A team of seven volunteers from Petersfield Climate Action Network (PeCAN) and the Petersfield Society submitted a detailed joint response to the South Downs National Park Authority's latest Local Plan consultation last month.
The draft Local Plan will guide decisions on housing, transport, nature, employment and development across the National Park for many years to come and we felt it was important that local residents contribute their knowledge and ideas.
Find the SDNPA consultation page here
Read the PeCAN and Petersfield Society response in full here
Volunteers from both organisations reviewed hundreds of pages of planning documents and evidence before preparing responses on a range of policies and site allocations. Whilst our comments were prompted by our focus on the Petersfield area, we feel that most are also relevant across the whole of the National Park, especially other market towns and larger settlements such as Midhurst, Petworth and Lewes.
We concluded that many policies were sound. In some cases we would have liked to see stronger policies but concluded that that the National Park's ability enact strong local policies was constrained by recent government action to promote house building that undermined measures to protect rivers and nature, so that it was unproductive for us to submit comments. In addition, the short duration of the consultation period limited the extent of our comments.
Please find a summary of our responses below.
Supporting sustainable development
Overall, we welcomed many aspects of the emerging plan, particularly its commitment to sustainable construction, lower-carbon buildings and active travel. We believe the Local Plan provides an important opportunity to create places that are attractive, healthy, resilient and fit for the future.
At the same time, we identified several areas where we believe the plan could be strengthened.
Better transport planning
A major theme of our response was transport. We argued that new developments should be planned around walking, cycling and public transport from the outset, rather than relying heavily on private car use. In particular, we suggested that the plan should provide clearer guidance on how developers should deliver the "vision-led" transport approach that the National Park wishes to promote.
We also recommended stronger protection for future active travel routes, including former railway corridors and the links needed to connect them to surrounding communities. Better walking and cycling connections can help reduce congestion, improve health and make it easier for people to access schools, shops, services and employment without needing to drive.
Comprehensive Planning for the Causeway and Penns Place areas
A significant part of our response focused on the proposed housing sites along The Causeway in Petersfield. Rather than considering each site in isolation, we suggested that the National Park Authority should prepare a comprehensive masterplan covering the whole area. This would enable traffic, walking and cycling routes, flood risk and community infrastructure to be considered together, taking account of cumulative impacts and the need for shared responses. We believe a coordinated approach would produce better outcomes than a series of separate developments planned independently over time.
We commented that the Penns Place site was on the extreme eastern edge of the Petersfield with access along narrow residential roads and that the site is poorly served by public transport. However there is considerable scope for improving walking and cycling access. We reasoned that the resources available to a house builder were unlikely to be sufficient to prepare a masterplan that adequately quantifies and mitigates the growing volume and diversity of movements through and to this site, while taking account of the extensive community facilities. Rather than ask a house builder to take the lead, local authorities should work with stakeholders and the community to develop a masterplan for this site.
High-quality homes for the future
We strongly supported the Local Plan's proposed sustainable construction standards. Energy-efficient homes help reduce carbon emissions while also lowering household energy bills. We welcomed the plan's ambition in this area and highlighted evidence that higher standards can be delivered at relatively modest additional cost when incorporated at the design stage.
We also supported the plan's proposals on embodied carbon – the emissions associated with the materials and construction of buildings – recognising that these emissions are becoming an increasingly important part of the climate challenge.
More accessible housing
Another important issue was housing accessibility. The South Downs population is aging, and demand for homes that can accommodate changing mobility needs is expected to increase significantly over coming decades. We therefore argued for stronger requirements for adaptable and wheelchair-accessible homes in new developments.
Providing suitable homes from the outset can help residents remain independent for longer, reduce the need for costly adaptations later, and create more inclusive communities.
Supporting a thriving local economy
We also encouraged the National Park Authority to adopt a broader view of economic development. The South Downs is home to thousands of businesses and tens of thousands of jobs across a wide range of sectors. While farming and the rural economy are important, towns such as Petersfield also play a vital role as centres for employment, education, healthcare, retail and community life.
Planning policies should support sustainable economic opportunities for all parts of the National Park community.
Nature, trees and climate resilience
Our response also covered policies relating to trees, woodland and hedgerows.
We highlighted the importance of managing landscapes not only for biodiversity but also for the many benefits they provide to people, including climate resilience, wellbeing and attractive places to live. We also encouraged the plan to reflect the latest evidence on building resilient tree populations capable of adapting to a changing climate.
In addition, we recommended stronger requirements for flood-risk assessment, sustainable drainage systems and their long-term maintenance, helping communities become more resilient to heavier rainfall and extreme weather.
What happens next?
The Regulation 19 consultation closed on 23rd June 2026. The South Downs National Park Authority will now consider all representations before submitting the Local Plan to the Planning Inspectorate for independent examination.
The Inspector will assess whether the plan is legally compliant and "sound". There may be public examination hearings later in the process, and both PeCAN and the Petersfield Society have indicated that we would be willing to participate if required.
This has been a substantial community effort involving many hours of volunteer time. We are grateful to everyone who contributed.
For PeCAN, the consultation reflects our wider goal of helping create a low-carbon, climate-resilient future while improving quality of life for local residents. For the Petersfield Society, it supports the long-standing aim of promoting high-quality planning and protecting the character of our town and its surroundings.
By working together, we hope to help ensure that future development in Petersfield and the South Downs is sustainable, accessible, well-connected and beneficial for both people and nature.
If you would like to be involved in PeCAN’s or Petersfield Society’s advocacy work, for example by contributing to future consultations, please email us at [email protected]
PeCAN’s previous consultation responses can be found here.