Jeremy Quin doesn’t understand his own national planning rules, say Lib Dems

A recent claim by Horsham's MP Jeremy Quin that Horsham District Council is using an unachievable target for water usage has been slammed by the Lib Dem administration.

Jeremy wrongly stated that Horsham’s target for water usage under national planning rules is 125l per person per day. But in fact it was just 110l, because Horsham was already officially listed as a water-stressed area.

More recently HDC has been required to set an even lower figure because of potential environmental damage from excess water extraction. Along with Crawley and Chichester, Horsham’s target was reduced to 85l in order to achieve ‘water neutrality’.

This 85l figure was agreed not by the Lib Dems, as Jeremy incorrectly states, but by the previous Tory administration in HDC 2 years ago. Since then it has been used in any number of planning decisions, including Crawley’s own Local Plan, and is effectively part of planning regulations.

Cllr John Milne (Lib Dem, Denne), Cabinet Member for Planning & Infrastructure, asks the obvious question:

“Why was Jeremy happy to accept an 85l target when it came from Conservatives, but not when it comes from the Lib Dems? He’s not even looking at what’s in the tin, just what it says on the label.

“Jeremy suggests that Natural England don’t support HDC’s approach. But not only have they endorsed the 85l target, they were one of the consultees who helped agree it in the first place. Nothing has been done without Natural England approval.

“All of this information is laid out in plain sight for Jeremy on the Council website¹. Alternatively, if he would only accept any of our invitations to meet and discuss the Local Plan, we could explain what his government’s policy is doing to this district.

“Any attempt by HDC to choose a different water target now would almost certainly result in the Local Plan being rejected. This would leave the district open to further uncontrolled development, as if we didn’t have enough to cope with.

“In his eagerness to attack this council for policies he previously supported, simply because HDC is now Lib Dem run, Jeremy is causing real damage to the interests of Horsham District residents. It’s very concerning that Jeremy does not appear to understand his own national planning policy.”

Notes

1. Horsham District Council’s website on water neutrality: https://www.horsham.gov.uk/planning/water-neutrality-in-horsham-district/water-neutrality-and-planning-applications