Horsham District Council has written a letter to Mr Luke Fleming, the Local Plan Inspector examining the Horsham District Local Plan, in response to his initial findings letter. The letter is available to view on the Local Plan Examination Library page of the Council’s website.
The letter requests that the examiner convene a further local plan hearing session to further examine the Council’s compliance with the Duty to Co-operate. In its letter the Council explains that since the receipt of the Inspector’s Initial Findings letter in April 2025, further evidence has become available which substantiates the Council’s position that meaningful Duty to Co-operate discussions around unmet housing needs did take place between January and July 2024.
The letter follows a meeting of the Communities and Place Policy and Scrutiny Committee Meeting on 23 July 2025 which considered the context of imminent changing planning regulations that will repeal the Duty to Co-operate.
Horsham District Council Cabinet Member for Planning and Infrastructure Cllr Ruth Fletcher said:
Our priority has always been to deliver a sound, evidence-based Local Plan that meets Horsham District’s needs in partnership with our neighbours.
Since the Inspector’s Initial Findings, we’ve uncovered further records of Duty to Co-operate discussions that were underway in early 2024.
We welcome the chance to present this additional evidence at a further hearing, because a robust plan depends on transparency, collaboration and the most up-to-date information.
The Council will take account of the response it receives from the Inspectorate before any final decision is made to withdraw the Local Plan. A Cabinet Meeting was programmed for the 17 September 2025 to discuss the potential withdrawal of the Local Plan but this will be delayed until a response is received from the Planning Inspectorate.