The northern half of Beacon Hill, on which the Rottingdean Windmill sits, has been grazed by sheep for several years as a way of keeping scrubland under control.
But this winter, Brighton and Hove City Council wanted to give sheep the run of the whole site, and was planning to put up fencing ready for a flock to arrive in November.
So far, almost 900 people have signed a petition asking for the plans to be halted – and yesterday, Rottingdean Parish Council posted on Facebook to say the plans had been dropped.
Brighton and Hove News asked the city council about the plans on Monday, but it has yet to respond, either to explain why it wanted to fence off the reserve, or why it has apparently done a u-turn.
Objections include having to put dogs on leads, and making the area out of bounds for people who are afraid of sheep.
The petition, which appears to have been written with the help of artificial intelligence, says: “The routes between our villages are regularly and necessarily used by the elderly, school children as well as adults.
“When the area is permanently fenced in there will be no route around the sheep enclosures, as opposed to date, where temporary electric fences are raised, that don’t cover the whole Beacon Hill Reserve and leave routes around the temporary enclosures.
“Complete and permanent external fences, together with free roaming sheep, will effectively exclude any person who is too afraid to enter the Beacon Hill reserve (especially children and the elderly).
“This is a dramatic change from the current and safe amenity to cross Beacon Hill, even when smaller temporary electric fence enclosures are erected. In future there will be no safe routes around sheep.
“Whilst sheep are generally docile and not dangerous to humans, intact males (rams) and panicked flocks can cause serious injuries.”
The plans were discussed at this month’s annual general meeting of the Beacon Hill Nature Reserve Stewardship Group, which includes members of the city council’s park department, Rottingdean parish councillors, and local residents.
The minutes say that Neil Doyle from the parks department said the whole reserve would be grazed this year because of complaints about electric fencing used to divide the reserve last year.
Temporary gates will be put up during the grazing period, which runs to the end of February, and dogs would have to be kept on leads, with owners reminded they could be prosecuted if their dogs worried or harmed sheep.
Parish councillor Phil Evans is quoted as saying “This is a significant change and there will be concerns about a lack of consultation and prior communication of the plan.
“The fact that dog owners will now need to keep their dogs on a lead when on the reserve will be controversial, so it is important that the rationale for this approach was fully understood and that it is set in the context of the aims for the reserve to maintain the wildlife and plant life.”
I don’t think the council should take any notice of dog walkers. The grass needs to be grazed and the sheep have to be kept safe. No argument.
Beacon Hill is currently grazed by sheep, but just one part at a time leaving two thirds of it free to use. Once they’ve grazed one area, they’re moved to another. It’s a good system. This proposal was to have the whole area open to grazing all at the same time making it basically a field of sheep. Doesn’t sound like you’ve ever been there or you’d know that.
Perhaps the dog walkers will offer to go and cut the grass and rake it up afterwards.
Is not just about dog walkers. I walk there daily without a dog and do not want to walk throughivestock or their faeces due to health and safety risks . The proposal turns a local nature reserve into a farmers field. The idea of sheep grazing hasn’t worked to maintain the right environment for the skylarks , the sheep have previously escaped from smaller enclosures up there.
The proposal is purely for the benefit of BHCC , the farmer and the rangers , not for the people who use the facility
The idea Is to conserve rare chalk grassland it has nothing to do with benefitting anyone.