The next key stage towards the adoption of a new Local Plan which will get Horsham District back to plan-led development took place on 6 July when the Horsham District Council Cabinet agreed the main modifications to the draft Horsham District 2023-2040 Local Plan.
The approved recommendations will now go to a public consultation and everyone is asked to have their say on the proposals. The consultation starts on13 July and will run for six weeks until 24 August.
You can access the consultation via the Consultations page on the Council website.
Further information is available via the Council's Local Plan webpages.
At the Stage One examination hearings which were held in April this year, the government’s Planning Inspector identified various modifications that need to be made to the plan. Since the plan was originally submitted for examination in July 2024, the government has introduced a major reform to the planning process and locally, we have seen the ending of water neutrality constraints. As a result, the Inspector is now requiring the Council to plan for increased housing numbers.
This consultation gives residents, businesses and stakeholders a chance to have their say on the detail of the proposed changes that the Inspector has requested. All the responses will be considered by the Inspector.
Once these consultation responses are reviewed, the Stage Two examination hearings will start in the autumn of 2026. The Inspector will then proceed to issue his final report and the Council can move towards full adoption of the 2023-2040 Plan early next year.
Further details about the Horsham District 2023-2040 Local Plan can be found on the Council website.
Horsham District Council Cabinet Member for Planning and Infrastructure Cllr Ruth Fletcher commented: “I am pleased that we have reached this milestone towards bringing Horsham District back to plan-led development. A Local Plan is the best way to protect our district from haphazard development and to deliver schools and other services alongside the new homes our communities need.
The high housing target the Inspector has set us is very challenging and we have faced difficult choices over which additional sites to put into the plan. Avoiding these decisions would not have stopped any of these sites being developed, but it would have left us without a plan and with many more greenfield sites at risk of unplanned development.
“Having reassessed the sites originally put forward by the developers, we are now consulting on our proposal to include one additional strategic site plus a number of smaller sites to provide a balanced pattern of growth across the District.
“The relatively compact nature of the Adversane site will help minimise the amount of greenfield land used; it can provide school places where they will be most needed and it offers better options for sustainable transport.
“I encourage you to take this opportunity to review the modifications and have your say now the consultation is open.”