More than 20,000 new homes approved to be built in Sussex after four-year delay

Thousands of new homes are to be built in Sussex after a four-year delay over water and wildlife concerns, the Government has said.

Building work for 21,000 new homes in parts of Horsham, Crawley and Chichester has been halted since 2021 because of concerns about the amount of water being taken from rivers and wetlands in the Arun Valley.

The work threatened to affect protected wildlife and local water resources.

Discussions were led by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) with regulators and industry to try to end the delay while satisfying environmental concerns.

A new agreement between Natural England, Defra, the Environment Agency and Southern Water will see the water company change its permits to limit the amount of water taken from the area, and provide funding to restore habitats.

Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds said: “This breakthrough ends a broken status quo and shows how we can build the homes the community needs while protecting nature.

“Under the Government’s plan for change, we are taking a win-win approach that unlocks growth while protecting and restoring the natural world we all depend on.

“We are getting Britain building again while securing a brighter future for our precious wetlands, wildlife and local rivers.”

Around 4,000 homes that were previously stalled will now proceed and a further 17,000 are set to be built, with work recommencing on November 1.

A Defra spokesperson has said that these homes will be built to “higher water efficiency standards” in line with guidance for “water scarce” areas.

They added that their new plan will protect rare species including the lesser whirlpool ramshorn snail, which is part of the Arun Valley’s ecosystem.

“This type of sustainable development clearly shows how we can build the new homes this country needs while restoring and protecting nature,” said Marian Spain, chief executive of Natural England.

The UK Government has pledged to build 1.5 million homes by the end of this Parliament.