Water neutrality restrictions were imposed by Natural England’s Position Statement in September 2021. Since then, we have worked closely for four years with the Government, neighbouring affected councils and partners to find a solution that enables much-needed development whilst protecting the environment.
We are pleased to confirm that a managed exit from water neutrality restrictions has been jointly developed through the new Sussex North Water Certification Scheme (SNWCS), which is now ready to launch.
However, we delayed the public launch of this scheme due to formal advice that a DEFRA announcement on Water Neutrality was expected on Friday 10 October. The Government’s announcement regarding new homes development and water neutrality that was issued last night (8 October 2025) will have implications for the long-term strategic solution and the roll-out of our new scheme.
We are assuming that Natural England's current Position Statement will change as a result of this announcement. As a matter of due diligence, we need to be provided with full evidence to substantiate any new positioning, just as we were in 2021.
We want to confirm that as a Council, we remain committed to putting the needs of Horsham District residents and its natural environment first.