Saltdean Climate Action Network

 

Biodiversity Group report to SCAN AGM - 3 June 2025

Looes Barn:

Carr's Farms have not agreed access to Looe's stating need to take legal advice. Bridget has asked BHCC for clarification on the legality of the exclusive access to the farmer. The BHCC officer is on long term leave, so the issue remains unresolved. The site has
been viewed from a distance and is effectively rewilding.

The Three Greens - Green Two has had a groundswell of interest in seeking BHCC to uphold the Covenant reverting the land to BHCC. They are pursuing with BHCC following unanimous support at a well attended outdoor meeting, also opposing planning permission for houses on the land, which now has a path cleared. The SCAN Biodiversity Action Plan and Three Greens
Draft management plans are being used to support the case to BHCC.

Biogas Proposal - At the BHCC Carbon Zero Pathways policy launch, the absence of "nature based solutions" was raised by SCAN and taken on board by Cllrs Rowkin and Muten. This has been followed up with detailed questions and answers on the Biogas Proposal, between Richard Stow and BHCC lead Alice Berry. The dialogue will be discussed at the next briefing by Alice Berry, to Cllrs Mutn and Rowkins . Simon Maxwell of Climate:Change has proposed a
round table meeting of potential key consortium business members. which may now follow.

Richard Stow, SCAN Biodiversity Group member

 

 

 

Deans Repair Cafe

📅Date: 13 June,2026

 

🕒10.30am-12.30pm

📍Location: St. Nicolas church Hall, Saltdean

 

Next Repair Cafe on 5 Sep, 14 Nov 2026

💚 Come and enjoy a morning of trying to make broken things useful again. Find those little appliances, lamps, clothes and give them a new lease of life. Our expert fix-helpers are ready and willing to help.

New Fixers welcome!

 

 

 

 

 

Review of the year from the chair: Michael Hutley, June 2025

 

Biodiversity group held a public meeting facilitated by Samantha Claydon of the Pesticide Action Network, discussing the use of glyphosates to eradicate weeds on Saltdean pavements.

We published an article on Glyphosates in the Deans Magazine.

Richard Stow put in an application to establish a community farm at the Picker's Hill farm which was eventually turned down in favour of the property being rented out to a local farmer.

 

A meeting was held to play Climate Fresk, a game designed to help people get a better grasp of the issues involved in Climate Change, on the 1st of August, 2024.

 

We had a brainstorming session for members of the core group early in the year to help SCAN clarify it's aims and objectives and how we can achieve these. A further meeting is planned to look at the management structure.

 

Almut hosted two shared vegetarian lunches as part of the Food, Health & the Environment Group, with the aim of stimulating discussion on how this group might progress.

 

SCAN invited Kate Bradbury to do a public book launch for her book 'One Garden Against the World'. The event was very successfully received, drawing over 50 local residents.

 

Over the past year we have been monitoring activities around the Three Greens and discovered that, yet another group of developers have purchased Plot 2 with the aim of building three houses on the land turning the rest of the area into a community space as a way of getting local

residents to buy into their scheme. The upshot has been that the residents don't want any development to take place, and SCAN is working with them to approach B&H Council with the support of several other environmental groups like Sussex Wildlife Trust and the Woodland Trust to, once and for all, declare the land as a Community Wildlife Preserve.

 

 

I am impressed how much we have done over the space of a year, as a small group, and this is only a part of our overall activities.