Help us create thriving places for people and wildlife

CPRE Sussex and the Sussex Wildlife Trust have written to all East and West Sussex MPs to seek their support for a planning system that empowers local communities and protects and enhances the rich biodiversity of Sussex.

The charities are seeking a review of the ‘standard method’ algorithm which sets a housing target for a local area. The reliance on the standard method in Sussex is leading to more unsustainable car-dependant development, whilst brownfield sites lie idle. At a time when all Sussex councils have made a declaration of a climate emergency, the charities argue that this cannot continue.

Local Authorities must be empowered to determine precisely how many homes to plan for and where those homes most appropriately located, fully taking into account the wider environmental land use needs for their area, instead of relying on a standard method  algorithm. We urgently need to see the abolition of the Housing Delivery Test and to ensure that the standard method does not become the ‘default’ housing target where a Local Plan is considered ‘out-of-date’.

Read:

SWT and CPRE joint letter to local MPs 15 April 2021