COUNCILLORS will decide next week whether to hand over a beauty spot to a new owner promising more than £1 million in investment.

Nick Bennett, deputy leader of East Sussex County Council, will consider transferring ownership of Seven Sisters Country Park to the South Downs National Park Authority in a meeting next Monday.

The authority, which manages the Downs, has promised to invest £1.4 million in the site near Seaford.

The group’s chief executive Trevor Beattie said it would deliver a “world-class visitor experience” if the council agreed to hand over control.

He said: “We are grateful to East Sussex County Council for considering our proposal to further enhance this wonderful national and international icon.

“We look forward to working with the county council and many other partners to deliver a world-class visitor experience while also increasing the biodiversity of this precious landscape.”

On Monday councillors will also decide whether to hand over control of the Ouse Estuary Nature Reserve and Riverside Park countryside site to Newhaven Town Council.

Newhaven council clerk Jacky Main said it planned to “enhance the ecology of both sites” and “improve recreational and educational opportunities” there.

If agreed, the town council would own the Ouse Estuary reserve on a freehold basis and be given a long-term lease to Riverside Park.

Sussex Wildlife Trust is also hoping to be given control of Ditchling Common Country Park near Hassocks by the county council next week.

Conservation director Henri Brocklebank said: “We look forward to meeting and working with everyone who values this treasure of a country park on the doorstep of Burgess Hill.

“We know there is much to do in conserving and enhancing this site, and to manage public access to the

benefit of the many users who love this natural green space.”

County council officer Rupert Clubb said all four sites would remain “unspoilt” and fully accessible to residents if they were transferred away from council control.

He said: “We’re proposing transferring sites to not-for-profit organisations with expertise in conservation, involving local communities and improving the visitor experience.

“If approved, this move would protect these much-loved sites and enhance them as places to be enjoyed for generations to come.

“All the sites will remain unspoilt, in public ownership and fully accessible to residents and visitors

to enjoy the stunning countryside East Sussex has to offer.”

Councillor Bennett will make his decision at the transport and environment lead member meeting on Monday at 2pm.

Riverside Park provides 18 hectares of green space in Newhaven and is widely used by dog walkers.

Ouse Estuary Nature Reserve is home to a wide variety of birds, plants and amphibians.