Riverside Park

The park provides 18 hectares of open access. Locate Riverside Park on:

What you will find

A wide range of habitats exist on this urban fringe site. At lower levels there are ponds, ditches and reed beds. As you rise you travel through bare ground, herb rich grassland, scrub and trees. The wildlife experience is now varied as the site has matured, Riverside Park is home to uncommon species such as adder, common toad, Adonis blue butterfly, lapwing and grey plover, as well as plants like divided sedge and hairy vetch.

About 2 hectares of the site is flat ground with a football pitch in the centre. A children’s playground is situated at the south end. These areas are owned and managed by Lewes District Council. The site has benches and rest points, as well as a viewing area for bird watching.

Walking, cycling and access

The site is widely used by dog walkers, who are asked to take waste away them, and cyclists. There is also use of the football pitch and playground.

A disabled access foot and cycle path leads north towards Piddinghoe. It has been designed in accordance with the ‘BT Countryside for All’ guidance.

How to get there

There is currently no car or cycle parking. The Lewes – Peacehaven bus passes close by.

Management and History

The area was opened as a landfill site by Newhaven Urban District Council in 1963. The tip was also used by Lewes District Council and East Sussex County Council as responsibilities changed. The site closed in September 1981 when restoration began. The site was restored by the Council’s Landscape Team and passed to the Countryside Maintenance Team in April 2005.

It now holds a range of vegetation and some very interesting ecology. It is designated a Site of Nature Conservation Interest (SNCI).

The site is now owned jointly between the Council and Lewes District Council (who are responsible for about 3 hectares).

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