Washington
Parish Council is a consultee for planning applications in the parish
areas of Horsham District Council (HDC) and tthe South Downs National
Park Authority (SDNPA). It does not determine the final
decision - this is the statutory responsibility of HDC and the SDNPA
and in some cases West Sussex County Council. Please check their websites for details of applications in the parish and guidance for submitting comments:
https://public-access.horsham.gov.uk/public-access
http://planningpublicaccess.southdowns.gov.uk/online-applications
Washington
Parish Council will be considering a consultation response to the
following applications at its next meeting on Monday 6th September 2021,
7.30pm at Washington Village Memorial Hall:
- DC/21/1689 - Land North of 6 Montpelier Cottages Old London Road Washington RH2- 3BN
Outline
application for the erection of 6no 3-bed semi-detached dwellings, 3no
2-bed terraced dwellings and provision of 18 car parking spaces with all
matters reserved.
The Parish Council will consider its consultation response at the next council meeting on 6th September.
Due
to ongoing Covid meeting restrictions by the Village Hall, up to 6
people only can be safely accommodated in the 'public gallery' for the
meeting. If you wish to attend either as an observer or speak on any of
the above, please contact the Parish Clerk before noon on the day.
Otherwise, you are strongly advised to make representations in writing
to clerk@washingtonparish.org.uk before noon on Thursday 2nd September.
Horsham District Council
Statement of Community Involvement
South Downs National Park Authority
Statement of Community Involvement
Longbury Hil Wood (south of Rock Road, Heath Common Ward, Washington Parish) Storrington
The
land at Longbury Hill Wood is not designated for development in the
emerging Horsham District Council Local Plan or the recently adopted
Joint Storrington & Sullington and Washington Neighbourhood Plan. It
is assessed in the district's latest SHELAA (Strategic Housing and
Economic Land Availability Assessment) as currently "undevelopable".
Click here for the assessment report for the parish on page 16 and the map.
Washington
Parish Council supports the policies of the Neighbourhood Plan which
rigorously assessed and agreed that only one site needed to be
designated for major development in this parish: Vineyards in Old London
Road. This is currently in progress and will meet the parish's housing
needs identified in the Neighbourhood Plan.
The
Parish Council also supports the Heath Common Design Statement, adopted
by Horsham District Council as planning guidance which seeks to protect
the unique woodland character of this area. Click on this link for the Neighbourhood Plan and the Heath Common Design Statement for moreinformation.
During
the Neighbourhood Plan process, over 100 letters from the community
were received, supporting this highly valued and environmentally
important woodland amenity and 'green lung' for the area
MP launches petition following residents' concerns about development proposals at Longbury Hill Wood(land south of Rock Road, Heath Common Ward of Washington Parish) Storrington. Click here for letter to residents from Andrew Griffith MP (Arundel and South Downs) and for correct survey link to his e-petition. (link in the letter is broken).
Felling Licence REF: 019/180/17-18 Longbury Hill Wood, Rock Road Road, (Heath Common Ward, Washington Parish) Storrington
In
2017, the owner of the woodland was granted a forestry licence to fell a
Scots Pine plantation on the site. A number of conditions were imposed,
including re-stocking which the Forestry Commission confirmed in 2019
has been achieved through natural regeneration.At a recent meeting, Washington Parish Council expressed concern about the present state of the woodland.
Bearing
in mind the Forestry Commission's statement to the Council that 'the
site will remain woodland and in the coming years the area will develop
and mature as woodland', this Council has requestsed the Forestry
Commission's confirmation and assurance that the area at Longbury Hill
is being managed and maintained in full compliance, including tree
species, density and layout, with the original licence conditions for
its proper restoration and preservation. Without this being effective
there is serious concern about the future of this highly valued and
environmentally important woodland amenity. The Council is awaiting a
response.
Published 8th June 2021.
Rampion 2 Wind Farm Expansion Proposals
Rampion 2 formal public consultation 14th July-16th September 2021:
RWE
opened a 9-week public consultation on 14th July to expand the Rampion
windfarm off the South Coast. The proposed inland cable route is
through the South Downs and Washington Village.

Purple
line of proposed inshore cable corridor through Washington Recreation
Ground (pale blue) and Allotment land (pale green/adjacent). Go https://rampion2.com/consultation/ for maps with keys to symbols
For details and link to the consultation documents, go to:
Rampion
2, the only wind farm proposal off the UK’s south coast, aims to make a
significant contribution to tackle climate change and meet Government
targets to quadruple offshore wind capacity by the end of the decade.
The
public consultation will inform final proposals which will form the
basis of the Rampion 2 development consent application, to be submitted
to the Government late in 2021. It is understood that if consent is
awarded, construction would begin 2025/26 at the earliest for completion
in 2030.
Public Meetings with Rampion:
Rampion will present their draft proposals at a live virtual public forum via Zoom on Tuesday 27th July 12:00-13:00 GMT and Monday 6th September18:00-17:30 GMT . The presentations will be followed by a Questions and Answers session. Register here for the virtual meeting on 27th July. Register here for the virtual meeting on 6th September.
Washington
Parish Council has requested a public meeting with Rampion which
councillors and residents can attend, on one of the following dates: Wednesday 1st September, Thursday 2nd September or Friday 3rd September 2021.Details will be announced on this webpage shortly.
The
council will be making a consultation response to the proposals to be
discussed at its Full Council Meeting on Monday 6th September. Feedback
from residents will help inform its decision. Please share your views
with the council by contacting the Parish Clerk by email:
clerk@washingtonparish.org.uk
Rampion 2 - Share your views with Sussex MP
Sussex
MP Andrew Griffith (Arundel and South Downs) has launched a survey to
hear residents' views on the proposed expansion of the Rampion off-shore
windfarm with associated onshore cable corridor and a new electricity
sub-station. To take part in the survey and for more information on the scheme, go to:Rampion 2/Andrew Griffith (andrewgriffithmp.com)
The
MP will be submitting a full response raising concerns on behalf of
those constituents who have contacted him. He also plans to hold a real
or 'virtual' roundtable meeting on the subject before making his
submission to the summer consultation.
Click here for Washington Parish Council's response to the Rampion 2 initial proposals at the informal consultation in February 2021.
Further
update to follow on the latest Rampion 2 Onshore Community Project
Liaison Group Meeting for this area (held online 21st July 2021)
Timeline
First public consultation (informal) for the Rampion 2 Wind Farm extension from 14th January -11th February 2021.
They issued the following information:
'An
informal consultation has been opened seeking feedback on initial
proposals to expand the Rampion Wind Farm off the Sussex coast. Rampion 2
could create clean, renewable electricity to power over one million
homes in the UK in addition to Rampion's existing generation. Feedback
from this first consultation will help refine more detailed proposals
which will be prepared for a second consultation later this year.
An
offshore 'Area of Search' is being assessed to identify the optimum
site for a maximum of up to 116 turbines, the same number as the
existing Rampion Offshore Wind Farm. A subsea export cable is proposed
to bring the power ashore under Climping Beach, with an underground
onshore cable route required to bring the power inland to connect to the
national transmission grid at Bolney, where three potential sites are
being considered for a new substation.
You can visit our 'virtual village hall' exhibition and give your feedback from 14th January to 11th February at www.Rampion2.com
Published 8th January 2021.
Washington
Parish Council is amongst stakeholders and community groups being
consulted upon the proposed onshore cable corridor. The Storrington
Sullington and Washington Neighbourhood Plan 2018- 2031 coverage is
partly within the scheme's Study Area. This includes policy allocations
Policy 3: A24 Corridor and Policy 4: North Farm, Wiston Estate,
Washington.
Part of a preferred inland electricity
cable route is indicated through the South Downs National Park in the
Washington Parish, the Recreation Ground and along the A283
Washington/Steyning Road. See map below:

The Parish Council discussed these initial proposals at its meeting on Monday 1st February 7pm, 2021 Click here for the Parish Council's response to the online exhibition/informal consultation. Feedback
from the public and stakeholders will help shape the draft proposals
for a formal consultation planned later this Spring.
Ongoing consultations for the Rampion 2 project: Community Project Liaison Group (Onshore)
Washington
Parish Council is also represented on the Community Project Liaison
Group 1 (Onshore) which had its first meeting on 22nd October 2020 (see
minutes at the end of this report). This was an
opportunity for the Rampion 2 Team to give a project overview, seek
representations from local stakeholders and communities (including
Washington Parish Council)on
any issues, and to agree the group's terms of reference. Draft minutes
for the 2nd meeting on 4th February 2021 will be published here they
become available.
These community meetings follow on from the scoping consulation in July 2020. See details below:
Scoping request to the Planning Inspectorate July 2020:
EN010117 Rampion 2 Offshore Windfarm EIA Scoping Notification and Consultation
The
Applicant has asked the Planning Inspectorate on behalf of the
Secretary of State for its opinion (a Scoping Opinion) as to the
information to be provided in an Environmental Statement (ES) relating
to the ProposedDevelopment.
View the report from this link
Responses from the following consultees can be viewed here:
Scoping opinion: View report from this link Consultation responses are published in this document
Published 11th August 2020
Minutes of meetings of the Rampion2 Community Project Liaison Group 1 to date:
The Government's proposed planning reforms: 2 consultations
Please see the following links for responses to the Government consultation on 'Changes to the Current Planning System'.
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/changes-to-the-current-planning-system .The consultation includes the proposed change to the way housing numbers will be calculated.
The consultation closed on 1 October 2020.
A second consultation on 'Planning For Our Future, White Paper' https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/planning-for-the-futureis open until 29th October 2020. CLick on the following link for the following responses from: