Southwater faces planning uncertainty as Appeal allows 800 homes at Horsham Golf Club

News that has come to light today reveals that the Planning Inspectorate has allowed the appeal for the development of up to 800 homes and a sports and leisure hub at Horsham Golf Club. This decision, released on 11 July 2025, has significant implications for Southwater and the wider Horsham District - particularly in the absence of an up-to-date Local Plan.

Why does this matter?

The Inspector’s decision highlights the district’s lack of a five-year housing land supply, the outdated status of the Horsham District Planning Framework (HDPF) and lack of a new Local Plan for the Horsham District. As a result, the Inspector applied the "tilted balance" under Paragraph 11(d) of the NPPF, which favours sustainable development unless the adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits.

This means that speculative development, even outside settlement boundaries, can now be approved if it meets broader sustainability criteria under the NPPF.

What does this mean for Southwater?

The Inspector acknowledged that the development would cause moderate landscape harm and some loss of tranquillity between Horsham and Southwater. However, considered that these harms were outweighed by the substantial benefits they listed:

• Delivery of 800 homes, including 280 affordable homes

• A £750,000 contribution to improve local bus services

• New sports and leisure facilities

• A local centre with retail and co-working space

• A net biodiversity gain of over 10%

The Inspector also noted that greenfield sites on the edge of settlements like Horsham and Southwater will be necessary to meet housing needs, given the District Council’s inability to demonstrate a five-year housing land supply.

The role - and limits - of the Southwater Neighbourhood Plan

The Southwater Neighbourhood Plan (SNP), adopted in June 2021, was designed to give our community a stronger voice in shaping local development. However, as this appeal decision makes clear, even the strongest Neighbourhood Plan cannot override national planning rules when the district’s Local Plan is out of date.

Because Horsham District Council (HDC) has failed to adopt a new Local Plan and cannot demonstrate a five-year supply of housing land, the Inspector had to apply the “tilted balance” under national planning policy (Paragraph 11(d) of the NPPF). This means that planning permission should be granted unless the harm clearly outweighs the benefits, a very high bar.

What this means in practice is that Southwater’s Neighbourhood Plan while still material and carries weight, based on the Planning Inspectorate’s Decision, it appears it does not carry enough weight to resist speculative or large-scale development, especially on greenfield land at the edge of settlements. This is unfortunately a consequence of there being no up-to-date Local Plan for the District.

Unless the SNP is formally reviewed and updated before June 2026, it will lose the protections it currently benefits from under Paragraph 14 of the NPPF. Without this, Southwater could be exposed to even more speculative development with fewer tools available to resist it.

What is the Parish Council doing?

Following this news, we will be urgently reviewing options and the position of our Neighbourhood Plan and will provide updates on what can be done to protect Southwater from further large-scale developments in view of there being no up-to-date HDC Local Plan.

What can you do?

We urge all residents to:

• Stay informed about the Local Plan and Neighbourhood Plan processes.

• Participate in future consultations and public meetings.

• Support the Parish Council's efforts to review the SNP and protect Southwater's character.

We will continue to provide updates as the situation evolves. Your voice matters - together, we can help shape the future of Southwater.