Important updates on Plan-making in South Downs National Park
The Government is bringing in a new system for preparing Local Plans, and published new Regulations in March 2026. This has implications for other documents that are used for informing planning decisions. The following is a brief summary of how this affects planning documents in the South Downs.
South Downs Local Plan
The 2019 South Downs Local Plan will remain in place until the new one is adopted (expected 2027). The new Local Plan is being prepared under the ‘legacy’ (2012 Local Plan Regulations) plan-making system, which has been saved for Local Plans submitted for examination before 31st December 2026. Details can be viewed here.
Minerals and Waste Plans
We currently have a suite of minerals and waste plans produced with other relevant planning authorities in Sussex and Hampshire. These will be updated under the new plan-making system, and we are currently exploring the timetable for this with our partners. The existing minerals and waste plans can be viewed here.
Supplementary Planning Documents
Supplementary Planning Documents are not a feature of the new plan-making system and Government has decided that no new ones shall be adopted after 30th June 2026. In practice, given the time that these need for preparation, this means that no more will be prepared in the South Downs. Existing Supplementary Planning Documents will retain full weight as long as the Local Plan they are supplementing remains in place. Most of the current ones supplement the 2019 Local Plan, so they will retain full weight until this Local Plan is replaced by the new one next year. Existing Supplementary Planning Documents and Technical Advice Notes can be viewed here.
After the new Local Plan is adopted, Supplementary Planning Documents will remain material considerations in deciding planning applications, but the weight to be attached to them will depend on how consistent they are with local and national policy, and whether the information within them is still relevant.
For instance, the South Downs Design Guide and the Village/Parish Design Statements are broadly consistent with the design policies in the new Local Plan and national planning policy and guidance. The physical characteristics of the South Downs and the individual places within it remain consistent and relevant to new proposals. Therefore, we would expect these to remain significant material considerations when making planning decisions.
We will consider whether to update the South Downs Design Guide under the new Supplementary Plan process, which involves consultation and an examination. This process is restricted to design documents that cover the whole National Park or documents that relate to a specific site (such as a development brief).
Other Guidance
As Supplementary Planning Documents become out-of-date or inconsistent with local or national policy, we will consider whether replacement guidance is needed. If it is then we could review them as Technical Advice Notes. These have no formal status in the planning system, but we have found them useful to clarify how policies in the Local Plan should be applied to ensure a consistent approach across the National Park.
Parish Documents
Neighbourhood Plans remain a part of the new plan-making system, although there are some changes to what they can cover and the basic conditions that they have to meet. Anyone wishing to prepare a new Neighbourhood Plan should seek advice from planningpolicy@southdowns.gov.uk at an early stage to make sure that they are aware of these changes.
Existing made Neighbourhood Plans will remain part of the statutory development plan until they are replaced by a new Neighbourhood Plan. There is no obligation to review them, but they will gradually carry less weight over time, especially where they are inconsistent with more recent local or national planning policy.
The Local Plan Regulations published in March 2026 for the new plan-making system do not include Neighbourhood Priorities Statements, although the primary legislation for these is still on the books if Government wishes to introduce them later on. However, the Parish Priorities Statements that have been prepared by many parishes in the South Downs have been key in informing the new Local Plan and will remain material considerations where relevant to planning decisions.
Town and Parish Councils may wish to update Village/Parish Design Statements in future, especially if their area has changed significantly. They can either do this as part of a Neighbourhood Plan or as an informal guidance document. Existing Neighbourhood Plans, Parish Priorities Statements and Village/Parish Design Statements can be viewed here.
Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans
The designation of Conservation Areas and the preparation of Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans are covered by separate legislation, so they are unaffected by the changes to the plan-making system. These can be viewed here.
Picture by Steven Brookwell