The publication earlier this week of the South East Plan confirmed the Mid Sussex target of 17,100 new dwellings over the next twenty years. The plan itself is officially now part of the Mid Sussex planning guidance, and all planning applications must be determined in accordance with it “unless material factors indicate otherwise”. We now wait and see if Mid Sussex District Council will carry out its promise to take the Secretary of State to court if this massively inflated housing target was confirmed – the South East Plan’s targets seems even more outlandish now, given the current circumstances where developers and the Council will struggle to find the level of infrastructure investment required.

The plan supports the need for neighbouring authorities like Lewes District Council to contribute to infrastructure requirements – given some of the likely growth of Burgess Hill will take place within its administrative boundary (although the boundaries themselves need reviewing) however it lacks a clear mechanism to enable this.

Where new development creates a need for additional infrastructure the plan makes it clear that a programme of delivery should be agreed before development begins, therefore it will be important to clarify the infrastructure requirements of individual planning applications and to provide clear thresholds for “fuzzy” indicators such as measures to combat traffic congestion.

All reference to strategic gaps has been removed from the policy which follows on from Government moves to reduce some green belt protection in other areas of the country; this does not stop the Council pursuing its only policy but it is of concern that this appears a clear indicator of the direction nationally.

The plan fails to take account of the current economic downturn and reduced growth rates in the future, or to address the likely reduction in available Government funding towards infrastructure development. Mid Sussex District Council is currently compiling information on local infrastructure needs and my own comments on some specific investment needs are at http://simonhicks.mycouncillor.org.uk/mid-sussex-sustainable-communities/.

For the plan details see http://www.southeast-ra.gov.uk/seplan.html.