Crawley Local Plan sets out where housing development will take place over next 20 years

The Plan, which lays out the framework for future development in the area, had been approved and consulted on before but was then delayed, first due to issues with the safeguarded land south of Gatwick and then due to Natural England’s position statement on water neutrality.

The Plan was discussed during meetings of the overview & scrutiny commission and the cabinet and will now go to the full council on February 22 before being put out to a six-week consultation starting on May 9.

It will then be submitted to the Secretary of State in July for examination.

Atif Nawaz, cabinet member for planning & economic development, said the delays had been ‘entirely beyond the council’s control’.

He added: “It is vital we get our Local Plan reviewed as soon as possible so that, as a council, we can continue to have a pivotal say in proposed new development.

“An out-of-date Plan would leave us seriously exposed to unwanted development.”

The Plan includes a number of key housing sites that are considered ‘critical to the delivery of future housing in Crawley’.

Among them are sites considered to be ‘deliverable’ within the first five years of the Plan (2024/25-2028/29):

Forge Wood Phase 4B, Pound Hill (434 homes) Zurich House, East Park, Southgate (53 homes) The former TSB site, Russell Way, Three Bridges (59 homes) The upper floors of 7-13 The Broadway and 1-3 Queens Square (25 homes) Shaw House, Pegler Way, West Green (33 homes) Longley House, Southgate (121 homes) Land at Steers Lane, Forge Wood (185 homes)

Sites considered to be ‘developable’ in years six to 16 of the Plan (2029/30-2039/40) are:

Land next to Sutherland House, Russell Way, Three Bridges (30 homes) Land next to Desmond Anderson School, Tilgate (205 homes) Land to the south-east of Heathy Farm, Balcombe Road, Forge Wood (188 homes)

This Local Plan (2024-2040), once adopted, will replace the current Crawley Local Plan (2015-2030).

Unlike Crawley, Horsham District Council has decided to delay work on its local plan until after the local elections due to be held in May.