The Local Plan prepared by Horsham District Council to develop 13,000 homes up to 2040 has been put on hold by a Government inspector, who has cancelled all remaining public sessions the council scheduled for vetting the plan in January.
This comes despite the new Labour Government pledging to free up sites across the UK in order to build 1.5 million homes over five years.
Government inspector Luke Fleming wrote to the local authority this week expressing “significant concerns” about the plan’s “soundness,” as well as its “legal compliance.”
The council responded calling Fleming’s actions “premature” and has asked him to re-consider and contemplate reopening the hearings in the new year, and said Fleming had not provided explanations for his decision.
Ruth Fletcher, cabinet member for planning and infrastructure at the authority, told the BBC: “This unnecessary delay is incredibly frustrating. The benefits of passing this plan are obvious in terms of controlling speculative development.”
She said the plan would mean more affordable homes and “better protection for green spaces and wildlife.”