Chichester Local Plan Review update: October 2022

As you know, the Chichester Local Plan has been one of the most challenging pieces of work we have ever embarked on, mainly due to issues we have faced with the roads, wastewater, and water neutrality.

Before any council submits their Local Plan to the Planning Inspector, they must show that they have tried and tested every possible way to reach the housing numbers set by government. No stone can be left unturned. This means that the work that we have carried out to date has been vital in demonstrating the complex situation we are in.

As we have previously explained, many elements of the Local Plan are out of our control - including roads, wastewater and water neutrality. This is what makes this process so challenging. The Local Plan is a bit like a jigsaw - you have to make sure all of the pieces fit. The Planning Inspector will want to see that we have investigated every single option and that we have the evidence to back this up. We need to go through this process and gather this evidence in order to get the very best outcome for our residents and businesses and keep planning decisions locally. Below we have provided an update on each of the key issues that we are dealing with within the Local Plan.
 

Roads

Due to the significant road improvements required to enable new housing growth to take place, and the fact that insufficient funding is available to deliver this, we will be explaining that the plan will not meet the full housing targets set by government. Instead, we have worked closely with National Highways and West Sussex County Council to establish a revised Development Strategy based on improvements that can be delivered to the A27 during the plan period. Our government target is 638 homes each year from 2021 to 2039. We have been working with our partners to agree a reduced housing target, as well as plan for improvements to the local road network, including specific junctions on the A27, and the introduction of sustainable travel options.
 

Wastewater

Water companies have a statutory duty to treat wastewater from new development. We work closely with these companies, primarily Southern Water but also Portsmouth and Thames Water, to ensure new development is factored into their future plans. Water companies are currently preparing Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans, which look at the improvements needed over the next 25 years or more. Water companies are also due to bring forward improvements that are needed before 2025.

Wastewater disposal has long been a problem in the south of the district and we have been lobbying Southern Water to explain to us what improvements are required for some time.

Following an official complaint to the Water Services Regulation Authority, Ofwat, we have been holding constructive meetings with Southern Water and the Environment Agency, and Southern Water has agreed to work with us jointly on identifying improvements that need to be made.

We are continuing to work closely with Southern Water in particular, to confirm they can deliver the required improvements and to identify where phased delivery of housing might be needed. A first Statement of Common Ground (a statement setting out the current position) was agreed by the council, Southern Water and the Environment Agency and was published in November 2020.
 

Water neutrality

Natural England has advised us that planning applications for new development on sites that are supplied with water by Southern Water, from its Sussex North Water Resource Zone, should demonstrate that the water consumed is 'water neutral'.

Any planning application in the areas affected will need to demonstrate water neutrality through a mixture of water efficiency, and offsetting. This applies to any proposed development that would increase demand on the water supply, including offices, shops, and houses. We have issued advice on our website setting out requirements for proposals to achieve water neutrality.

A relatively small part of the Chichester Local Plan Area is currently affected by the requirement for water neutrality. Neighbouring planning authorities, including the South Downs National Park Authority, Horsham District Council and Crawley Borough Council are also affected. The council has worked on a joint study with these authorities to quantify the scale of the issue and identify proposed mitigation schemes to address this. The results from the study are being finalised and while the detailed mitigation scheme is being worked up, we are now confident that we will be able to identify an acceptable way forward.

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