Bramber Brooks Nature Reserve has entered a new chapter under Horsham District Council (HDC), which now manages the site alongside other key reserves such as Warnham. This means it will now be somewhere new for our members to visit.

The reserve was originally purchased by Nick Mills to protect it from development. During his stewardship, new paths, raised walkways, and a community orchard were created, while SDOS, led by the late Dr. Barrie Watson, installed a Barn Owl box. Former SDOS Chair Brianne Reeves also provided ecological advice and guided tours of the site for SDOS members during this time.

With HDC’s acquisition, long-planned works by the Environment Agency to create scrapes in the open field have now been completed. Fencing has been removed, restoring public access, though dogs remain prohibited. The local councillor Victoria Finnegan has kept the community updated on progress.

One task remains: the Barn Owl box must be relocated from a tree weakened by ash dieback. A new pole is planned, subject to archaeological approval.

The information panel was provided by the Environment Agency.