August 2026 Newsletter Update

The Neighbourhood Plan (NP) Steering Group has continued to make good progress behind the scenes in preparing the next stages of the NP review process.  Following the consultation event held in February, all feedback has now been analysed and independently validated. The Steering Group is currently reviewing policies to ensure they align with both the Chichester Local Plan and national planning policy.

To support the next phase of work, the PC has appointed a specialist consultancy to prepare two key documents: the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA).  Both are statutory requirements and form an important part of the evidence base for the NP.

Although government grant funding for NPs has now been withdrawn, CDC has confirmed that the cost of these reports (approximately £18,000) can be met through Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding.  This means that there will be no impact on the Parish Precept, so residents are not meeting this cost – recent new housing in the village is paying for and allowing the village to determine future development sites.

Looking ahead, once these reports are complete, we will move to the first formal statutory consultation stage – the Regulation 14 consultation. This will provide residents with 6 weeks to review and comment on the draft NP and proposed site allocations.

As before, we intend to hold an exhibition in the Village Hall alongside making all information available online, helping to ensure as many residents as possible can take part.  We are hoping this consultation will take place in late Autumn but it will depend on the preparation of the SEA and HRA. Further details to follow after the summer. Please get involved when the times comes, it will be well advertised.

April 2026 Newsletter Update

We would like to thank everyone who attended the consultation event on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th February. Over 200 residents shared their thoughts and provided feedback on the sites assessed as having development potential.  You may recall that the village has been allocated a further 75 dwellings and it’s up to the village to determine where these homes go.

The insights and suggestions will guide the next steps. All feedback is now being carefully analysed and will be reviewed by an independent planning consultant to ensure a thorough and objective evaluation.  We will provide a further update as soon as the results are validated.

Although the consultation has now closed, for those of you who were unable to attend, the displays have been published on the village website.  A further consultation will be held in the Autumn.

November 2025 Update included in the Parish magazine and repeated in the December Parish Council newsletter.

The Chichester Local Plan was adopted by Chichester District Council in August. The Local Plan sets the housing allocation for Wisborough Green, which is 75 new homes between 2021 and 2039.

Barnfield Shaw (8 homes – under construction) and Tanglewood Nursery (10 homes – planning permission just approved) in Kirdford Road will count towards the 75.

In July we advertised a ‘Call for Sites’ to accommodate this new housing and over the summer, you may have seen some of us out and about around the village with our clipboards. This was the first stage of the NP process. We undertook a first inspection and assessment of the new sites put forward and reassessed previously offered sites for potential changes that may have occurred since our last assessment. To ensure that the assessment process has been applied uniformly, fairly and with rigour, the Parish Council has also engaged the services of an independent planning consultant and will be seeking further advice from Chichester District Council.

This information will be shared with the village at an important consultation in the Village Hall on Friday 27th and Saturday 28th February 2026.

More details will follow, but please make a note of these important dates.

Thank you.

The Neighbourhood Plan Review Steering Group

August 2025 Newsletter Update

We included an update article and Call for Sites in the July Ad Vincula magazine. This article is still available on the Wisborough Green website  – www.wisboroughgreen.org This is an important issue for WG as it enables us, collectively as a village, to decide where new housing will be built.  We will be consulting further with the village later this year, so please keep an eye open for notifications in the Ad Vincula magazine.  Here is a summary of what was said.

A Neighbourhood Plan (NP) is a local planning document that allows villages like Wisborough Green to influence the type, design, and location of new housing developments required by the government. While it cannot change the number of houses allocated to the village (currently 75 additional homes between 2021 and 2039, on top of the original 68 allocated) the NP helps maintain some local control over how and where development happens.

NP review is necessary because the Chichester Local Plan (LP), which guides broader planning decisions, has now been updated. The NP must be revised to align with this updated LP and the government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

Without an up-to-date NP, site allocation decisions would be made by Chichester District Council (CDC), potentially ignoring local preferences. A valid NP also increases the village’s share of the Community Infrastructure Levy from 15% to 25%, funding improvements in local infrastructure.

The NP is created and updated by a Steering Group of local volunteers and Parish Council members. They review current policies, assess housing sites, and consult the public. Once finalised, the revised NP undergoes examination, a public referendum, and must be formally adopted by CDC.

 July 2025 Update included in the Parish magazine

This affects you so please read, it’s important.

 What is a Neighbourhood Plan?  For those who don’t know, a Neighbourhood Plan (NP) is our village planning rule book. It’s the only protection our village can provide to retain a small degree of local control over the type, design and location of the mandatory housing allocations given by the government to Chichester District Council (CDC). It gives us no control over the housing allocation number, which for Wisborough Green, despite much objection, is now 75 for the period 2021 – 2039. This is in addition to the first NP allocation of 68 new homes (we have achieved 57 with a site allocated for the remaining 11).

Why is the Neighbourhood Plan being reviewed? Finally, after a very long delay, the Chichester Local Plan (LP) has been examined and is expected to be adopted this summer as CDC’s planning rule book. This means that our reviewed NP, that has been in hibernation awaiting this decision, must now be pulled off the shelf and reviewed (yet again) to comply with both the government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the new LP.

The first WG NP was adopted by CDC in July 2016, allocating 68 homes. It was required to be reviewed within a short period of time due to the LP review and a further housing allocation. 

A revision of the WG NP started in 2018. Site allocations, policy changes and a draft version were consulted on. The process could not be completed purely due to the constantly shifting housing allocation and timescales of the LP.

Why do we need a Neighbourhood Plan? Without an updated NP, we will lose local control on allocating development sites. CDC would allocate the sites which could be in locations not supported by the village. With a NP in place the village receives 25%, rather than 15%, of the Community Infrastructure Levy paid by developers for village infrastructure improvements.

How is the Neighbourhood Plan achieved? By a Steering Group of volunteers, comprising of Parish Council and village representatives, which reports back to the Parish Council. The Group will review the current draft plan and its policies, re-assess the existing site assessments and assess any new proposed sites against set criteria. Public consultations will be required with professional analysis of the results. The NP can then go forward for examination, referendum and finally be adopted by CDC.

How can you help? The Steering Group now consists of only 5 volunteers which is not enough to achieve this important planning document for the village. We need additional team members willing to help complete this vital work for the benefit of Wisborough Green. Don’t let a lack of NP knowledge deter you, the experienced members will work alongside and support you; we work as a team.

If you love and appreciate being part of this village, PLEASE volunteer; contact the Parish Clerk on 701102 or email clerk@wisboroughgreenpc.org for more information. Five people cannot continue to shoulder the work required in this final push to protect what we can of the character of our village.

What happens if no help is offered? The current team will do what it can to lead the process but there is only so much we can do. Without additional help, the Parish Council will have no alternative but to pay professionals. This considerable cost would come out of the Parish Precept, the money you pay to the Parish Council, which could impact upon other projects and maintenance.

What else can we do? Support the process and provide your opinions when asked. We need you ALL to attend the public consultation event currently planned for later this year when we will be actively seeking your ideas and opinions about shaping the future of Wisborough Green.  More information will follow so please read the updates in the Parish magazine and Parish Council newsletters.

Potential Development Sites

CALL FOR SITES

• CDC and the Parish Council have already been notified of some possible development sites.
• Do you have land that you think has development potential in and around the village?
• Would you like your site to be considered?
• If so, obtain a submission form by contacting the Parish Council Clerk, Louise Davies, on 701102 or clerk@wisboroughgreenpc.org
• All potential sites will undergo a rigorous and objective assessment for suitability against set criteria prior to selection for consultation.

The cut-off date for sites to be considered is

Friday 15th August 2025.

March 2025 Newsletter Update

The first key update is the outcome of the Local Plan examination, which took place last November. The good news is that the examiners have confirmed the Plan is sound, with some suggested modifications. The post-hearing letter is now available on the CDC website, but we are still waiting to understand the full details and how these changes might impact our village. CDC is now working hard to make these modifications which will be on consultation. One thing we do know is that the district’s overall housing target has been increased, and we sincerely hope this won’t place additional pressure on Wisborough Green.