Consultation starts on national park development plan

The consultation closes in March

The South Downs National Park is inviting people to have their say on how and where developments could take place in the area in the future.

The South Downs Local Plan is being reviewed to ensure it is up-to-date and addresses issues such as nature recovery, climate change, affordable housing, and helping local communities thrive.

A consultation on the plan started on Monday and is due to end on 17 March.

Tim Slaney, director at the National Park Authority, said: "Planning is the beating heart of the national park, deciding where development takes place and how we conserve and enhance its amazing landscape, wildlife, and heritage."

Local plans set out where future development will take place, such as new homes and locations for business growth, as well as key policies, such as protecting nature and heritage, against which future planning applications will be judged.

The National Park Authority proposes to keep much of the existing local plan, including the emphasis on being landscape-led, which means the nationally designated landscape is considered in every planning decision.

The plan will also continue to prioritise the provision of clean air, water, and food, and a medium level of growth spread across the towns and villages of the national park, said a park authority spokesperson.

However, it includes changes to strengthen green infrastructure policies and to give greater protection to water resources.

Peter Bailey, who lives near Washington, hopes the character of the area is not spoiled

The plan also includes 48 new proposed site allocations across East and West Sussex and Hampshire.

These include fields near Amberley, Easebourne, Cocking, Midhurst, Chichester, Petworth, Washington, and Seaford.

East Sussex's County Hall in Lewes is also listed as a possible housing site.

Peter Bailey, who lives near Washington, said he respected that homes needed to be built, but suggested they should be connected to towns and villages where there was infrastructure to support them.

Nick Graham-Smith is from St Columba's Community Farm near Washington

He added: "I would be anxious that we don't spoil the character of it [the area] because this is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and we want to keep it that way."

Nick Graham-Smith, from nearby St Columba's Community Farm, was "not overly positive" about possible developments in the nearby green space, but also acknowledged there needed to be more housing.

"There are plenty of places where you can hear traffic and there are buildings obscuring the views of nature, whereas here you do need to protect this," he said.

The next version of the plan will be published in 2026, ahead of its submission for examination by an independent inspector, before potentially being adopted in 2027.