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The people of Southwater have beaten off Berkeley Homes but how will local councillors defend Southwater from future over-development when they write the District Local Plan? Who will defend the village's Built Up Area Boundary?

Berkeley Homes has retreated from its outrageous attempt to concrete over the last remaining farmland in Southwater. We thank all the Horsham District Council planning officers and councillors who did their job well: they spelled out the many good reasons for rejecting it on sound planning principles.

The developers, and the two land-owners, Christ’s Hospital and the Aubrey-Fletcher family, may be back when it suits them. Southwater will be ready and waiting.

The best protection our village has is the Southwater Neighbourhood Plan, currently being updated by Southwater Parish Council with the support and input of the community. We urge all residents to get involved in this important consultation.

Save Rural Southwater are backing the Southwater Neighbourhood Plan to protect Southwater from further over-development (David Powell)

Today we call on ALL prospective councillors standing for election to Horsham District Council in the elections on 4th May, to declare exactly how they will protect Southwater from further over-development. Southwater CANNOT be the dumping ground for unjustified Government housing targets when Horsham District Council resumes work on the next version of the Local Plan. Southwater has grown unsustainably and Berkeley Homes is only halfway through the slow build-out of the 600 homes for which they already have permission.

The question now is which prospective councillors will actually heed their constituents? We say it’s time to prioritise need over greed. “Enough is Enough”.

Let’s be clear. Warm words are no better than weasel words from our local politicians.We need unambiguous COMMITMENT TO ACTION to respect the Built Up Area Boundary and protect the people and countryside of Southwater.

• Our film, made and funded by the community, has been viewed over 4,700 times. See it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4T7LmFlqz34• Our petition has nearly 3,000 signatures https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-the-housing-development-on-farmland-near-southwater• Over 1,350 objections to Berkeleys application for 1,500 homes were lodged with Horsham District Council

For further information contact: [email protected] https://www.facebook.com/SaveRuralSouthwater

Southwater says 'Enough is Enough' after Berkeley withdraws plans for 1,500 new homes