Decision looms on the fate of Horsham District’s Local Plan amidst Labour’s pressure to Build, Build, Build!

15 Jul 2025
Horsham District field

Horsham District’s Cabinet is likely to withdraw the emerging Local Plan after considering all other options, as the recommendation is sent to Policy and Scrutiny next week.

The Cabinet Member for Planning & Infrastructure, Ruth Fletcher, has submitted a draft recommendation on the next steps of Horsham’s Local Plan to the Scrutiny Committee, which will meet on Wednesday, 23 July, to discuss.

The report recommends Horsham District Council (HDC) withdraw its Local Plan after the Planning Inspector indicated he would not find the plan to be sound, with a final decision to be made at a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, 6 August.

Recent changes in government policy and instructions sent by the Government Minister to the Planning Inspectorate created new barriers to Horsham’s Local Plan. Some have argued that the goal posts were significantly moved after the plan was formed and submitted.

While earlier reviews and pre-inspection communications from the Planning Inspectorate raised no red flags, the Inspector introduced key issues late in the process, such as higher housing targets, obligations to build more for neighbouring councils, and questioning the subject of water neutrality, which is bespoke to our area.

This situation has been further evidenced by other nearby authorities in the South of England who, having also submitted their plans after the General Election, have also had their plans found to be unsound.

Martin Boffey, Leader of the Horsham Liberal Democrat Group at HDC, commented,

“We strongly believe the plan should have passed inspection, based on the framework it was developed under.

“It was well-prepared, locally shaped, and designed to meet the housing, infrastructure and environmental needs of our communities. Our plan tackled the unique challenges of water neutrality with a realistic and deliverable strategy, and would have given us a period of certainty while those challenges were resolved.

“If Cabinet votes to withdraw our Local Plan in August, it will not be because we accept the Inspector’s reasoning, but because continuing to fight for the Local Plan would trap Horsham in further delays and uncertainty. As Councillors, we will always act in the best interests of Horsham District.

“Our growing community, our children and our grandchildren, will all need new affordable and sustainable homes, supported by the necessary infrastructure.

“But by finding Local Plans in our region to be unsound, under the Minister’s new 2024 directive to fail, rather than fix, the Labour Government risks forcing unsustainable housing development in our region with no regard for location, infrastructure, the local economy, communities, design or the environment.

“Labour’s desperate attempt to meet their house building targets could put our community and our countryside at risk while running roughshod over local decision-making.”

The draft recommendation can be viewed in the Policy & Scrutiny papers on HDC’s website: https://horsham.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=365&MId=2883.

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