Background
At its Full Council meeting on 20th August 2020, Seaford Town Council declared a climate emergency, identifying the Town Council’s recognition of the climate and environment crisis facing the world.
The Town Council has since formed a Climate Change Sub-Committee, and has been working with local community groups and volunteers to help lead the community through climate change and spread the importance of taking action.
In October 2022, the Centre for Sustainable Energy carried out a review of Seaford’s carbon footprint, results of which can be downloaded by clicking here – Seaford Carbon Footprint Report Oct 2022
At its meeting on 12th January 2023, the Climate Change Sub-Committee adopted a delivery plan which can be downloaded by clicking here – Climate Change Delivery Plan
The adoption of the Climate Emergency Policy which took effect from 30th June 2024 – which can be downloaded by clicking here – Climate Change Emergency Policy
Seaford Community Partnership’s ‘Seaford Better Cycling Options Study 2022’ being reviewed by the Sub-Committee in September and this prompting the Town Council to look at bike racks for South Hill Barn and The Salts.
Significant work being undertaken by the South Hill Barn Working Group to carry out a feasibility study at South Hill Barn and this being due to be presented to November Full Council.
Recent Actions
Seaford Head Golf Course
A lot of good work is already taking place on the Golf Course as part of the Town Council’s commitments to ‘Operation Pollinator’, including beehives, wildflowers and maintenance (safe maintenance without pesticides) that encourages a diversity of ecology and wildlife. Feel free to watch the following YouTube video of the wild flower areas bustling with pollinators on Seaford Head Golf Course: https://youtu.be/IjO7Zp3-6kA
There is also a borehole fully operational, the Borehole for irrigation has continued to supply 100% of our course irrigation water – a significant, tangible achievement from the Town Council’s commitment to climate action.
Moving into the year ahead the team is working with the South East Water to sample water quality and ground levels of our borehole water supply. This will help them to build a model of the underground water levels throughout the county with ours being the most coastal supply to date.
The Town Council recognise that Seaford Head Golf Course and golf as a whole can play a valuable role in addressing some of the major concerns of our generation:
- Nature – loss of biodiversity; fighting off invasive and alien species; protecting habitats; pollution prevention; enhancing air quality
- Resources – maximising efficiency in the use of water, energy, and materials, and transitioning to clean, renewable and recyclable sources
- Community – improving health and well-being; supporting partners and good causes; delivering environmental, social and economic benefits, and healthy recreation for all
- Climate – minimising carbon emissions and maximising sequestration value.
With the above in mind, Seaford Head Golf Course has joined OnCourse, which is a sustainability programme that will help to strengthen, track and communicate the Course’s social and environmental value, to become a more sustainable, popular and efficient golf course.
The greenkeepers have invested in electric strimmers and blowers to reduce petrol usage. They always consider electric mowers when looking to renew but technology is currently not good enough. They have continued to audit and replace sprinkler heads and valves to reduce and ensure the most efficient use of the irrigation system. They also use products to control the water management in the soil to retain or release as required.
They have continued to encourage finer and more drought and diseases resistant grasses into the greens and tees to help reduce Fertiliser/ chemical and water applications.
They have also increased areas of un-mown grasses to encourage wildflowers and pollinators while reducing fuel usage.
(updated June 2024)
Urban grass verge cutting
Seaford Town Council has taken on urban grass verge cutting within the town. This provides the opportunity for the Town Council to ensure that this activity (which covers 129,378 m2 of verge) is being carried out in an ecological way, with a focus on the future aim of protect and enhancing biodiversity within the verges.
Seaford Town Council’s 2023 – 2024 grants scheme
Grant funding was given through the 2023 – 2024 grants scheme towards the following organisations / projects:
Friends of Bishopstone Station CIC – to help fund fees relating to two community projects, including Bishopstone Station Community Food Project
Gardening in Action CIC – supporting the Peverells Community Garden
Pump Field – a Biodiversity success story.
Bee Orchids? In the middle of town? How did that happen?
Seaford Town Council is committed to increasing Biodiversity in Seaford. They are adapting their mowing policy in an effort to achieve this commitment. Unused areas of public fields, such as the edges of The Salts, are mown just twice a year and the grass cuttings removed. This reduces the fertility of the soil and, allows wild flowers to flourish…perhaps the opposite to what you might expect! More flowers means more insects and more insects means more birds….and it works.
Compostable Toilets for Seaford
Following the installation of the compositable toilets at Martello Tower, Seaford Town Council wanted to share some interesting information for the units.
These new compostable units are a greener more sustainable solution and offer a wide range of benefits when compared with portaloos. The sawdust process has been widely accepted as the most environmentally friendly option for temporary facilities. Benefits include:
Water Conservation, the units use gravity, eliminating the need for water and harmful chemicals in the flushing process.
Nutrients Recycling, as the compost produced is rich in nutrients it can be upcycled into valuable fertilizer creating a closed loop within the recycling chain. This also minimises the environmental impact as the waste is not polluting water bodies or being treated via the sewage discharge system. Reducing sewage pollution has a direct impact on the quantity of pollution that enters rivers, lakes, and oceans. This helps protect ecosystems and the overall environment.
Odour reduction the system is designed to segregate waste and manage odour more effectively. When used correctly with the sawdust this creates a more user friendly and pleasant external toilet facility.
You may have also noticed that the design of the facilities includes clever ventilation and solar panels in the roof. These facilities have been specifically designed to capitalise on the use of all the natural elements making them the most sustainable option for Seaford’s seafront. Seaford Town Council are excited to be piloting this scheme in the hope that we can continue to bring more sustainable and climate sensitive solutions to our town.
Phone Bank Boxes – Seaford Town Council is promoting phone recycling
Do you have an old phone that you no longer use? Your old phone could be recycled and used to support someone in our community.
Seaford Town Council has placed a collection box in the Tourist Information Centre at 37 Church Street, Seaford available between 9 am-12 pm and 2 pm-4 pm Monday-Friday.
All you need to do is reset your phone (there’s instructions linked on the box) and then drop it in the box.
For more information about TechResort’s Scheme to tackle digital exclusion in our community and encourage phone recycling, click here – https://techresort.org/phone-bank-boxes/
Local Arts charity wins prestigious Surfers Against Sewage Award.
Seaford Town Council congratulates Local Arts charity wins prestigious Surfers Against Sewage Award. Seaford-based arts charity Sussex Contemporary Illustrators & Printmakers (SCIP) have been awarded a prestigious Plastic Free Award for their iconic 2022 public arts trail The Beacon Show. The exhibition was in place on Seaford Beach for 5 months with a wide range of free creative workshops, and activities on offer alongside the exhibition. The Plastic Free Awards are run annually by Surfers Against Sewage and recognises individuals and organisations who are going above and beyond to
promote plastic-free living and the protection of our natural environment.
Photography credit Sarah Weal
Installation of a Litter Picking Station
A new litter picking station has been installed on the seafront near to Frankie’s Beach Café at West View. The station provides a safe and accessible way for volunteers to litter pick, by conveniently storing an array of useful litter picking tools: litter-pickers, gloves, high-vis vests, bags and bag hoops.
The station is accessible by anyone, during Frankie’s Beach Café’s daily opening times, 10am – 5pm during summer. Alternatively, Plastic Free Seaford (part of the national Surfers Against Sewage campaign) also has access to the station, and is always keen to see new faces joining in with beach cleans: http://plasticfreeseaford.co.uk/get-involved
Image – The Litter Picking Station Neil Peters from Environment First LDC, and Zoe Polydorou STC
Seaford Green Spaces
Have you had a stroll around the green spaces in the South of town recently? If so you cannot have failed to see the difference in the fields behind the Martello Tower and around Cricketfield Road. They are bursting with a diverse range of plants which are in turn attracting new varieties of birds and insects. All thanks to a new mowing regime implemented by Seaford Town Council A coalition of local environmental groups (On the Verge, Trees for Seaford, Seaford Natural History Society, The Seaford Community Partnership and others) have been working with the Council to explore “re-naturing” our green spaces.
The council has agreed to an environmentally friendly mowing pattern. Some zones will remain unmown to allow plants to flower and spread seed throughout the summer, whilst providing food and shelter for wildlife. Within those areas, paths have been mown to allow walkers and their dogs to stroll through the developing meadows. As the meadow matures it will develop a more diverse flora and fauna. We expect to see a thriving and diverse range of insects, bees and butterflies feeding on the flowers that the new mowing regime allows to flourish. Increasing biodiversity will also provide more pollinators for the fruit and veg. of local gardeners.
As a bonus these areas will provide educational opportunities for botanists of all ages who will be able to study the development of floral communities in three distinct areas of the meadow; mown, unmown and footpath. The Seaford Community Partnership has already provided local schools with all the equipment they need to do just that.
(updated August 2023)
The Re-Inflatables – Giving the burst a new purpose!
Over summer 2022, three drop-off points along Seaford seafront have helped support The Re-Inflatables, a new local business that up-cycles non-recyclable items, to collect pool and beach inflatables, such as lilos, dinghies, arm-bands, beach balls, rings, paddling pools, and air-beds.
The items, which would otherwise be thrown away, are made into stylish and individual bags, purses, and holdalls, and a proportion of the sales revenue will be donated to the RNLI Newhaven. For 2023 a new improved drop-off point for broken inflatables, such as lilos, beach balls, and dinghies, has been installed on the seafront, near to Frankie’s Café.
*August 2023*
Seafront bins – Replacement and Refurbishment
From 3rd January 2023, the current bins on the seafront started to be replaced and refurbished with new blue bins, through a rolling programme of works.
16 of the bins 19 were refurbished to an as-new condition to ensure that as many bin elements as possible are salvaged and reused, keeping disposal at a minimum.
August 2023
Seaford Environmental Alliance (SEA) Climate Change Hub –
The Town Council has information displayed in the SEA Climate Change Hub , which is located in the former NatWest building in Seaford town centre, detailing its ongoing work to tackle climate change. The hub has a wealth of information and guidance surrounding local and wider climate change actions and a repair cafe.
Reduce Reuse Recycle –
The Town Council is working hard to ensure all of its sites, services and facilities are working sustainably. Examples of this being:
- Working with concessions and event organisers to discourage the use of plastic
- Reducing office stationery ordering
- Ceasing printed quarterly newsletters
- Installation of the promenade litter-picking station at Frankie’s Beach Cafe (see above) The station joins two other litter picking stations (2-minute beach clean boards), each located at the Sailing Club, and the Martello Kiosk.
- Reducing the size of the annual Council Tax Leaflet and printing on carbon balanced paper
- Putting in place alternative energy such as electricity instead of generators at concessions and low energy lighting at The View at Seaford Head
Plastic Free Status –
The Town Council has supported Plastic Free Seaford in securing Seaford’s Plastic Free Status, joining a network of communities across the UK who are leading the way to tackle throw-away plastic at source. The Town Council has played its part in helping to spread awareness of reducing and refusing single-use plastic, including being awarded Plastic Free Status at The View at Seaford Head, and adopting a Single Use Plastic policy.
Martello Field Water refill July 2023
Water Refill Stations –
The Town Council has successfully installed five water refill stations at various popular locations such as The Salts, seafront, East Martello Field and the town centre. These stations provide fresh water facilities for members of the public to fill up reusable water bottles, discouraging the buying of plastic water bottles.
Some of the stations were funded by the 2019-20 Young Mayor, James Jenkin’s fundraising, and sponsorships gratefully received from South East Water, Plastic Free Seaford and Seaford Town Football Club.
*updated August 2023*
Seaford Town Council Climate Change Sub-Committee –
The Climate Change Sub-Committee is continuing to meet regularly, minutes of meetings can be found here – Climate Change Sub-Committee
The Climate Change Sub-Committee are now considered ‘Carbon Literate’ following attendance at carbon literacy training.
Upcoming Actions
Electric Car Charging Points in Town Council Owned Car Parks
Initial discussions have taken place with Lewes District Council to explore bidding to secure funding for electric charge points in the Town Council’s car parks.
Seaford Town Council are adopting a Climate Change Policy and Plastic Events Charter
*This page was updated June 2024*
