Local Plan 2045 Scoping Consultation

2. Changes to the national planning system

2.1The Government has made several recent changes to the planning system which will have a direct impact on how the council plans for its future growth, as well as the scope of the new local plan. These are summarised below.

Changes to increase housing supply

2.2The Government has made clear that councils must plan to meet their full local housing needs. A new mandatory method has been introduced for calculating the minimum number of homes councils are expected to plan for.

2.3This method is based on a proportional increase to existing housing stock, with additional uplifts applied in areas where housing is less affordable. As a result, most local authorities, including us, are now required to plan for significantly higher levels of housing delivery than previously.

Greater commitment to prioritising development on brownfield land

2.4There is a renewed national commitment to prioritising development on brownfield land – that is, land which has previously been developed – ahead of greenfield sites. This is intended to support the regeneration of existing urban areas and make more efficient use of land.

Housing land supply

2.5If a local authority does not have an up-to-date local plan, or cannot demonstrate a deliverable five-year supply of housing land, national planning policy applies more strongly in decision-making. This can reduce the council’s ability to refuse planning applications that do not align with local priorities.

Promoting economic growth

2.6Local plans are expected to support the needs of a modern and evolving economy. This includes identifying appropriate locations for uses such as digital infrastructure, logistics, research and development, and other employment-generating activities relevant to the plan-area to support local economic growth.

Change to the scope of the local plan with the proposed introduction of national decision-making policies

2.7The proposed inclusion of national decision-making policies in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) will place new limits on what we can include in our local plan. This means that the new local plan will look very different from our current adopted local plan. It is expected that national decision-making policies will now cover many issues that were left to local plans. The draft NPPF is clear that we should not repeat national policies. We can only add local detail where national policy specifically says this is required. We can only include local policies where they are clearly needed, for example where a local Chichester plan area issue has not been covered by national policy. The focus will be on giving clear guidance that helps development sites come forward successfully.

2.8We will be carrying out a detailed review of the adopted Local Plan policies when the draft NPPF is finalised, as we will then have certainty about the matters that will be covered. In the meantime, we have considered the draft NPPF in the topic-based sections of this document, to provide an initial indication of what issues may require locally specific policies and which issues are likely to be covered by the national decision-making policies. When thinking about how to respond to the questions please refer to the national decision-making policies in the draft National Planning Policy Framework (December 2025)^[1] or the final updated NPPF should it become available during the consultation period.

A new requirement to prepare a spatial development strategy (SDS)

2.9A major change to the planning system is the move towards national coverage if ‘spatial development strategies (SDS)’ at a sub-regional level. The aim of the new SDS will be to ‘set a positive vision for future growth and change at a sub-regional scale and provide a clear framework for investment and growth, including new housing’^[2].

2.10SDSs will be produced by strategic authorities and will guide housing and infrastructure delivery across wider geographic areas. This move is intended to support the Government’s ambition to deliver 1.5 million new homes, recognising that development challenges often extend beyond individual council boundaries. However, details on how these strategies will operate and the areas they will cover are still being finalised. The proposed SDS geography for this area is based on the Sussex and Brighton Strategic Authority area and it is expected that the strategic authority will have the responsibility for SDS preparation.

2.11The Sussex and Brighton Strategic Authority was formally established in March 2026 and is starting to operate as an organisation. The authority has been established to provide strategic leadership across the area, working with local councils, partners, investors and government to deliver greater prosperity for the area.

‘Duty to cooperate’ no longer a legal test

2.12We work closely with neighbouring authorities and partners across West Sussex and the wider sub-region on strategic planning matters. The Government has placed increased emphasis on cross-boundary working and the alignment of local plans with wider strategic priorities, including infrastructure delivery, economic growth and environmental objectives. There is now no legal ‘duty to cooperate’ under the new system but there are strong expectations for engagement between authorities to identify and address cross-boundary issues. This will be especially important in the time before any SDS is adopted.

Changes to use of supplementary planning documents

2.13The current local plan is supported by a range of supplementary planning documents (SPDs) which provide more detailed guidance on specific topics, such as developer contributions.

2.14Under the new plan-making system, SPDs can no longer be produced. There is a new type of document called a ‘supplementary plan’. The council will need to consider whether key elements of existing guidance should be incorporated directly into the local plan, and what further detail may be required through either future supplementary plans or technical guidance notes once the new local plan is adopted.

Sustainability Appraisal / Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) / Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA)

2.15Proposed plans, policies and strategies must be tested using a systematic, high-level process to evaluate their potential environmental effects before being approved. This is usually carried out through the process called strategic environmental assessment (SEA). Within the new planning system, the government is intending to replace SEA and environmental impact assessment (EIA) with environmental outcomes reports (EORs). However, at the current time these requirements have not been formalised through regulations and, as such the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004 continue to apply.

2.16In addition, the requirement for a broader Sustainability Appraisal (SA) incorporating social and economic, as well as environmental considerations, has been removed. For previous local plan preparation, the council undertook SEA as part of the SA of the Local Plan.

2.17As a result, and during this transition period, SEA and HRA will be required to inform preparation of the plan. In the absence of the formal requirement for SA, the council still considers that it would be prudent to expand the assessment to include consideration for appropriate social and economic factors, including impacts on health, education and job creation. This will ensure a most holistic assessment of impacts as the content of the updated local plan is considered.

2.18A Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) screening and scoping exercise will be carried out, but will be later than the main scoping consultation, due to the need to appoint consultants to carry out the work. As it is a technical consultation with key stakeholders, rather than a public consultation, it does not have to be carried out at the same time. However, demonstrating that we are making progress with the SEA will be part of the Gateway 1 assessment, so it is important that the work is underway.

2.19The council will also undertake Equalities Impact Assessment (EqIA) and Health Impact Assessment (HIA) each stage of the plan preparation.