Horsham District's Reg.19 Local Plan - On The Rocks or Awaiting New Orders?

After just 3 days of hearings, which started on the 10 December 2024, the Planning Inspector suspended the hearings, which were due to continue until late January 2025 because he had 'significant concerns about the soundness and legal compliance of the Plan in respect of a number of areas'.  To say that this was unexpected is an understatement, as the Inspector had had plenty of time to raise any worries in a pre-examination, but none was requested.  

There is a response to the above decision from HDC, which supposes that the Inspector's main concerns were:

Meeting housing needs and the Sustainability Appraisal (“SA”);

Whether the Council has discharged its Duty to Cooperate;

The purported 6 month time limit in relation to delay in the examination of local plans.

and suggested a way forward with regards to the first two points.  However nothing has been forthcoming from the Inspector, and the Christmas and New Year break has intervened.

Given the level of opposition to the Reg.19 Local Plan in certain quarters, why does this matter?  The short answer is found in the question 'should the district have a degree of control over what, where and how new development takes place, and receive contributions to build commensurate infrastructure?'  My view is most definitely 'yes', especially considering the alternative 'Planning by Appeal' under the latest National Planning Policy Framework, which would require Horsham District to allow the building of between 1500 and 1800 new dwellings each year!  (The Reg.19 HDLP plans for an average of 777 new dwellings each year.)  

Given the District's current lack of a 5-year housing land supply, we are already seeing such speculative planning applications coming forward, not to mention winning at appeal , and further delays to the plan will only aggravate this. 

There is also the looming question of central government's plans for so called 'devolution'; but that's for another blog post!  In the meantime, this councillor hopes that Inspector Luke Fleming had a Merry Christmas, and wishes him a Happy New Year!