Calling all landowners - have your say on Horsham’s draft...

Do you have a plot of land that you think might be suitable for development? If your site is within the Horsham District Council area, you may be interested to know that the Council has just announced a public consultation on its Draft Local Plan. In addition, the Council is undertaking a ‘Call for Sites’ consultation.

The deadline for submissions is 5pm on 30 March 2020.

What is the draft Horsham district local plan?

The Draft Local Plan sets out the draft vision, objectives and strategy for the District and will cover the period from 2019 to 2036. It contains draft Strategic Policies and general planning policies that identify development locations for employment, retail and other needs in the District.

The Council is seeking views on the Draft Local Plan, including potential development sites.

Call for sites – strategic housing and economic land availability assessment (SHELAA)

Concurrently, the Council is undertaking a ‘Call for Sites’ consultation. This provides an opportunity for developers, landowners and other interested parties to submit sites that could be suitable for residential, employment and other types of development, to the Council for consideration. In particular, the Council is looking for sites that could accommodate:

over 5 residential units;
or 0.25 hectares of economic land.

Whilst submission of a site through the ‘Call for Sites’ process does not guarantee designation, it could be the first step towards realising the development potential of your site which could significantly increase its value.

Housing – the key issue facing Horsham

The Government has set a minimum housing target for Horsham of 965 homes a year. The Council is also expected, via Duty to Cooperate requirements, to work with neighbouring Councils such as Crawley, Brighton and Worthing, to see if Horsham can help to meet any of their development needs.

Surrounding districts are heavily constrained by Green Belt, the South Downs National Park, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Ashdown Forest, and the sea (!), which typically restrict development activity, consequently limiting their ability to develop sufficient housing to meet their needs. Much pressure is therefore being placed on Horsham to provide land to accommodate this outstanding housing need given its relatively unconstrained nature, as illustrated on our Development Constraints Map above.

Get involved in your draft local plan

If you are a developer, landowner, or business owner in Horsham district, it would be prudent to get involved in the consultation. There is genuine scope to influence policy with timely, strategic and robust representations.

The team at Plainview Planning are very experienced in this field and examples of the types of positive Local Plan representations we have made in the past include:

Requests for a site to be allocated for housing development;
Suggesting out-of-town retail policies be relaxed; and
Proposing greater flexibility on barn conversion policies.

If you have land that you think may be suitable for development, or a development project that could benefit from professional representation, please get in touch to see how you can most effectively engage with and influence your Local Plan.

The call for sites consultation process

If you are seeking to submit a site for future development via the ‘Call for Sites’ consultation process, then you will need to complete a Site Submission Form alongside information to support the site’s suitability, availability, and deliverability.

Making the necessary justifications can be a challenge, however we regularly promote land as potential strategic development sites on behalf of landowners and developers and offer a variety of services and packages. We can provide consultancy services, but also a fully funded solution via our sister company, Context. Land.

An example of how we add value to this type of project can be seen above. You can see that our mapping team has already identified areas within Horsham that are constrained (coloured orange on the above image). If you own a site outside these restricted areas, then there is every chance of making the case for a successful allocation.

About us

Further ways in which we add value include:

we can help you to understand if your site meets the necessary requirements;
We use our bespoke GIS mapping systems to undertake site specific analysis which will help to highlight the opportunities and constraints of your site or potential sites;
Assessing the credentials of your site in line with local policy and established national policy;
Coordinating your promotion efforts to ensure the Council is provided with persuasive documentation about your site.

If you feel that you may have land suitable for housing or employment development in Horsham district and would like expert advice on the best way to promote your site through the ‘Call for Sites’ consultation, or feel you would benefit from professional representation, please contact us via enquiries@plainview.co.uk or call us on 01242 501003 to see how we can best assist you, providing the site address and a brief overview of your project. We value your privacy and any information which you provide will not be shared outside of our company and will only be used in relation to your enquiry.