The future of Tenants Hill in Worthing
Welcome to our dedicated webpage where you can find out more about the potential sale of Tenants Hill, one of Worthing's chalk grassland sites, to Sussex Wildlife Trust.
We know many of you will have questions about the potential transfer, so we have created this webpage to provide some more information and address any concerns you may have.
Tenants Hill - what's being proposed?
Sussex Wildlife Trust has approached us about the possibility of purchasing Tenants Hill, one of Worthing's gateways to the South Downs National Park, which offers many opportunities for nature recovery.
The site, located to the north of Lyons Farm, is currently farmed by a tenant and is close to Cissbury Ring, a significant historical and environmental landmark which is owned and managed by the National Trust.
Sussex Wildlife Trust - a non-profit organisation that works across the county to enable nature to thrive - is interested in buying Tenants Hill to increase the biodiversity of the site and embark on a long-term plan to restore it as high-quality chalk grassland, which is an internationally important habitat.
One of the ways the trust would achieve this is by grazing its conservation herd on the site. This would benefit a wide range of birds like Skylarks, insects such as the Adonis blue butterfly and plants including the round-headed rampion, also called the Pride of Sussex.
Importantly, public access would be retained through the site, which is dedicated for public access under Section 16 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, certifying it as a space that can be enjoyed by residents and nature for generations to come. The trust also expects to offer volunteering opportunities for local people who want to get closer to nature.
Where is Tenants Hill?
The site is located to the north of Lyons Farm in Worthing. The southern entrance to the site runs alongside some of the land owned by Worthing Golf Club, and it extends northwards up to the south-eastern foot of Cissbury Ring. In total, the site is approximately 169 acres, which is the equivalent of 128 football pitches.
Worthing Borough Council is the current owner of Tenants Hill and has owned the land for many years. Most of the surrounding land is either owned by the council, the National Trust or Worthing Golf Club. Some of the land is also privately owned.
Together with our environmental partners, we are working to deliver even greater spaces for nature to thrive and for our residents and visitors to enjoy.
Exploring a Cissbury Landscape Vision
We are exploring the development of a larger-scale and long-term vision for the wider Cissbury area, to develop a thriving landscape that benefits nature, the climate, people's health and wellbeing, and the local economy.
Over the coming months we'll be identifying opportunities for further nature-based projects to create a connected, biodiversity-rich landscape that allows wildlife to move freely through the area and thrive.
As a council for the community, we are committed to protecting and maintaining the town's much-loved green spaces for the benefit of current and future generations. We believe that Sussex Wildlife Trust would be an ideal custodian of Tenants Hill, which forms part of this larger vision with multiple partners to achieve these aims.
Engaging with the community
On Monday 15th September 2025, we hosted an engagement event at Findon Valley Free Church so residents could find out more about Sussex Wildlife Trust's proposal and ask any questions they had.
It was fantastic to welcome around 80 people, including interested residents, councillors and members of Findon Valley Residents' Association, to the community venue for an evening of open discussion.
Each attendee reserved their ticket online, on a first come, first served basis.
The event was led by Paul Brewer, our interim chief executive, and featured talks from Sussex Wildlife Trust and some of our cabinet members as to why we believe this landscape needs to be protected for future generations.
We'd like to thank attendees for their cooperation during the one-and-a-half-hour meeting, which also included an update on our Cissbury Fields project, and we hope you left with your questions answered and potential concerns addressed.
Although the event reached maximum capacity, we know not everyone was able to attend, so we have updated the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section below to include more of the questions from attendees and our responses.
What's happening next?
Following our engagement event, we are also going to host a number of in-person tours around the Cissbury landscape so people can learn more about the proposals, while also enjoying the picturesque countryside.
The tours will be a great opportunity for us and our partners to share more information about our vision for Cissbury Fields, the trust's proposal for Tenants Hill and the emerging multi-partner vision for the wider landscape.
We'll provide more details for these events soon.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: What is Sussex Wildlife Trust and what does it do?
Sussex Wildlife Trust is a non-profit organisation that works across the county to enable nature to thrive. They manage nature reserves, conduct research, engage in environmental education, and advocate for policies that support wildlife and wild places.
Q: Why is the council open to selling this piece of land?
We are open to selling Tenants Hill to Sussex Wildlife Trust as it's a trusted local partner that works across the county to help nature and wildlife to thrive, which are missions that we fully support.
The trust is also a key partner in our exciting, multi-stakeholder long-term vision for the wider Cissbury area, which aims to develop a thriving landscape that benefits nature, the climate, people's health and wellbeing, and the local economy.
The capital return from selling Tenants Hill would also fund the renaturing of Cissbury Fields, which is a large council-owned chalk grassland site to the east of Cissbury Ring. We have ambitions to transform the site into a haven for nature and visitors alike.
Q: If agreed, how much of the capital return from selling Tenants Hill would go to the renaturing project at Cissbury Fields?
We currently expect that around 10% of the funds from the sale of Tenants Hill would be directly invested in the renaturing of Cissbury Fields. This figure would cover the match-funding agreement in our application to the government's Countryside Stewardship Scheme, which is needed to help deliver the vision for the area.
The remaining funds generated from the sale of Tenants Hill would go towards supporting our core services, which include maintaining the town's park and green spaces.
Q: Why does Sussex Wildlife Trust want to own Tenants Hill?
Sussex Wildlife Trust is interested in buying Tenants Hill to increase the biodiversity of the site and embark on a long-term plan to restore it as high-quality chalk grassland, which is an internationally important habitat.
One of the ways the trust would achieve this is by grazing its conservation herd on the site. This would benefit a wide range of birds like Skylarks, insects such as the Adonis blue butterfly and plants including the round-headed rampion, also called the Pride of Sussex.
Q: Did Sussex Wildlife Trust approach the council about the possibility of purchasing Tenants Hill?
The trust regularly reviews maps of the county to see how it could help connect up areas within Sussex for the benefit of nature, and is often in contact with others around nature recovery in the area. The trust identified Tenants Hill as a site that offers many opportunities for nature recovery due to the proximity of high-quality chalk grassland and scrub habitat. The trust contacted the council about the possibility of purchasing the site, with negotiations ongoing.
Q: Would the site still be publicly accessible?
Yes, there would be no changes to public access, should a deal be agreed. We know how important access to the wider Cissbury landscape is for our residents and visitors to the area, and Sussex Wildlife Trust has no intention of changing this with its proposal.
The land is also dedicated for public access under Section 16 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, which further certifies Tenants Hill as a landscape that can be enjoyed by residents and nature for generations to come.
Should its proposal be accepted, Sussex Wildlife Trust also expects to offer volunteering opportunities at Tenants Hill for local people who want to get closer to nature and assist with the conservation of the land.
Q: Does Sussex Wildlife Trust's proposal unlock the site's potential for nature?
As part of the exciting long-term vision we share with our partners for the wider Cissbury landscape, Sussex Wildlife Trust hopes to restore Tenants Hill to a flower-rich chalk grassland that benefits biodiversity and compliments Cissbury Ring, which is an important corridor for wildlife.
Q: Dog faeces can be dangerous to cattle and cause miscarriages. What measures would be put in place to ensure grazing cattle and people with dogs can both enjoy the landscape?
Sussex Wildlife Trust typically uses non-breeding animals on their nature reserves to minimise this issue. Dog owners have a responsibility to keep our green spaces clean and safe. Anyone passing through a site with livestock in it should always keep their dogs on a lead and clean up after them, as they should anywhere else.
Q: Would Sussex Wildlife Trust have the resources to deliver a new nature-improvement programme at Tenants Hill?
If its proposal is accepted, Sussex Wildlife Trust intends to reorganise the management of its portfolio of sites to ensure the necessary resources are available for the Tenants Hill site. The trust has the funds available to make the purchase, and will continue fundraising with its members to ensure it can invest into improving the site and work with partners in the wider landscape.
Q: What will happen to the current tenant of the land?
We are working with the current tenant to help explore other sites they could use in the area, which would be required should a potential sale go ahead with Sussex Wildlife Trust.
Q: Is this a sale or a free transfer?
It would be a sale, not a free transfer - Sussex Wildlife Trust would purchase the land from Worthing Borough Council. We are still reviewing the trust's offer, but if a decision is made to sell the land we will make the amount paid public.
Q: Does Sussex Wildlife Trust have funding readily available for the potential purchase and management of Tenants Hill?
Details of the transaction have not yet been confirmed, but the Trust has funds available for the purchase and will be fundraising to support ongoing site management.
Q: How has the council's price for the sale of Tenants Hill been calculated?
Due diligence still needs to be undertaken, but the value of the land is being calculated using a Red Book valuation - a professional, evidence-based assessment of a property's value, conducted by a Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) registered valuer. Should a deal be agreed, the transaction fee will be publicly available.
Q: Why can't you just give Sussex Wildlife Trust the land?
Although we believe Sussex Wildlife Trust would be an ideal custodian of the chalk grassland site, we want to understand what the community thinks about the proposal before any potential progress is made.
As a council for the community, we are committed to engaging with our residents before making any important decisions that will impact the town or how their hard-earned money is spent. We also know how important the Cissbury landscape is to our residents and visitors, and value their honest feedback.
There's also legislation we have to follow as a local authority, which impacts how quickly or easily we could dispose of public land, should we want to.
We also have a legal responsibility to get the best value for our assets for the benefit of the community, meaning sites need to be sold around the value identified for them by an independent, qualified valuer.
Q: Why hasn't the council put the land onto the open market to get the highest price?
We are working with a variety of nature partners to renature the wider Cissbury area. Previously, members of the community have protested against any potential sale of this land and made it clear they wanted it protected for wildlife. But by selling the land to Sussex Wildlife Trust, we can ensure it is protected for nature conservation for future generations.
Q: It's currently unclear whether Tenants Hill is publicly accessible or not. Would Sussex Wildlife Trust improve signage and access to the site?
Firstly, we would like to confirm that Tenants Hill is available to be enjoyed by the public now - we just ask that everyone follows The Countryside Code. We know there's currently no signage to reflect this, which is partly due to the site being farmed by a tenant until recently.
Should a sale be agreed, the trust would review the site in line with all of its other nature reserves, to ensure the public know they can enjoy the space and how.
Q: What could happen to Tenants Hill once Worthing Borough Council is replaced with a new unitary authority, as a result of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)?
While we hope and believe that any new authority would want to protect important sites like Tenants Hill for nature, we think that Sussex Wildlife Trust's proposal is the best way to secure the landscape for future generations. A new authority won't be formed until 2028, so we are continuing with projects as usual before the complexities of forming a new unitary come into effect.
Q: Could this land be used for building homes or any other type of commercial units now or in the future?
Sussex Wildlife Trust would like to purchase Tenants Hill to restore its flower-rich chalk grassland for the benefit of nature, and therefore has no intention of building any homes or large units on the landscape, which is an internationally important habitat.
Although very unlikely, any potential plans to build on the landscape in the future would still require full planning approval and public consultation.
Q: What can be done to guarantee that Tenants Hill won't be built on if Sussex Wildlife Trust ceases to exist in the future?
Firstly, it's important to remember that Tenants Hill is protected for public access under Section 16 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, which certifies it as a space that can be enjoyed by visitors and nature for years to come. This designation was implemented following a community campaign, which secured public rights of way to the landscape. The council will also consider a covenant to underpin that guarantee for the long term.
Sussex Wildlife Trust has also confirmed that, should it cease to exist in the future, it would make sure there are covenants in place to protect the site into the future. However, due to the location in a protected landscape, the South Downs National Park Authority would be invested in protecting the site.
Q: Would the Countryside Stewardship Scheme generate income for the council, and would this be ring-fenced to support the area?
As part of our plans to renature Cissbury Fields, which is another council-owned chalk grassland site near Cissbury Ring, we are exploring the possibility of joining the government's Countryside Stewardship Scheme.
The scheme provides funding and financial incentives to landowners and farmers in England to improve and protect the environment by creating and managing wildlife habitats, improving water and air quality, and helping manage flood risks.
If we decide to apply to join the scheme and are successful, the funding would be used to make improvements to the Cissbury Fields site and maintain additions like fencing, which is needed to divide the fields and enable grazing.
Q: What is the projected timeline for the Tenants Hill and Cissbury Fields projects?
Should a deal be agreed, we expect the transaction for Tenants Hill to take place by the end of Winter 2025/26. There are some other steps, such as a Section 123 Notice, that would need to be taken before a sale could take place. If the site is transferred to Sussex Wildlife Trust, it's down to the non-profit organisation to deliver on that site from there on.
For the Cissbury Fields project, we expect to submit a full application to the government's Countryside Stewardship Scheme in Spring 2026. The delivery of the complete vision will depend on whether our application is successful or not.
Q: What is the plan for Mount Carvey, which is another chalk grassland landscape that is owned by Worthing Borough Council?
We are in the process of reviewing the landscape, and hope to work with key nature partners like Sussex Wildlife Trust, the National Trust and South Downs National Park Authority to look at how Mount Carvey can be part of our vision for a connected Cissbury landscape that benefits nature and people's health and wellbeing.
Page last updated: 25 September 2025