Examination of Horsham District Council’s Local Plan under way for the second time

The Plan – a document which sets out planning policies and proposals for development in the district – was due to be examined in December 2024. But the hearings were halted due to a number of concerns – and it was suggested by the inspector that the Plan be withdrawn.

On Tuesday (April 21), a new inspector – Jonathan Bore – restarted the examination, with four days of hearings covering the housing requirement, the housing supply, and the community, business and industrial needs of the district.

Ruth Fletcher, cabinet member for planning & infrastructure, “Horsham is a growing and successful district, which has had an excellent record of plan-led delivery under the current Horsham District Planning Framework. But this is increasingly out of date.

“There is a need for more housing – especially for genuinely affordable housing – for our younger generations and for local and lower-paid workers.

“However, this requirement must be balanced against the need to protect the character of our district, so that we don’t lose what we all value so highly.”

A housing requirement of 17,828 homes is proposed over the life of the Plan, which consists of 14,071 homes to meet the district’s need in full, and 3,752 to meet half of Crawley Borough Council’s unmet need.

Documents submitted by the council showed a shortfall of 2,398 homes against that requirement.

One issue which had major consequences for the council was that of water neutrality. Following the publication of Natural England’s position statement in September 2021, the authority was legally prevented from permitting most new development while simultaneously having to continue to meet its housing target – something it simply couldn’t do.

Ms Fletcher said this resulted in ‘an increasingly out of date Plan operating under the tilted balance’.

The tilted balance is a presumption in favour of sustainable development which comes into play when an authority does not have the required five-year supply of housing land.

Horsham is one such authority – a situation Mr Bore described as ‘extremely concerning’.

Ms Fletcher added: “We are seeing an increased number of speculative application for unallocated and less-sustainable sites than those in our Plan, adversely impacting local infrastructure provision and our countryside and environment.

“Local communities have been understandably angry and frustrated at the lack of certainty about future development in their areas and have real concerns about the impact this will have on their day-to-day lives.

“The council’s time and resource that should be used to support positive development has had to be spent managing applications and appeals in isolated locations that do not deliver the quality, the schools, the transport links and the affordable housing that we need.”

Mr Bore recognised the difficulties the council had faced in terms of water neutrality and ‘the lack of coordination in tying that in with national policy on the delivery of housing’.

He added: “We’ve got to get a Plan adopted that is sound, is capable of being delivered and isn’t going to go immediately out of date and be subject to the tilted balance because of being set up wrongly.”

For more information and details about the Local Plan examination, visit the council’s planning pages at www.horsham.gov.uk/planning/local-plan/local-plan-examination/Latest-News-from-Local-Plan-Examination