Save Chichester 1's Courtyard Garden

Money would be better spent improving the foyer area of Chichester 1 building, so much of the space that is there is wasted. This is a gross and misguided use of funds for something that does not improve or benefit educational learning. Rather than wasting money on getting plans done, perhaps there should have been some consultation about the proposition beforehand; the method by which building works which may attract controversy occur seem to always be attempted 'under the radar'.

removing a safe haven for wildlife would be a crime

Library Sq, Falmer Hse Sq plus several other places on campiest are concrete with no softness to them, the bird life and insects are in abundance in Chichester 1 garden. Cannot understand University attitude being on site they are experimenting in how to save Bees, GREEN IS GOOD.

The current use of the area would be missed.

Please keep this area of tranquility.

I've worked at Sussex for more than 40 years and the courtyard is one of my favourite places on campus. It's an integral part of the listed building and should remain. Don't destroy it!

Why remove the green space and put a... errr... formula 1 car??

A lot of academics study the nature. The courtyard is a part of nature. Do not take nature away from us.

I love going to that garden for lunch! Please do not pave over it!

Please don't take away this peaceful oasis.

Having been a postgrad student at Sussex for 3 years, I find these plans insulting. The current garden is a pleasent and peaceful place, away from the screaming of life, research and teaching. The propspect of it being replaced with an enclosed paved square (with a racing car?!?) is terrible. All that is needed is a prune to some bushes, and the place would be as good as new. I emplore the council to reject this proposal.

A beautiful, tranquil space which could be lost. I cannot see the benefits proposed require the destruction of the pond and plant life.

It's somewhere to go and chill out for just a few moments during a busy day. Please don't take it away!

This is such a lovely a peaceful spot on campus, and as a former student at Sussex I enjoyed many a lunch or coffee break relaxing here. We also used to use this area of BBQs and other social events, such as handing in a big piece of work. It would be so sad to see it turned into more concrete! I see no reason to transform what is undeniably a very pretty and much used area of Sussex Campus into, as it has previously been coined, an eyesore.

While the memorial garden has been neglected by Estates and Facilities, its still one of the more tranquil spots on campus - and is used daily by staff and students alike. This seems like more of a waste of money that part of campus development.

I've been studying at Sussex for both my undergraduate and postgraduate degrees (5 years so far) and I've always found the garden to be one of the most quiet and peaceful areas on campus. Not only is it a pleasant green refuge from the stark concrete already prolific across campus, but it also contains a wide variety of birds and other wildlife on an average day. The courtyard also currently acts as an outdoor space for communal department gatherings such as barbecues. The pictured development is an eyesore and offers no practical advantages over the courtyard's current design.

I've been at Sussex University for 5 years, and have spent a lot of time in the courtyard - either between lectures, at lunch, or in the late afternoons in the summer at my department's annual BBQ. Admittedly, the usage of this area has declined in recent years, however this is primarily due to the removal of the cafe (which is still to be replaced). It would make much more sense to invest the money into running such an establishment and maintaining what is already there. Moreover, for a university that prides itself on its green-spaces (and the recent masterplan which insists that they will remain), I find it hypocritical that they are to remove an area full of wildlife and effectively fill it with concrete.

University management ought to halt all unilateral actions to 'develop' campus and instead engage in meaningful consultations with students, whom their changes will ultimately effect. Also, we need more green spaces, not less.

Apart from the architectural concerns of this ''exciting development'' this garden has been a true peace-heaven for both staff and students, especially contributing in the well-being of the former. I would also like to stress out that this is a memorial garden and a refuge for small birds (especially sparrows that are in decline in the UK) both endemic in the UK as well as migratory (you can see two or three species of finches, wagtails all in one space). Personally I also find it suspicious that the (privatised) and ''streamlined'' Estates and Facilities left the garden to turn into a jungle. Whether it was deliberately or not the application suggests that this beautiful space was indifferent to students and staff. Finally, having been at Sussex for more than five years now, I believe that the University could ''invest'' the money in something that has more substance rather than another show-room.

Reconfigure the immediate inner courtyard by all means, but leave the oasis of tranquility