by The National Trust has banned coaches from one of the most popular beauty points of Great Britain to reduce the growing number of people who visit the location.
Up to 600,000 people visit Birling Gap, who is part of the seven sisters in East Sussex on the south coast of England.
The locals hope that the ban will reduce the number of visitors and in return limit damage and coastal erosion to the location, which can be seen in films such as atonement and Robin Hood: Prince of Dieh.
The measure, which was the first of its kind of trust, was welcomed by Philip Myerson, who lives nearby and said the Daily Mail: “Birling Gap and seven sisters are ruined by an enormous increase in visitors in recent years.
“It is a tsunami and it has a big influence on the small street, the edges, the grassland and the paths. Everything is worn out.”
Dot Skapping, a former worker of the National Trust, who lives in a house near the cliffs, said: “The National Trust wants to welcome the people with Birling Gap, but it wants to see it from its best. The ban on all coaches is a good idea, since they are often huge, in large numbers and are an eyesore.”
Visitors who arrive by other means are still welcome in the beauty point.
On the National Trust website for Birling Gap and the seven sisters who are on the cliff, it says: “Please note that the park or coach trainer can no longer hand over in our parking lot at this location.” Instead, it indicates people to “alternative coach parking in the area of Eastbourne” to “alternative parking spaces”.
A spokesman for the National Trust said: “At Birling GAP, we welcome over 600,000 visitors to this small rural clinic location, which is susceptible to coastal erosion every year.
“In recent years we have found a significant increase in coaching visits that the website cannot finish. We continue to welcome visitors with car, motorcycle, minibus and bus service.”
The spokesman said that the move was not a trustworthy policy and was made in response to a specific problem in Birling Gap and seven sisters.
The ban follows an earlier warning of the East Sussex County Council about people who are too close to Cliff Edge.
A spokesman for the council told Sussexworld: “The legendary white cliffs are very popular with visitors, but they are extremely unstable and can give in at any time without warning.”
