Amy Tyler-Jones, Senior Planning Policy Officer, gives an update on Neighbourhood Plans, including the referendum held in Lewes. Fifty five communities across the National Park have taken up the opportunity to prepare Neighbourhood Development Plans (NDP) for their local area. NDPs offers an opportunity for communities to develop a shared vision for their community and […]

More than 50 entries ranging from a cinema to a visitor centre have been put forward for the first Design Awards for the South Downs National Park. Shortlisting has now begun following the nomination period, which closed at the end of June. The awards will celebrate projects that have made a standout contribution to the […]

A new Agents’ Forum is being set up by the National Park Authority. The forum, which will meet at both Lewes and Midhurst, is for agents who regularly submit planning applications to the National Park. This includes those applications handled directly by the National Park Authority or one of the five host authorities – Winchester, […]

Lucy Howard, Planning Policy Manager for the South Downs National Park, reflects on the adoption of the National Park’s first Local Plan. It was a historic moment. The South Downs Local Plan was adopted at a Full Authority meeting of the National Park Authority on July 2, 2019, replacing more than 1,000 Local Plan policies […]

Landscape and the needs of local communities are central to the South Downs National Park’s Local Plan which was adopted by Members this month. The Plan covers the entire National Park for the next 14 years and rather than being “target driven”, the policies in the Plan are based on the nationally-designated landscape. The Plan […]