Local nature reserves (LNRs) are designated by local authorities under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. The local authority must have a legal control over the site, by owning or leasing it or having an agreement with the owner. LNRs are sites which have a special local interest either biologically or geologically, and local authorities have a duty to care for them. They can apply local bye-laws to manage and protect LNRs.
As of March 2019, there are twenty-seven LNRs in West Sussex. Nine are Sites of Special Scientific Interest, six are Nature Conservation Review sites, four are Ramsar sites, two are Special Areas of Conservation, four are Special Protection Areas, one includes a scheduled monument and two are managed by the Sussex Wildlife Trust.
West Sussex is in south-east England and it has a population of approximately 780,000. The county town is Chichester. In the north of the county are the heavy clays and sands of the Weald. The chalk of the South Downs runs across the centre from east to west and in the south a coastal plain runs down to the English Channel.
Key
Public access No = no public access to site PP = public access to part of site Yes = public access to all or most of the site
Other classifications NCR = Nature Conservation Review site Ramsar = Ramsar site, an internationally important wetland site SAC = Special Area of Conservation SM = Scheduled monument SPA = Special Protection Area under the European Union Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds SSSI = Site of Special Scientific Interest SWT = Sussex Wildlife Trust
Sites Site Photograph Area Location Borough Other classifications Map Details Access DescriptionArdingly Reservoir Haywards Heath Mid Sussex Map DetailsYesThe reservoir has open water, hay meadow, deciduous woodland, hazel coppice, reedbeds and wetland. There are sandstone outcrops which support uncommon ferns, mosses, liverworts and lichens. Nesting birds include great crested grebes and kingfishers.Ashenground and Bolnore Woods Haywards Heath Mid Sussex Map DetailsYesThese woods have oak, beech and field maple, together with old coppice hornbeam, ash and hazel. Fauna include bats, woodpeckers and owls.Bedelands Farm Nature Reserve Burgess Hill Mid Sussex Map DetailsYesThe farm has woodland, wildflower meadows, grazed meadows, wetland and ancient hedgerows. The woodland has ancient hornbeams and wild service trees, while wildflowers include the yellow rattle.Blunts Wood and Paiges Meadow Haywards Heath Mid Sussex Map DetailsYesThis site has diverse habitats with a pond, wetland, hedgerows, grassland, birch woodland, hazel coppice, mixed coppice and bluebell woodland.Brandy Hole Copse Chichester Chichester SM Map DetailsYesThis site has broadleaved and coniferous woodland, open water, marshland, heath, tall fern and herbs. Fauna includes pipistrelle bats. Bognor Regis Arun Map DetailsYesThe Brooks has extensive grassland, reedbeds, ponds and newly planted woodland. One area has been turned into a dog-free wildlife sanctuary for ground-nesting birds. The site is flooded every winter, which makes it a good habitat for wetland flora and fauna.Burton and Chingford Ponds Petworth Chichester SSSI SWT Map DetailsYesThis site has ponds, carr woodland, bog, wet heath and marshy grassland. There is a diverse range of invertebrates including three nationally rare species, the snail Omphiscola glabra and the craneflies Erioptera meijerei and Tipula marginata. The site is also important for its breeding water birds, such as water rails and great crested grebes.Eames Farm Southbourne Chichester NCR Ramsar SPA SSSI Map DetailsNoThis area of grazing marsh, wetland and reedbed is managed as an organic farm. It has many rare plants and insects and a diverse variety of migrating waders and wildfowl. Eastern Road Nature Reserve Haywards Heath Mid Sussex Map DetailsYesThe reserve has rough grassland, wetland, woodland and scrub. There are aquatic insects such as dragonflies and other invertebrates include frogs and newts.Fairmile Bottom Arundel Arun SSSI Map DetailsYesThis site has wildflower meadows on chalk and woodland with groves of yew trees. There is an outstanding variety of beetles and many moths and butterflies.Grattons Park Crawley Crawley Map DetailsYesGatwick Stream runs through this park and other habitats are broadleaved woodland and grassland. Flora include lesser celandine and wild daffodils, while there are birds such as treecreepers, great spotted woodpecker and long-tailed tits.Harting Down Harting Chichester NCRRatcliffe, p. 118 SSSI Map DetailsYesThis sloping site on the South Downs has grassland with scattered woodland and scrub. There are grizzled skipper butterflies, blue carpenter bees and cheese snails.Iping Common (Stedham with Iping) Midhurst ChichesterNCRRatcliffe, p. 119 SSSI SWT Map DetailsYesThis is described by Natural England as one of the richest areas of heath in the county. Most of it is dry but there are also areas of wet heath, two ponds, woodland, scrub and grassland. It has a rich invertebrate fauna and breeding heathland birds include nightjars and stonechats.Lancing Ring Lancing Adur Map DetailsYesThis chalk grassland site has adders and lizards. There is also woodland with flowers including early purple orchids and dewponds which have many newts.Lynchmere Commons Linchmere Chichester Map DetailsYesThis heathland site is composed of Stanley, Lynchmere and Marley Commons. They have diverse insect species and unusual plants such as bilberries.Mill Hill Shoreham-by-Sea Adur Map DetailsYesThis site has chalk grassland, scrub and secondary woodland. It is one of the best areas in Sussex for butterflies, with 29 species recorded, including the Adonis blue. More than 160 species of flowering plant have been recorded, such as horseshoe vetch.Nutborne Marshes Thorney Island ChichesterNCRRatcliffe, pp. 3–4 Ramsar SAC SPA SSSI Map DetailsNoThis is an area of intertidal and subtidal saltmarsh and mudflats. There are many invertebrates on the mudflats such as ragworms and the banks have unusual plants including sea wormwood. Migrating birds include curlews, grey plovers and dunlins.Pagham Harbour Bognor Regis Arun NCR Ramsar SPA SSSI Map DetailsPPThis is a large area of salt marsh, mud flats, shingle, open water, reed swamp and wet grassland. It is of national importance for breeding birds and wintering wildfowl and waders. It also has nationally important communities of plants and invertebrates, including the nationally endangered sea anemone Nematostella vectensis.Pilsey Island Thorney Island Chichester NCR Ramsar SAC SPA SSSI Map DetailsNoThe island has sand dunes, mudflats, salt marsh and bare and vegetated shingle. There are many plants, spiders and insects.Scrase Valley Haywards Heath Mid Sussex Map DetailsYesThis site has grassland, woodland and marsh. There are a number of unusual plants, such as purple toothwort, marsh cinquefoil, meadow thistle and marsh speedwell. The Friends of The Scrase Valley have planted three black poplar trees, which is a nationally rare species.Shoreham Beach Shoreham-by-Sea Adur Map DetailsYesThe beach has vegetated shingle, which is an internationally rare habitat, with flora including yellow horned poppy, sea kale and curled dock.Target Hill Park Crawley Crawley Map DetailsYesThe diverse habitats in this park include ponds, wetlands, woodlands, meadows and scrub. There are reptiles such as slow-worms, adders and common lizards, while butterflies include skippers, meadow brown, small heaths and ringlets.Tilgate Forest Crawley Crawley Map DetailsYesThis site has woods, tall herb and fern, and heathland. The most common trees in areas of natural woodland are birch, oak and hazel, while plantations are mainly Scots pine, red oak, western hemlock and beech.Tottington Wood Henfield Horsham Map DetailsYesThis semi-ancient wood is recorded back to 1600 and it has an oak tree which is over 250 years old. Mammals include roe deer and bats and there are birds such as woodpeckers and blue tits.Warnham Horsham Horsham Map DetailsYesThe principal feature of the site is the Warnham Millpond, together with its islands and marginal vegetation. Boldings Brook runs through the site and in the winter it floods areas of wet grassland and willow carr. Invertebrates include 523 species of moths and 366 plant species have been recorded.West Beach Littlehampton Arun SSSI Map DetailsYesThis stretch of shoreline has sand dunes at the back with a vegetated shingle beach, which is a nationally uncommon habitat, in front. The intertidal zone has soft muds and sands with many invertebrates, which are an important source of food for wintering birds, especially sanderling.Widewater Lagoon Lancing Adur Map DetailsYes This coastal lagoon is separated from Lancing Beach by a man-made shingle bank. The water is brackish and there are wildfowl such as herons and swans.
See also List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in West Sussex Sussex Wildlife Trust
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