Planning reforms will overwhelm Sussex with more development

Proposals will see housing targets rise by as much as 168% while still failing to tackle the crisis in affordable housing.

CPRE Sussex has said the proposed ‘1.5 million home’ planning reforms fail to tackle the affordable housing crisis and threaten to overwhelm Sussex with more development.

CPRE Sussex is urging residents to send a strong message to ministers over the plans which would see new centrally determined mandatory housing targets imposed on Local Authorities.

In Sussex, every area bar one, will see targets rise – in some cases dramatically – with Chichester’s figure increasing by 59% and Worthing’s by a staggering 168%.

The proposals would place councillors under extreme pressure to agree large numbers of planning permissions for major developers.
This would further endanger green spaces, places for wildlife, existing infrastructure and land for food production and flood management.

Analyses by CPRE and the Town and Country Planning Association also suggests leaving the delivery of housing in the hands of big developers means the Government will fail to address the very real crisis in rural affordable housing.

CPRE Sussex is urging residents to submit their responses to the Government consultation. The consultation closes on 24 September, and can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/proposed-reforms-to-the-national-planning-policy-framework-and-other-changes-to-the-planning-system

Read full press release: Press release Housing Figures