Latest updates on the Neighbourhood Plan

April 2026: Joint Neighbourhood Plan Area with Shipley Parish

Building on the commitment to continuous partnership working, Southwater Parish Council has formally applied to Horsham District Council for the designation of a joint Southwater & Shipley Neighbourhood Plan Area following a positive resolution with neighbouring Shipley Parish Council in April 2026. 

The proposed area covers both parishes entirely and reflects the increasingly close planning relationships between them, particularly where the outward growth of Southwater influences adjoining rural areas of Shipley and vice versa. 

The designation request sets out the clear planning reasons for the joint approach, including, but not limited to: 

• shared issues relating to the ongoing protection of the landscape and the countryside, movement and connectivity 

  
  

• the need for more coordinated infrastructure planning 

  
  

• avoiding duplication and policy inconsistency across both parishes and around boundaries 
  

Both councils have independently concluded that a joint neighbourhood plan would provide the most logical, effective and locally supported basis for planning. Horsham District Council will now consider the designation request in line with the neighbourhood planning regulations. Why did we commit to a new Neighbourhood Plan? Please read our previous blog post here.