Update on Local Plan Review in South Downs National Park
August 16, 2023
The South Downs Local Plan reaches its fifth birthday next July and the Government requires Local Plans to be reviewed every five years.
The work to review the Local Plan has started with updating the evidence for housing and other development needs and assessing the available sites to meet these needs. The Authority has asked parish councils to prepare Parish Priorities Statements (PPS) to inform the Local Plan Review and many of them will be consulting on these over the next few months.
Claire Tester, Planning Policy Manager for the National Park, said: “Please do engage with this consultation and make your views known to your town or parish council so they can take them into account in their PPS. This will help us to understand what people value about their communities and how they think changes should happen over the next 15 to 20 years”
The draft Local Plan Review will go through two rounds of formal public consultation prior to independent examination – the first expected between January and March 2025.
Claire added: “It’s so important we keep the Local Plan up-to-date so we can make sure that we are meeting the needs of our communities whilst also conserving and enhancing the special landscape qualities of the National Park.
“Having an up-to-date Local Plan also protects us from speculative developments that haven’t been through a Local or Neighbourhood Plan process.
“We will be retaining the award-winning landscape-led approach to our Local Plan and seeking opportunities to address climate change, re-nature the National Park and make it accessible to everyone..”
Keep up to date by joining the Local Plan Review mailing list and be notified of future consultations by contacting planningpolicy@southdowns.gov.uk