THE “restoration” of Stanmer Park has been long on the cards but very few people seem to be aware of the details. Much like the downland sales, the true impact of these proposals has been kept under the radar – and we’re concerned.

At face value, it’s a good idea to restore Stanmer Park. However, we could pay a heavy price for this. Brighton and Hove Council wants to increase car parking spaces by 52 per cent and build a 257-space car park in the centre of the park.

The problem is that the council’s plans are illogical.

On the one hand it wants to reduce traffic through the park by expanding the car parks around the edge. This raise concerns about loss of trees but generally this is sensible.

However, this is contradicted by plans to build a superstore-sized central car park that will increase traffic in the heart of the park. The council cannot have it both ways. Historic England has said there needs to be robust reasons for this car park, of which we can find none. The South Downs National Park Authority is also uneasy about it.

This is not just about traffic but what sort of Stanmer Park we want for the future. Our concern is that this development is not only damaging for Stanmer, it could set a dangerous precedent for the national park.

This makes tomorrow potentially a big test for the national park authority. Will it succumb to political pressure to push this through for the need to be seen to do something or will it do the right thing and send this back to the drawing board?

Chris Todd is from Brighton and Hove Friends of the Earth