Eastbourne Borough Council intends to sell off all four farms on the Eastbourne Downland Estate, which was purchased by Eastbourne Corporation in the 1920s in order to keep the 4,200 acres of rich wildlife habitats and beautiful landscape in public ownership "in perpetuity". The farms total over 3,000 acres, representing just over 75% of the entire estate. Once they fall into private ownership, the public will lose control over how the land is managed, putting at grave risk all the landscape restoration and wildlife protection work that has been done over the last few decades. There could be a degradation of the quality of the Eastbourne downland, a decline in biodiversity, and a significant change in the character of the countryside, making the experience of visiting it less enjoyable.