New ‘housing needs’ figures for Sussex sees some areas facing prospect of more homes
Councils across Sussex face the potential of having to meet increased housing targets after new data was released.
Statistics on average house prices and earnings across the county have been updated by the Office for National Statistics.
The data is used to help assess how many new homes need to be built each year, according to government calculations.
While councils do not automatically have to plan to meet these new figures, those updating their local plans will need to take them into account, meaning many areas face the prospect of more homes having to be planned for.
CPRE trustee Roger Smith said: “With the exception of three Sussex councils so far, housing targets, which are already huge, unprecedented and unsustainable, have been increased.
“The present reckless presson regardless-never-mindthe-consequences approach to planning must stop.
“What is needed urgently now and for the future is planning that is empirical and pragmatic, and community led.”
The County Times and its sister titles which form part of SussexWorld, which is campaigning against unsustainable housing targets across the county, asked all Sussex councils to confirm how their housing targets had changed.
The new data meant increases in Arun, Worthing, Crawley, Horsham, Mid
Sussex, Eastbourne, Wealden and Lewes – although the latter had only risen by one home per year.
Worthing Borough Council pointed out that figures used at the point of submission of a local plan were valid for two years, so its new number would not yet come into play.
Hastings’ annual need has decreased and Chichester District Council and Adur District Council confirmed that their figures were unchanged.
Numbers have yet to be confirmed for Rother and Brighton and Hove.
Mr Smith added: “The government’s hocus-pocus formula takes no account of the resulting environmental consequences, including impact on the supply of potable water, increased outflows of raw and partially treated sewage into rivers and sea, and the loss of farmland needed for food production and carbon sequestration, and climate change.”