"‘You could drink from that pond!" Brighton and Lewes Downs (The Living Coast) UNESCO Biosphere project featured in The Guardian

September 24th 2025

The Aquifer Project, one of the key initiatives managed by the Brighton and Lewes Downs (The Living Coast) UNESCO Biosphere, has had a spotlight shone upon it with a major article in The Guardian newspaper.

The Project, formed in 2016, is creating Rainscapes – also known as Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) – at Wild Park in Brighton and three primary schools in The Living Coast region.

The in-depth article looks at this incredible project taking place in the Biosphere that is finding natural solutions to the toxic problem of road 'run off', to ensure that those living, working and visiting the area have access to clean, safe water in the future.

This is being achieved in the Biosphere through the Wild Park Rainscape - designed as a series of ponds, swales and shallow planted basins to clean surface water from a section of the highway - and at three primary schools in The Living Coast region. The schools’ rainscapes provide children with a beautiful play area while reducing flooding, cleaning water and increasing biodiversity.

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