Latest news with #SiônMcGeever
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Consultation begins on plans for South Downs National Park
People are being invited to have their say on priorities and targets for the South Downs National consultation, which got under way on Monday, is to help establish what the park does over the next five plans include increasing tree cover, cleaning up rivers, new pathways and building hundreds of affordable McGeever, chief executive of the South Downs National Park Authority, said the plan was "innovative and forward-thinking". He said: "We're not shying away from aiming high in our shared vision for this amazing place."Ultimately, we want to make the South Downs an even better place with bigger and better wildlife habitats, more accessibility, more affordable homes and cleaner waterways."The draft plan sets out seven collective priorities between 2026 and 2031 – nature recovery, climate action, clean water, young people, welcome and access, arts and heritage, and a thriving, greener national park has 113,000 residents, with millions of people living around it, according to the McGeever said it needed to play a "pivotal role in dealing with all the challenges and opportunities we now face". The final plan will be delivered in partnership with organisations including farmers, landowners and local consultation runs until 1 August.
BBC News
24-04-2025
- BBC News
Instagram hotspot boss faces Seven Sisters rewilding challenges
The new chief executive of the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) has shared the challenges of managing the Seven Sisters due to its popularity as an "international hotspot". The SDNPA took over the management of the Seven Sisters Country Park in 2021 from East Sussex County Council. Siôn McGeever told Radio Sussex it has close to 850,00 visitors a year and the Seven Sisters was one of the top travel internet searches in China. "We have become a serious international hotspot but it comes with pressure in how we manage it," he said. "We have put in some great investments, we spent £2m investing in facilities and we are proud of that."The big challenge now is re-naturing the area. We want to show what the best natural landscape can look like."Mr McGeever said the national park authority's goal was to connect people with restoration and nature recovery."We want to focus on how we manage the land and how we manage the chalk grassland," he of the SDNPA's rewilding initiatives is conservation grazing where ponies, cows and sheep help protect and enhance the chalk grassland, he added. It is also working with a number of national trusts, wildlife trusts and local authorities to create a Seven Sisters National Nature Reserve (NNR).Sussex Wildlife Trust, Sussex Wildlife Trust, South East Water, National Trust, Eastbourne Borough Council, Forestry England and Natural England are involved in the scheme to create the "super nature reserve".The project's objectives are to protect drinking water resources, chalk geology and habitats, and protect biodiversity."We are waiting to hear back from National England, if they approve we would be very excited," said Mr McGeever."It would signal to people that the Seven Sisters isn't just a beautiful place to have a nice photo on Instagram, but it's also about the area's natural habitats and wildlife including the birds and butterflies."
