On 15 April 2015 members of the SDNPA Planning Committee considered the latest proposals for the creation of the Local Plan for the South Downs National Park. These include how the SDNPA will foster the local economy, protect its tranquil areas and dark night skies, encourage better design and deliver much needed homes in the National Park.

The Local Plan for the National Park will set out for the first time how the National Park Authority will manage development in order to meet its respon- sibilities to conserve and enhance the landscapes while serving the needs of its communities and the local economy. Once approved by the Government it will contain the policies by which all development proposals in the National Park will be judged.

Tim Slaney, Director of Planning for the South Downs National Park Authority, said the following:

(Note: this statement is taken from material already published on the internet, and therefore available in the public domain.)

National Parks aren’t suitable places for unrestricted growth, and the first priority is to conserve the landscape. But, with a vibrant local economy and house prices in the South Downs well above national and regional averages, we need to deliver housing to meet the needs of local people and keep our communities and rural economy thriving – now and in the future. This includes both affordable and market housing.

The final Local Plan will set out the areas and where possible the likely figures for new houses in the National Park up to 2032 giving people certainty about the future of their towns and villages. There shouldn’t be many surprises as many of these figures have already been announced through the Joint Core Strategies we’ve developed in partnership with other local authorities.

Our target is to keep at least 40 per cent of all new housing in the National Park affordable but our landscapes will always have the high- est possible level of conservation and we will always put these landscapes first. People will be able to have their say on this as part of the consultation on the Draft Local Plan for the National Park in Autumn 2015.