep pests and diseases under control, and provides leaf litter, leading to increased nutrient resistance and drought resistance (particularly useful given that Eastbourne is in a  water-stressed area and increasingly severe droughts are a feature of climate change in the south east of England). This helps to ensure the garden can flourish without large amounts of watering. The other useful feature of forest gardens is that they also allow for continual food output without annual tilling, pesticides, fertilisers, or other high inputs of chemicals or energy. Another good example of how a forest garden works can be seen at the Pevensey & Westham Community Forest Garden, a very short distance away from Langney.

Martin standing next to the copper beech tree in the community garden.

The community garden already has an abundance of mature trees around the edges, including a magnificent copper beech tree providing valuable cool shade. There are also some new tree saplings planted by Treebourne, which will provide valuable shade along the side of the garden next to the road. Trees help protect young crops by providing wind-shelter against winter storms and cooling shade during summer heatwaves, invaluable as the UK now experiences warmer, wetter winters and hotter, drier summers.

Martin explained that, as the community garden develops, whatever surplus food is produced by it will be directed to the foodbank and community larder hosted by the Langney Community Centre each week, helping to ensure that there is a regular, fresh supply of healthy organic fruit, nuts, and vegetables  to supplement surplus food brought in from elsewhere. This will help to build local food security and food resilience in Langney, one of the relatively more deprived areas of Eastbourne, and this is so important given that national and international food supply chains are increasingly coming under stress due to the impacts of climate change.

Martin at the edge of the circular lawn.

The creation of a large, circular lawn in the centre of the garden would facilitate outdoor community gatherings as well as workshops to educate local people about matters such as foraging, crop processing, plant identification, etc. The Langney Community Centre is keen to facilitate this education, as evidenced by the explanatory signs in the Edible Garden already developed on a small patch of land immediately in front of the centre and maintained by a keen band of volunteers.

Martin’s top tip for growers is to avoid digging the soil as much as possible, as digging disturbs the soil life that is essential for good plant growth and efficient drainage.

 

 

 

growing food in a changing climate: an allotment view

Pevensey Bay is a low-lying coastal community in East Sussex, next-door to the large resort town of Eastbourne. The shingle bank along Pevensey Bay’s seafront provides protection from the strong storm surges that often come its way, especially in winter. But the village also experiences flooding inland, as several drainage channels run through it, helping to drain the large water catchment area known as the Pevensey Levels, a freshwater wetland renowned for its wildlife. Because the village is more or less at the level of the high-water mark, the water in the drainage channels can sometimes only be released out to sea when the ebb tide falls below the level of the water in those channels, which can be very full in periods of intense rainfall, periods which will become ever more frequent and intense as anthropogenic climate change accelerates. This can lead to the channels overflowing their banks at times.

flooding in winter of 2023-24

To explore this phenomenon further, following on from my previous investigation on climate change impacts on local food growing, in collaboration with the Eastbourne Food Partnership, I paid a visit in June 2024 to some allotments at Pevensey Bay owned by Pevensey Parish Council, situated off Waverley Gardens. These allotments are next to the Salt Haven, one of the main drainage channels running through the village, and therefore had a history of flooding incidents. From my conversations with some of the allotment holders on site, it was clear that many of the allotments there are flooded at least once every year, but that the winter of 2023-24 was the worst in living memory for flooding, as there were about 4 or 5 very severe flooding incidents. Not all the site gets flooded, as about half the allotments are on higher ground as much of the site slopes gently upwards from the Salt Haven. But all those allotments that back directly onto the haven do flood every year.

fruit trees next to Salt Haven

The main impact of the flooding is that growing vegetables is pretty much impossible in winter on the areas that do flood, but it was noticeable that there were many large, mature fruit trees and bushes on the areas that experienced flooding every year, and that they seemed to be flourishing, with plenty of fruit developing on them, which seemed to indicate a high degree of tolerance to the flooding than if vegetables were planted, perhaps indicating how the allotment holders had adapted to such flooding by earmarking those areas just for fruit growing. Certainly the allotment holders I spoke to were phlegmatic about the flooding situation, accepted that only fruit trees were capable of surviving the flooding and just planned most of their vegetable growing higher up on the slope above the flooding level. But they reported that because there had been so much rain over the previous winter, the whole site was so waterlogged that most vegetable planting had to be significantly delayed until May, shortening the growing season quite considerably. The difficulties for growers on the site is reflected in the fact that the rental charges for the allotments are much lower than on other allotments in the area, especially in Eastbourne. However, it was clear from my site visit that, once planting had finally got under way, the productivity of the site appeared to be high, with most allotment plots demonstrating a healthy abundance and growth of crops.

pipe outlet that exacerbates allotment flooding

One allotment holder was keen to show me a drainage pipe outlet that was below the haven bank as it apparently aids the flooding of the site by allowing the water to flow easily onto the site well before the haven breaks it banks, leading to a much more rapid and more frequent flooding of the site than perhaps should be the case. It appears that there is no tide flap (or the tide flap is damaged or malfunctioning) on the haven side of the pipe to shut off the flow when the water level in the haven rises above the level of the pipe. I heard that there are probably several other similar pipes on site within the bank undergrowth with the same or similar issues, which has been raised by some allotment holders with the local Environment Agency staff to no avail apparently.

view of Salt Haven from allotments bank
view of Salt Haven from allotments bank

It does raise the possibility of whether a survey could be done at some point (perhaps by the Blue Heart Project  or an organisation funded by it?) to investigate what kind of pipe drainage does actually exist along the Salt Haven and how it affects water levels both within the haven and beyond its banks. Such a survey would presumably involve extensive clearing of the undergrowth along the bank to check where the pipes are and what condition they are in. But it would perhaps generate valuable data about how the haven actually functions in a critical stretch of it before it reaches the sea, and also create more accurate data about how fluvial flooding impacts Pevensey Bay generally, as many of the gardens elsewhere in the village also experience flooding from the drainage channels.

Eastbourne ECO Action Network

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