21,000 new homes for North Sussex

Government, regulators and industry have signed an agreement to deliver 21,000 new homes for North Sussex.

Around 4,000 homes that were previously stalled for four year will now proceed while enabling a further 17,000 to be built.   

Building work halted in 2021 due to concerns over the amount of water being taken from rivers and wetlands in the Arun Valley, which risked impacting protected wildlife and local water resources. 

Discussions were led through Defra’s Water Delivery Taskforce, a forum for government departments, water companies, regulators and developers to drive progress and resolve issues like this one.

Under the new agreement, signed by Defra, Natural England, the Environment Agency and Southern Water, the water company will change its water abstraction permits to limit the amount of water taken from local rivers and wetlands, as well as provide funding to restore habitats.

Furthermore, the new homes will be built to higher water efficiency standards in line with the building regulation guidance for water scarce areas, reducing daily water use and easing pressure on local watercourses.

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."

Marian Spain, Chief Executive of Natural England, said: "This type of sustainable development clearly shows how we can build the new homes this country needs while restoring and protecting nature.   

"A thriving natural environment is at the heart of a strong economy and is vital to all of our health and wellbeing. We know that people want to live near nature and cases like this where sound nature regulations prompted innovative solutions mean we can continue to make that possible."