Southwater Neighbourhood Plan Review Update

The Southwater Neighbourhood Plan (SNP) was officially “made” and adopted in June 2021 following a referendum undertaken by Horsham District Council (HDC). Since then, Southwater Parish Council has been working to review and update the plan with a view to extending the protections afforded by paragraph 14 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and to ensure it continues to reflect the needs and priorities of the growing Southwater community.

We’ve received some recent enquiries from residents asking whether a review is being carried out.  Whilst various updates have been provided throughout the process at the Planning Committee meetings, we thought it would be helpful to provide a full update.

Community Consultations

The review began in 2022 with an initial consultation involving local organisations and community groups from 24 August to 5 September 2022. This was followed by a broader public consultation between 31 January and 10 March 2023. As part of this wider engagement:

• Flyers were delivered to every home in the parish.

• Posters were displayed on Parish noticeboards.

• Details were published on the Parish Council’s website and social media channels.

• Two public drop-in sessions were held at Beeson House – with around 16 attendees on 1 March and 75 on 4 March 2023.
  

Feedback gathered through both digital and physical response forms has informed the revisions proposed to the Plan.

Grant Funding and Financial Impact

To support the review process, the Parish Council successfully secured two Neighbourhood Planning grants of £10,000 and £6,250 from Locality across two financial years (2022-23 & 2023-24). However, due to delays in progressing the Plan (largely outside of the Council’s control), portions of the unused grant had to be returned at the end of each respective financial year, as required under Locality’s grant terms and conditions.

Submission to Horsham District Council (HDC)

The revised Southwater Neighbourhood Plan was submitted to Horsham District Council in November 2023. However, the review had since experienced delays as HDC prioritised its own emerging Local Plan. Following a meeting with HDC’s Head of Strategic Planning on 29 May 2024, a response to our submitted revised plan was finally received on 14 August 2024.

In their response of 14 August 2024, HDC advised that, due to the ongoing revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the need to meet stringent water neutrality requirements, for Southwater to formally progress the review after the Local Plan Inspector's Report is published. This would help ensure alignment with the latest policies and avoid the need for further revisions.

A summary of HDC’s key feedback includes:

• Policy changes may trigger the requirement for examination and referendum.

• Amendments must consider forthcoming updates to the NPPF and HDC’s Local Plan.

• Water neutrality is a critical factor for any development proposals in the district.

• Timing the review post-Inspector’s Report will reduce the risk of conflicts and delays.

What happens next?

The Parish Council remains committed to completing the SNP Review. We continue to monitor progress of HDC’s Local Plan closely, which is still awaiting further response from the Examiner after they cancelled the Local Plan’s hearings mid process.

There may be added complication for HDC and their work towards the Local Plan with the Government White Paper on Devolution, where Sussex is progressing towards a Mayoral Strategic Authority and where both the County Council and Horsham District Council will become part of a larger Unitary Authority serving a much wider area by 2028.