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Positive gains in South Downs National Park annual report



Positive gains in South Downs National Park annual report

December 20, 2021

The Authority Monitoring Report infographic. From left to right, there are three columns titled: A Thriving Living Landscape; People Connected with Places; and, Towards a Sustainable Future. Under the title 'A Thriving Living Landscape', achievements include an increase in the number of red kites in the National Park, a 36% increase in Biodiversity Net Gain and the call for nature sites to help nature recover. Under the header 'People Connected with Places', achievements include the approval of 34 new sites for visitor accommodation which includes 12 tree houses; this all amounts to 13,000 square metres of new visitor accommodation. Under the header titled 'Towards a Sustainable Future' achievements include 175 new homes completed of which 11 were affordable, 64% were on brownfield land (used in previous development) and six new viticulture schemes were approved.

New homes and community facilities, provision of visitor accommodation and a continued increase in Red Kite numbers are among the headlines in the latest report presenting the work of the Authority.

The 2021 Authority Monitoring Report (AMR) has been published – our seventh AMR and the second to be produced since the adoption of the South Downs Local Plan in July 2019.

The AMR shows the progress on a number of planning documents as set out in the Local Development Scheme.

The AMR reports on the financial year 2020-21, where the Authority was able to achieve considerable positive impact at a local and regional level despite the challenges of the pandemic.

Among the highlights are:

A Thriving, Living Landscape

  • Clear upward trend in the numbers of Red Kites
  • A sample of planning applications reviewed for this AMR revealed a mean average of 36% Biodiversity Net Gain being achieved on site – significantly above the 10% mandated in the newly- enacted Environment Act

People Connected with Places

  • Planning permissions were granted for visitor accommodation facilities on 34 sites, including 12 treehouses in Cowdray Park
  • A net total of 13,001 m2 of new community facilities was granted planning permission

Towards a Sustainable Future

  • A net total of 175 new homes were completed in the National Park.
  • Of these new homes, 11 were affordable
  • We have a 6.61 year supply of deliverable housing sites
  • A net total of 1,954 m2 of new employment floorspace was completed
  • Six new viticulture schemes were permitted