Horsham District housing target increased by Council not Planning Inspector

Letter published by the West Sussex County Time 6 August 2026

Dear Sir

Local Plan housing target increased by HDC, not Planning Inspector

Horsham District Council (HDC) has commented that “The high housing target the Inspector has set us is very challenging and we have faced difficult choices over which additional sites to put into the plan. Avoiding these decisions would not have stopped any of these sites being developed, but it would have left us without a plan and with many more greenfield sites at risk of unplanned development”.

The high local plan housing target for the district is 20,915 homes, which according to the council, are deliverable over the plan period.

This target includes a housing need for the district of 14,071 homes (calculated by means of the government’s mandatory standard method), plus 3,757 of Crawley’s and 884 of Adur and Worthing’s unmet needs, amounting to 18,712 in total – to which Horsham District Council, not the Planning Inspector, has added 2,303, an increase of 11.8%, hence 20,915 homes in total (see Horsham Local Plan 2023-2040 Main Modification’s: MM142).

Delivery in the plan period of 20,915 homes cannot be guaranteed.

Sales over the plan period will depend on the state of the economy, employment, housing affordability, mortgage availability, and buyer confidence. If for whatever reason sales fall, developers will reduce construction rates, regardless of the district’s housing target.

In which event, the government’s Housing Delivery Test and housing supply requirements will not be met, and irreplaceable greenfield sites will continue to be lost to unplanned development. HDC’s additional 2,303 homes could have far-reaching negative consequences.

Yours faithfully,

Dr R F Smith

Trustee CPRE Sussex