Current Issues

South Downs National Park Local Plan:  

The South Downs Local Plan is nearing completion. A final consultation is currently being undertaken by the SDNPA, seeking comments relating to 'soundness', whether the duty to co-operate has been met and whether or not it is legally compliant. Every comment will be passed to the Planning Inspectorate when the Plan is submitted in Spring 2018. The Planning Inspector will respond to the comments as part of their examination. 

The Plan which will set out how the National Park will develop in the future has much to be commended in it.  The South Downs Land Managers made detailed comments at the Preferred Options stage.  They welcomed the positive approach to development taken within the plan, providing a good balance between the statutory purposes of the National Park and the Authorities duty to have regard to the social and economic well being of the area.

Whilst the policy to conserve historic agricultural buildings was supported. Particular concern was raised to the proposed requirement for redundant more modern agricultural buildings to be demolished after a period of 3 years. Not only would this be a significant cost to the landowner but also, it was felt, shortsighted due to the dynamic nature of farming.

The SDLM welcomed the proposed introduction of farm and estate plans delivering multiple benefits, to assist in seeking exceptional development or diversification projects, but sought assurance that the scale of the plan should be commensurate with the size of the farm/estate and the scale of the proposed development.

The SDLM objected to the inclusion of a condition in the policy on agricultural and forestry workers dwellings that no other dwellings on or closely connected to the holding have been sold within the past 10 years.

We were pleased to see that the SDNPA had taken up our suggestion to use the FARMA guidelines for the split between local, regional and other produce that can be sold at farm shops.

Click on the link above for more information about the Local Plan or here to see the full response from the SDLM, SDLM Response.

If you would like to see the SDLM's full response to the Local Plan Preferred Options contact sdlm@southdownsland.com

Other Current Issues include:

• Community Infrastructure Levy - The CIL strategy has been adopted by the SDNPA and will come into force on 1st April 2017.  .   

• Incentives:  Future of agri-environment and woodland grant schemes and ecosystems service payments; future of Park Authority incentives schemes and their attractiveness and accessibility to land managers.

• Public access:  opportunities from access, and, conflicts with commercial interests.

• Rural Crime:  need to improve reporting and response.

• Water:  availability, quality.

• Value for Money: does enough of the Park Authority expenditure actually improve the managed landscape

• Agriculture & Forestry: how will the Park Authority work with us to support sustainable businesses which can deliver landscape objectives. 

To tell us your views on current issues important to you, Email South Downs Land Managers.

Our Consultation Responses

SDLM Local Plan and CIL response

SDLM response to the Partnership Management Plan

SDLM response to the South Downs National Park Local Plan Options Consultation and 

South Downs National Park Community Infrastructure Levy Draft Charging Schedule