The application to dredge and restore Falmer Pond is open for comment until 9 October. Monday's bat walk is full; the October and December walks have places.
The planning application to restore Falmer Pond is open for public comment until Friday 9 October, and the council has put a run of free guided walks and volunteer days around it. Monday’s bat walk is already full. Brighton & Hove City Council announced the events on Friday 25 September.
Falmer is the village on the A27 about four miles north-east of Brighton city centre, between the two universities. The pond sits beside the village green and inside the South Downs National Park, which is why the application is with the park authority rather than the city council.
What the application asks for
The application is SDNP/26/03102/FUL, described on the South Downs National Park Authority’s register as: “Restoration of pond to include; management of trees, protection of pond bank, works to pipe at pond end and dredging to remove silt.”
The register’s dates:
- Received: Monday 10 August 2026
- Validated: Tuesday 1 September 2026
- Consultation expiry: Friday 9 October 2026
The council’s own Your Voice page runs its “opportunity to comment” phase to 27 October. The date that counts for the planning officer is the one on the park authority’s register, so treat 9 October as the deadline.
The council’s pre-application material on Your Voice describes the work as:
- removing built-up silt from the pond
- repairing and improving the pond edges
- rebuilding the water outfall
- improving how surface water flows into and around the pond
- planting vegetation to support wildlife
Some tree cover around the pond was already reduced in February 2026 to cut the leaf fall that adds to the silt, according to the same page. The council’s project page adds that the plan includes a sustainable filtration system such as reed beds and a new interpretation board.
Who is paying
The pond work is one strand of Downs to the Sea, a programme led by the South Downs National Park Authority and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The city council says it has committed £40,000, or 10 per cent match funding, for the Falmer Pond elements, with the rest coming from the Lottery grant and the park authority, according to its project page.
The walks and workdays
Site ranger Nick Lane is running the events. All are free and booked through the council’s Your Voice platform, one person per booking, and under-18s must be with an adult. The meeting point is sent to people who have booked. Places, as shown on the booking page on Friday afternoon:
| Date | Event | Time | Places |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday 28 September | Going batty for bats, guided evening walk | 6.30pm to 8pm | Full (15 of 15 booked) |
| Sunday 11 October | Falmer ponder and wander, guided walk | 1pm to 2.30pm | 5 left (10 of 15 booked) |
| Saturday 14 November | Conservation workday, cutting back bankside vegetation | 10am to 12 noon | 7 left (1 of 8 booked) |
| Saturday 12 December | Falmer ponder and wander, guided walk | 10am to 11.30am | 14 left (1 of 15 booked) |
Two earlier bat walks on 14 and 20 September and a workday on 20 September have already happened. The council says events may be cancelled in extreme weather, with notice to everyone booked.
Why the pond dries out
The council’s release explains the geology. Clay and sand under the basin let it hold water that flows through the landscape, but long dry spells can leave it with little or no water, as happened this summer. The area’s chalk was laid down by a warm, shallow sea in the Late Cretaceous, about 66 to 90 million years ago, and fossils of seabed coral have been found nearby. The village name is thought to come from the Anglo-Saxon “fal” and “mere”, meaning brown water and lake.
Councillor Alan Robins, the Cabinet member for Sport, Recreation and Libraries, said in the release: “This summer’s exceptionally hot weather has made us appreciate and value our precious ponds, streams and rivers more than ever.”
What it means for you
- If you want a say on the works: comment on SDNP/26/03102/FUL on the park authority’s register by Friday 9 October. The council says supportive comments count as much as objections.
- If you want to walk the pond with the ranger: Sunday 11 October has five places left at the time of writing. December’s walk is nearly empty. Book on Your Voice.
- If you want to get your hands dirty: the 14 November workday needs volunteers to cut back bankside growth. Seven of eight places were free on Friday.
- If you are in Falmer for a match or the universities: nothing changes on the ground yet. The council’s events page describes the restoration as planned for 2027.
- Other planning in the city: our Brighton planning applications page explains how to search and comment on the city council’s own register, which does not cover the national park.
Sources
- Brighton & Hove City Council, From ancient seas and hidden lakes, to fabulous fossils and resident bats, find out more about Falmer Pond, 25 September 2026
- South Downs National Park Authority, application SDNP/26/03102/FUL
- Brighton & Hove City Council, Falmer Pond restoration project on Your Voice, events and places as displayed on 25 September 2026
- Brighton & Hove City Council, About the Falmer Pond restoration project
- South Downs National Park Authority, Downs to the Sea
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