District Plan Review

The Mid Sussex District Plan was adopted in March 2018. The District Council is in the process of reviewing and updating the Plan where necessary. The new District Plan 2021 – 2039 will replace the current adopted District Plan.

November 2023

The Scrutiny Committee for Place and Environment will be meeting on the 22nd of November to consider the submission draft District Plan (Regulation 19) and supporting material. The draft District Plan (Regulation 18) has been amended following consideration of the representations made during consultation in November/December 2022, the outcomes of cross-party Members Working Group meetings, and further engagement with Town and Parish Councils. The changes made to the District Plan are shown as track changes.

• Report to Scrutiny Committee for Place and Environment
• Submission Draft District Plan (Regulation 19) – ‘Track Change’ Version
• Submission Draft District Plan (Regulation 19) – ‘Clean’ Version
• Draft Sustainability Appraisal – Regulation 19
• Draft Habitats Regulations Assessment – Regulation 19
• Community Involvement Plan – Regulation 19
• Equalities Impact Assessment

• Regulation 18 consultation – held 7th November to 19th December 2022
• Publish final Plan for consultation – January 2024
• Submission to Planning Inspectorate for Examination – Spring 2024
• Formal adoption – 2024

The supporting evidence for the District Plan 2021-2039 can be found on the Evidence Base page.

The supporting evidence for the proposed site allocations can be found on the District Plan Site Allocations page.

If you are having problems viewing the map, you can open the map directly here.

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June 2023

At the Scrutiny Committee for Place and Environment meeting in June, the Committee took forward the recommendation to establish a cross party Members Working Group to consider responses from the Regulation 18 consultation in respect of sites not selected for allocation in the draft District Plan and new sites submitted during the consultation. 

March 2023 - Consultation Responses

Mid Sussex District Council published the draft District Plan 2021-2039 for public consultation between the 7th November and the 19th December 2022. The representations will be reported to a meeting of Scrutiny Committee for Planning, Economic Growth and Net Zero on 15th March.

• Report to Scrutiny Committee for Planning, Economic Growth Net Zero.
• Representations received can be reviewed in full via our consultation page. 

Regulation 18

Mid Sussex District Council published the draft District Plan 2021-2039 for public consultation between the 7th November and the 19th December 2022.

The District Plan 2021-2039 sets out the vision, strategy and policy framework for the district for the period to 2039. It is based on four principles:

• Protection of designated landscapes (such as AONB)
• Making effective use of land
• Growth at existing sustainable settlements where it continues to be sustainable to do so.
• Opportunities for extensions to improve sustainability of existing settlements which are currently less sustainable.

The Regulation 18 draft District Plan 2021-2039 includes:

• Allocation of land for three new Sustainable Communities, each delivering over 1,000+ new homes and on-site infrastructure to support growth, such as primary and secondary education, health facilities, community centres, retail, employment and open space.
• 21 housing allocations
• Updated and new planning policies including for climate change, sustainable design and construction, biodiversity, and electric vehicles.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Council is now using an online consultation software called Inovem. It will allow us to quickly consider any of the comments made and will increase accuracy in future reporting, as well as simplify future communication with respondents on the progress of the District Plan.

All representations we received have been inputted into Inovem. Respondents are encouraged to register for Inovem (using the same e-mail address as the one used to submit comments). This will allow them to review their comments and receive updates on the outcome of the consultation and receive information on future consultation on the Plan.

All comments received during the consultation will be carefully reviewed. A consultation report summarising the issues raised and how these comments have been taken into account will be published on the Council’s website and considered by the Council before the document progresses to the next stage in the plan-making process.

Further information on the consultation can be found on the consultation page.

Consultation Documents

• Regulation 18 - Draft District Plan 2021-2039
• Regulation 18 - Draft District Plan 2021-2039 (Accessible version)
• Regulation 18 - Sustainability Appraisal
• Regulation 18 - Habitats Regulations Assessment – Main Report
• Regulation 18 - Habitats Regulations Assessment – Non-Technical Summary
• Regulation 18 - Consultation exhibition panels

The District Plan Review is only applicable to the adopted 2018 District Plan; the Site Allocations DPD (adopted 2022) does not form part of this Review.

To understand the scope of the new District Plan the District Council examined the policies within the adopted District Plan.  This exercise highlighted which policies within the District Plan needed updating and what, if any, new policies are required to ensure the Plan is in accordance with national policy and guidance. 

The exercise categorised the policies into one of three groups depending on whether it requires a full update, a minor update or no update.  Full updates have been triggered by new evidence or changes in national policy, whereas minor updates are principally needed to provide clarity or consistency.  The majority of existing policies require at least a minor update.   A full list of the policies and conclusions of the above exercise is available to view using the link below:

• District Plan Review – Scope

Sign up to Planning Policy e-communication

To receive news and updates on the emerging District Plan 2021-2039 and other planning policy documents please sign up to our e-communication. 

Please see our Consultation & Monitoring page for further associated documentation.