News 

At an Extraordinary Council Meeting on 17 December 2025, Southwater Parish Council resolved to proceed with a “Full Review” of the Southwater Neighbourhood Plan, including housing allocations.

In partnership with Santa and Southwater Parish Council, our Neighbourhood Wardens Bettina and Dom have once again coordinated a special delivery of surprise gifts for a number of well-deserving children from Southwater Junior & Infant Academies and Castlewood Primary School. Operation Jingle Bells has now been running for several years, continuing a valued tradition of spreading festive cheer within the community.

Please note that the Parish Council office will be closed from Monday, 22nd December 2025, and will reopen on Monday, 5th January 2026 as usual.

West Sussex County Council’s Public Health team is offering one-off grants of up to £5,000 to support adult mental health and reduce the risk of suicide.

The Government is consulting on local government reorganisation for Sussex & Brighton.  This is your opportunity to share your views on how local councils could be structured in the future in our area. 

Horsham District Council’s draft Annual Plan is now open for consultation. The Council is inviting feedback on the draft of its new Annual Plan for 2026/27 and is encouraging as many residents and businesses as possible to share their views.

As part of ongoing Cost of Living support and the Household Support Fund (HSF7), West Sussex Libraries will be offering free Essential Toiletries Kits and free Essential Period Product Packs for residents to collect.

Southwater Parish Council is pleased to announce that the Council has unanimously voted to extend the contract of our Neighbourhood Wardens.

Southwater Parish Council wishes to update residents on the outcome of our recent formal complaint to the Planning Inspectorate, regarding the appeal decision that granted outline permission for up to 800 dwellings at Horsham Golf Club (Ref: APP/Z3825/W/24/3355546).

Grants are payments made by the Parish Council to an organisation for a specific purpose to enhance and promote the wellbeing of the local community, either generally or through a specific project; and which is not directly controlled or administered by the Parish Council.

Southwater Parish Council is proud to announce that our organisation is now Cyber Essentials certified, marking a significant step forward in protecting our community, data, and operations. Cyber Essentials sets out a minimum technical standard to defend against the most common cyber-threats.

Southwater Parish Council is seeking tenders for its Grass Cutting and Grounds Maintenance Contract covering the period from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029. This contract encompasses the maintenance of various open spaces, play areas, ponds, and green corridors etc., within the parish.

Southwater Parish Council has now submitted a Traffic Regulation Order request (TRO) to West Sussex County Council, reference WSCC-747455903, seeking to reduce the existing 40mph speed limit at both the north and south ends of Worthing Road. With strong resident support on the survey.

Southwater Parish Council (SPC) submitted a formal complaint to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS)  on 3 rd  October 2025 regarding the...

FAQ on Devolution, Local Government Reorganisation & Asset Transfers

Southwater Parish Council held its latest Full Council Meeting on Wednesday, 17th September 2025. This meeting marked an important moment for the parish as we welcomed new councillors to fill three vacancies.

We are seeking residents’ views on the assets listed below and whether SPC should pursue their transfer from HDC so that decisions on their care and investment are made locally.

In July, the Planning Inspectorate allowed an appeal to build up to 800 homes and associated facilities on the former Horsham Golf Club site. This is the follow up with updates and actions from HDC and SPC.

Earlier this summer SPC has submitted a Asset of Community Value (ACV) nomination  for Southwater Playing Fields (also known as Phillips Field). This was an important step in our efforts to help preserve valuable green spaces for community use, particularly for sports and recreation.

This makes Southwater the first Town or Parish Council in both East and West Sussex to achieve Gold status.