NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2024

The Welkin: You may recall that developers have been attempting for some time to fill some of the Welkin’s green spaces with further housing. Following vigorous local opposition, Mid Sussex Council refused permission earlier in 2023. We are pleased to report that an appeal lodged against the council’s decision was rejected by the Planning Inspectorate in September. The inspector’s decision cited “harm to the character and appearance of the area” as the reason for refusal. In addition to countering the threat of overdevelopment that has been facing residents of the Welkin, this decision creates a useful precedent for responding to future attempts to urbanise our village.

Government Planning Legislation: The much delayed “Levelling up and Regeneration Act” became law on October 26. Despite the expansive title, the Act is mainly about planning policy. Earlier iterations of the bill, which would have centralised planning decisions even further than at present, eventually led to a backbench revolt in November 2022. The current Act is an attempt to navigate around the objections, but it still contains worrying elements. Most notably, the Secretary of State for Housing retains power over centralised “National Development Management Policies”. Originally the Secretary of State was to be able to set these policies without reference to the public or parliament. The final version of the bill at least requires full public consultation, except in “exceptional circumstances”. Given the past effectiveness of public consultation on housing, readers are perhaps entitled to view this safeguard with some scepticism.

Government planning policy is likely to remain the single greatest threat to our countryside.