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South Downs Icons and Eyesores Project

Blue Tennis Court

You can view the Icons and Eyesores database here.

Download Icons & Eyesores Toolkit here (Adobe Acrobat)

Washington Village Sign

Background to the Project

The icon element is about those features that are iconic and (or should) contribute positively to a special or distinctive landscape. If their condition is poor, there could then be action taken to improve management. The eyesore element is about those things big or small in the landscape that detract visually from its character.

An important aspect of the project is that it will record what the local community, volunteer rangers and SDJC staff consider is good and bad about the local landscape. The recording by local communities then enables SDJC and others to ‘respond to local needs’, an issue also identified in the SDMP.

Although some parish councils and other community groups are already involved in mapping habitats, creating parish plans etc, this project encourages those who are less involved, to start to look at the visual landscape in their local countryside.

More detailed habitat mapping is also a potential additional project that can be supported to follow on from icons and eyesores reporting.

What is happening at present?

A pilot of this project is currently being run with Parish Councils in the Districts of Horsham and Arun in West Sussex. This phase of the project aims to see how the idea works locally, and from this experience to develop a completed project which can be spread across the South Downs.

What is planned for the future?

The current thinking is that this will be an exclusively online project, as this is probably the only way it will be manageable by the SDJC with its currently limited resources.

What are the benefits?

There are obvious benefits to engaging local communities in protecting and enhancing their local countryside.

One benefit is that those eyesores (for example) reported by local communities may well be the same as landscape professionals have been reporting for years – this gives more weight to the argument to do something about it.

The other benefit is that the clear recording of these features enables a more co-ordinated approach to enhancing icons or mitigating or removing eyesores. There are a number of ways the recording could be used:

- SDJC or LA staff could take direct action or work with volunteers
- The community itself may take action if it has reported it
- Environmental Stewardship Schemes, administered by Natural England could use maps of icons and eyesores, which could be included in a package of enhancements

- If people know recording is happening, there may be more consideration about eyesores created unnecessarily
- It could contribute to the understanding of what causes cumulative small scale changes in the landscape, both inside and outside the planning system
- Raises awareness generally about landscape issues

What will the SDJC do with the information?

Each area team will be able to both report and view the information being collected. They can then decide on appropriate priorities for action, subject to resources available.

There will not be a sudden burst of activity to remove eyesores or look after icons, but it will galvanise people to work together and identify further projects and funding in order to take appropriate action.

The SDJC can also use this information to identify trends, specific types of regularly reported information etc.

Future development?

If successful, the project can be managed at either high or low levels without any stalling. This makes it resilient to the uncertainty of future available resources. The main requirement is for staff or volunteer time to be available to manage the data being produced, and to ensure that a co-ordinated approach is taken to reporting, and any action taken in response.

The linking of information to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a specialised area of work, which may be considered at a later stage.

If you want to find out more about the Icons and Eyesores project please e-mail Nigel James at:
njames@southdowns-aonb.gov.uk

The South Downs Icons and Eyesores Project is supported by Hampshire County Council and INTERREG IIIb Lifescapes Your Landscape Project