Highlights of planning in South Downs are revealed in Annual Monitoring Report

December 15, 2022

Greater protection for rare heaths, over 10,000m2 of new completed employment space and almost 100 new visitor accommodation units are among the highlights of the Authority Monitoring Report (AMR).

This is the eighth Authority Monitoring Report (AMR) produced by the SDNPA and the third to be produced since the adoption of the South Downs Local Plan (SDLP) in July 2019.

The AMR reports on a number of planning documents including the SDLP, numerous neighbourhood development plans and adopted and emerging waste and minerals plans. The AMR reports on the financial year 2021-22, which is the eighth year of the 2014-2033 plan period for the SDLP.

Kevin Wright, Planning Policy Officer, said: “One of the highlights of the monitoring year was that all the neighbourhood planning areas given a provision figure for housing in the Local Plan have now been made part of the development plan for the National Park. This was following the referendum for the Twyford Neighbourhood Development Plan in January 2022.

“The COVID-19 pandemic continued to have a significant impact on development in the year and this is reflected in some of the reported figures.”

Here are a number of interesting findings highlighted in the 2021/22 AMR:

A Thriving, Living Landscape

35 per cent average Biodiversity Net Gain on largest scale development sites.
Limit on residential development within the 400m zone of the sensitive Wealden Heaths Phase II Special Protection Area (SPA) has been reached. Therefore there will be no further permissions for additional new dwellings within the 400m zone to prevent an adverse effect on the Wealden Heaths Phase II SPA.

People Connected with Places

Completion of further 680m of non-motorised user footpath on the Egrets Way as phase 5 was finished
A total of 99 units of visitor accommodation were permitted including 40 holiday lodges at Marwell Activity Centre

Towards a Sustainable Future

A net total of 2008 dwellings benefit from planning permission but are unbuilt.
Of these 507 are defined as affordable homes.
172 new homes were completed in the National Park,
We have a 5.9 year supply of deliverable housing sites
10,507m2 net total of completed employment floorspace
Conversion and change of use of agricultural buildings repurposed to provide 5,470m2 of new employment floorspace