The Inspector closed the Local Plan hearings on 22 October saying his preliminary view is the plan is sound. One more short consultation, then his report early in 2027.
The planning Inspector examining Horsham district’s Local Plan has said his preliminary conclusion is that the plan is sound. He gave that view when he closed the hearings on Thursday 22 October.
Updated 10 November: the final consultation on the further changes is due to run from 17 November 2026 to 5 January 2027, if Cabinet agrees on 16 November. The changes include one primary school at West of Ifield instead of two and a smaller secondary school. Our report on the changes.
The plan sets a requirement of 18,712 homes to 2040. It includes a new settlement of 3,200 homes at Adversane and 3,000 homes on Land West of Ifield.
Updated 8 November: the Inspector has now put his view in writing. His post-hearing letter of 30 October finds the plan sound subject to the main modifications, backs Land West of Ifield (the golf course would not be retained) and says his report will reach the council no later than January 2027. Our report on the letter.
Horsham District Council announced the outcome on 23 October. The Inspector, Jonathan Bore, has not yet published anything in writing about it. His closing view is reported in the council’s own statement.
What the Inspector said
According to the council, his preliminary conclusion covers:
- the proposed housing numbers
- the levels of affordable housing
- the development management policies
- the distribution of growth across the district
“Preliminary” matters here. The Inspector’s final report decides what changes the plan needs to be legally compliant and sound. Until that report arrives, nothing is settled.
What happens next
There is one more round of consultation first. The council says a “further technical consultation” will be held “shortly” on “a small number of amended or additional main modifications”. It has not given dates or said which policies or sites are affected.
After that, the Inspector writes his final report. The council says he expects it to reach the council “early in the New Year”. The council can then formally adopt the plan.
How it got here
The examination has run all year:
- April 2026: the first stage of hearings (Horsham District Council).
- 5 May: the Inspector’s interim conclusions letter asked the council to plan for more homes. The requirement rose from 13,212 to 18,712, or 1,100 a year (Schedule of Proposed Main Modifications, PDF).
- Summer: a six-week consultation on those main modifications, which closed on 24 August.
- 13 to 22 October: the second stage of hearings at Albery House, on the strategic sites and the extra sites added to meet the higher number. Our day-by-day guide to the hearings has the sites and sessions.
The last written question of the hearings was about school places. The Inspector asked whether the Billingshurst area would run short of secondary places without Adversane’s new school, and the county council said spare places would fall to its 5% limit by 2035/36. We covered the answers in Adversane school: Billingshurst full by 2036 without it.
On 23 October the examination’s Latest News page added a notice. The Inspector “will not accept any further submissions unless they have been specifically requested”, and anything unsolicited sent to the Programme Officer will be returned.
What the council said
Cllr Ruth Fletcher, the council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Infrastructure, said she was “now confident that Horsham District Council is on the way to adopting a new Local Plan early next year”.
“Delivering a Local Plan is an increasingly difficult process due to the high housing targets that are imposed on us, but it remains our top priority to return to plan-led development,” she said. “Having an up-to-date plan is the only way to protect our communities from haphazard and inappropriate development.”
What it means for you
- Nothing changes yet. Planning applications are still decided under the current plan, the Horsham District Planning Framework adopted in 2015, until the new plan is adopted.
- You can still have a say, but only on what is consulted on. The next chance is the technical consultation on the further main modifications. Unsolicited letters to the Inspector will now be sent back. We will report the dates and what is in it when the council publishes them.
- Site applications carry on separately. Big sites such as Land West of Ifield, Billingshurst East and North West Southwater still need their own planning permission. Each application has its own consultation on the council’s planning register.
Sources
- Horsham District Council: Local Plan reaches major milestone as examination hearing concludes, 23 October 2026
- Latest News from the Local Plan Examination, read 25 October 2026
- Schedule of Proposed Main Modifications, PDF, July 2026
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