Cuckmere and Pevensey Levels

Catchment partnership vision

The Partnership aims to create a resilient catchment from source to sea in the face of the climate and biodiversity crisis by delivering projects that tackle multiple issues and provide multiple benefits. These include natural flood management measures, improving water quality and quantity, increasing connectivity, and protecting, restoring and creating valuable wildlife habitats.

Related websites

Find out more about the activities and ambitions of this catchment partnership and how you can get involved to help improve the water environment in the catchment.

Catchment challenges

Current challenges identified by partnership

  • Pollution from waste water

    Waste water, private discharges and storm overflows impact on water quality

  • Physical modifications

    Fish passage and habitats severely impacted by barriers for land drainage and flood defence

  • Pollution from agriculture and rural areas

    Diffuse pollution from rural activities impact on water quality

Wider water environment challenges identified by partnership

  • Nature Recovery, designated areas for nature and biodiversity

  • Improved bathing waters (including inland)

  • Reduce storm overflows and drainage system incidents

  • Build environmental resilience and adaptation to climate change

  • Connecting communities with nature

  • Support Nature Recovery Network and Local Nature Recovery Strategy

Future challenges predicted by partnership

  • Physical modifications

    Fish passage and geomorphology of the catchment impacted by past human intervention

  • Invasive Non-native Species

    Removing species such as pennywort enables us to restore valuable wildlife habitats and create a resilient catchment

  • Pollution from waste water

    Improving water quality within the catchment

Future challenges predicted by Environment Agency

Future challenges in 2050

  • Physical Modifications
  • Invasive Non-native Species
  • Pollution from waste water

Emerging challenges

  • Pollution from waste water
  • Pollution from Agriculture and Rural Areas
  • Physical Modifications

Partnership success highlights 2016 to 2021

Since 2016, a natural flood management project on the Powdermill Stream in the Combe sub-catchment has successfully installed leaky woody structures. This has now been extended to the rest of the sub-catchment and the Upper Cuckmere with a 3 year funded project. The Prowater Project, and monitoring at Friston Forest and Lullington Heath, is focused on habitat restoration. The Environmental Land Management pilot works with local landowners to shape the future of agriculture based on local priorities. To improve fish passage, low cost baffles have been installed at 3 gauging weirs on the Cuckmere. To help mitigate development and growth within the catchment draining to the heavily designated Pevensey Levels, a 3 year project to inform planning policy around the use and design of sustainable drainage systems is underway. A separate project is focused on the removal of floating pennywort in the Levels to tackle Invasive Non-native Species. Feasibility has begun on improving fish passage and geomorphology at Crowhurst weir on the Combe Haven. Design has begun for a managed realignment of the west bank of the Cuckmere estuary which will reconnect Chyngton Brooks to create inter-tidal habitat. A pennywort weevil trial has begun on the Pevensey Levels and its success is being monitored by CABI and the EA.

Partnership development plans

We will continue to work in partnership across sectors to develop landscape scale projects and help inform policy which can improve biodiversity, provide opportunities for carbon sequestration and work with natural processes to create a resilient environment for future generations.

Partnership priority actions and measures for 2022 to 2027

  • Confident

    Enhancement/no deterioration measures in 2020-2025 Water Industry National Environment Programme

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage point source discharges
    Delivery mechanism
    Confirmed water industry national environment programme 2020-2025
    Location
    Pevensey

  • Confident

    Natural flood management in the Combe Haven and Upper Cuckmere sub catchments

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage regulated flows
    Delivery mechanism
    EA Flood/coastal risk management programme
    Location
    Combe Haven Cuckmere Upper

  • Confident

    Natural flood management in Little Common and Polegate sub catchments

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage regulated flows
    Delivery mechanism
    None identified
    Location
    Cuckmere and Pevensey Levels

  • Confident

    Prowater Project - catchment management and habitat restoration at Friston Forest and Lullington Heath

    Reason for measure
    Manage modified habitats
    Delivery mechanism
    EU funding
    Location
    Pevensey

  • Confident

    Pevensey - Windpump delivery for enhanced water availability to Wrenham and Bill Gut

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage regulated flows
    Delivery mechanism
    Other local funding
    Location
    Pevensey

  • Confident

    Pevensey sustainable drainage project - inform local planning policy development to reduce draining to Pevensey Levels

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage urban diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    WEIF Water Environment Improvement Fund
    Location
    Pevensey

  • Less certain

    Crowhurst weir - improved fish passage and geomorphology

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    None identified
    Barriers to delivery
    Secure funding
    Location
    Combe Haven

  • Less certain

    Environment Land Management Pilot - led by catchment partnership targeting local priorities

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage rural diffuse pollution
    Delivery mechanism
    Environment Land Management Scheme (future full-scale roll-out)
    Barriers to delivery
    Future of ELM not rolled out yet
    Location
    Cuckmere and Pevensey Levels

  • Less certain

    Future floating pennywort clearance within riparian ditches within the Pevensey Levels SAC

    Reason for measure
    Control or manage invasive non-native species
    Delivery mechanism
    None identified
    Barriers to delivery
    Future funding stream to continue project not confirmed
    Location
    Pevensey

  • Less certain

    Sessingham weir removal

    Reason for measure
    Mitigate the impacts on ecology from physical modifications in modified waters
    Delivery mechanism
    None identified
    Barriers to delivery
    Final options and future funding stream not agreed/confirmed
    Location
    Cuckmere Upper

  • Wider water environment

    Waterweek

    Reason for measure
    Connecting communities with nature
    Delivery mechanism
    Voluntary initiatives
    Location
    Cuckmere Upper

Catchment Partnership contributors

Partners involved in the creation of this page and the actions of the partnership: