Signs of the Times
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Southwater and the Impact of Evolution
District Council The District Council as planning authority have had the greatest impact in the planning of both the District and Southwater in particular during the last 50 years and more particularly the last 20 years. Consecutive Regional Structure Plans and in turn, the ways in which the District have implemented these have had a strong impact on the village and parish as a whole, with new large scale development without the provision of the necessary infrastructures required to evolve a cohesive society within. Currently the Draft Local Development Framework document is being consulted upon (copies available at both Horsham District Council offices, Parish Council offices and local libraries). Whilst this document does not preclude any further future development (this being dependent on the long awaited South East Plan), currently there are proposals to extend the built up areas of the village, land for a secondary school and a reduction in the strategic gap between Southwater and Horsham. The Parish Council maintained at last years Examination in Public that the community could not currently support extra development (with no infrustracture in place) and for this fact it was agreed that Southwater would not be named as a strategic site in the Structure Plan and therefore not included as such in the Local Development Framework Draft Document. However, this may change with the publication of the awaited South East Plan last this year.
County Council - Highways
The provision of a village by-pass has ensured that the main village road, is no longer on the main road south, taking the traffic onto the A24 which is now a major trunk route. Whilst this is relieved congestion, it did open up others stretches of farming land for further development, these areas now completed namely, Blakes Farm Road and Turners Close. The Highways Authority have also installed road traffic calming measures in the Worthing Road to try and prevent the village being used as a short cut from neighbouring villages bordering Southwater. With development has come other schemes, namely a footpath The Parish Council maintained at lasin Station Road, mini roundabouts in Cripplegate Lane and associated improvements. Plans have been received in respect of proposals for highways improvements to the junction of Cripplegate Lane and Mill Straight, although these are subject to a safety audit. It is hoped however that these improvements will be implemented within the near future.
Government Leglislation
Government quotas for further housing and economic growth in the South East has put pressure on the development of green field sites, there being very few The Parish Council maintained at lasbrown field sites left in the District and Southwater in particular.
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