A new wildlife haven, an eco-friendly house and a renovated farmstead are among the winners of the South Downs Design Awards. They were announced at a ceremony at the South Downs Centre in Midhurst on October 2. The awards celebrate high standards of architectural and landscape design across the national park, which stretches from Eastbourne, around Brighton and west to Hampshire.
More than 60 nominations were received earlier this year and 16 projects were shortlisted from across Sussex and Hampshire . It was double delight for the team behind the restoration of the Cockshut Stream in Lewes, which won the landscape category and also took the top spot in the people’s choice, taking the lion’s share of the 1,500 votes in the public poll. Cockshut stream restoration won the landscape award and the people's choice award (Image: South Downs National Park Authority) Six hectares of much-needed wetland for wildlife has been created following the realignment of the rare chalk stream.
The area has quickly become an oasis for nature, with herons, kingfishers, egret and snipe among the many birds to be found, while toads, sticklebacks, eels and newts can be spotted in the ponds. The judges said: “The project restores this stretch of river back to something like its original, natural shape with all the ecological and water management benefits this allows. This is truly an enhancement of both natural beauty and wildlife.
The panel hopes this kind of project can be replicated at a l.