SOUTHWATER NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN REVIEW - COMMUNITY CONSULTATION

What is a Neighbourhood Plan?

Neighbourhood planning gives communities direct power to develop a shared vision for their neighbourhood. Subsequently, shaping the development and growth of their local area.

This empowers residents to establish:

• Where new homes, shops and offices are built,

• have their say on what those new buildings should look like and nature of the infrastructure provided,

This empowers the community to grant planning permission for the new infrastructure they wish to see go ahead.

This provides a powerful set of tools for local people to ensure the consensual development for their community and neighbourhood alongside the strategic needs and priorities of the wider local area.

Although Neighbourhood planning is not a legal requirement, it is a right which communities in England can choose to use. It further establishes that Communities and local planning authorities can discuss collectively their ambitions for their neighbourhood.

Why is it important to review the plan?

There a number of reasons why it is important. Some of these are listed below:

• We need to refresh it periodically to ensure it is always a recently adopted plan.

• The plan has been in place since early 2021 and there has been some difficulty applying several policies.

• This allows us to adjust them based on experience to date.

Wider Policy Context:

Central government are currently consulting on changes to the planning system and National Planning Policy Framework. If the current proposals are adopted, centrally derived housing requirement figures may be a thing of the past, and speculative housing proposals will likely be harder to progress.

In light of this, Horsham District Council have paused the preparation of the new

District Plan. Whilst this may be good news to some, there is a risk that if the changes do not come into effect (which is entirely possible), Southwater will be a prime target for unplanned speculative development.

The Parish Council is therefore pushing ahead to maintain an up to date neighbourhood plan to counter this risk.

Which Parts are being reviewed?

To identify the policies to focus on we undertook an initial consultation with local groups and organisations who have an active role in the community, or use the plan daily.

This initial consultation identified the following policies as needing particular attention at this time:

• SNP1 - CORE PRINCIPLES

• SNP7 - FORMAL / INFORMAL SPORTS AREAS

• SNP14 - ADEQUATE PROVISION OF CAR PARKING

• SNP18 – A TREED LANDSCAPE

HOW CAN YOU TAKE PART

• Please ensure you are familiar with the current neighbourhood plan available here.

• You can complete the consultation response form here.

To help you respond, we are running in person consultation sessions. You are invited to attend a drop in session to discuss the plan held by volunteers and Councillors undertaking the review.

These are taking place at Beeson House at:

• 7pm - 9pm Wed 1st March 2023

• 10am - 2pm Sat 4th March 2023

The response form available online (click here).

It is also available as a hard copy. Please request a copy of the response form from the Parish Council office, Beeson House. Complete it and return it by hand or post by the 10th of March 2023.

Other ways to get in touch:

Tel: 01403 733202

Email: enquiry@southwater-pc.gov.uk

Southwater Parish Council, Beeson House, Fairbank Road, Southwater, RH15 9LA