Call for clarity from government on planning policy to help guide Horsham's local plan process

The Plan, which guides development proposals in the district, was put on hold in January with the council declaring it ‘would not be appropriate’ to continue, given government proposals to look again at the high annual housing targets each area is expected to meet.

During a meeting of the full council, John Milne, cabinet member for planning & infrastructure, called for clarity from the government.

Mr Milne said: “Currently, there are multiple planning reform consultations all going on simultaneously.

“Altogether, this makes for an incredibly confusing short-term environment in which we have to make very complex long-term decisions.

“Frankly, clarity is the last thing we have gained.

“As time goes by, the risk of unwanted speculative development increases.

“So far they’re mostly being held back by our water neutrality constraints – but we urgently need to know whether it’s worth the risk of delaying any further.”

Mr Milne said he wrote to Jeremy Quin MP in the hope of meeting to get a clearer picture of the government’s intentions – but Mr Quin declined the invitation.

Mr Milne said: “I’m aware that he provided occasional advice and updates to the previous Conservative administration.

“Jeremy has publicly supported the council’s original decision to delay, so he must have thought there was at least a chance government reform would come to our aid.

“Unfortunately, Jeremy has declined my invitation to meet. He stated that planning is a matter for the local authority, not the local MP.

“This is a very unexpected reply and I hope he will reconsider in the interests of the community as a whole.”

Mr Quin, along with Arundel and South Downs MP Andrew Griffith, said the issue of housing numbers was raised when they met with the council on Friday (June 23) for a quarterly update.

In a joint statement, the MPs said: “The single most important thing any district council must get right is local planning.

“Our communities need clarity about how they will be protected from unsustainable development.

“The Liberal Democrats for some 15 years have said that they want to run the council – they now have the mandate to run it and this includes determining planning policy, the national fundamentals of which were put in place under the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government.

“The [council] has access to a dedicated planning department, specialist reports and legal advice which are not shared with MPs by the council.

“These are commissioned by the council, to help them to take decisions that can only be taken by the council.”

The MPs said that, in their view, future house building numbers across the district should come down significantly from what had initially been proposed.

They added: “While Water Neutrality may provide some current protection against significant speculation, having taken control of the council, it is up to the new Lib Dem administration to decide whether or not to bring forward a Local Plan at this juncture on the basis of the planning and legal advice they receive.”