Planning

Regional planning

At regional level, the regeneration aspirations for the harbour are identified in the Secretary of State’s proposed modifications to the South East Plan, the Regional Economic Strategy (RES), and most recently have been recognised by designating the area as a New Growth Point in the Government’s ‘Growth Points’ programme.

The proposed South East Plan recognises Shoreham harbour as a unique regeneration opportunity within the Sussex Coast sub-region which has the potential to make a significant contribution to economic growth, regeneration and housing ambitions of a wider area. This will mean:

- More and better jobs in the area
- New housing to high environmental standards
- A modern, consolidated and more efficient Port
- Improved facilities for new and existing residents

Local planning

Adur District Council, Brighton & Hove City Council and West Sussex County Council are currently working on the production of a Shoreham Harbour Joint Area Action Plan, a key planning document in the both the Adur Local Development Framework and the Brighton & Hove Local Development Framework.

A Joint Area Action Plan is a planning document which provides the framework and guidelines for developers to work within in a fixed area. In this case it will offer a clear view, agreed by the three local authorities, on the area of land which could be considered for regeneration, as well as what kind of development will be acceptable in the area. A key part of developing a JAAP is consultation with local people and businesses. This has begun, but the full public consultation on specific options for the area will start later in 2010. The aim is to finalise this document by 2012.

The Joint Area Action Plan (JAAP) will set out policies to guide development in the Harbour area over the next 15-20 years. In order to be formally adopted the JAAP must be found ‘sound’ by a planning inspector following an Examination in Public. The JAAP must therefore be based on good evidence, and show that wide-ranging, democratic public participation has been carried out.

A number of background studies will inform the JAAP, including housing; flood risk; transport; urban design; and community infrastructure.

The results of these studies will also be used to inform the final versions of both the Adur Core Strategy and the Brighton & Hove Core Strategy. These are the overarching planning documents for each area.

The harbour area is also an important site for importing minerals such as sand and gravel into both East and West Sussex and joint work is currently underway on the preparation of both the West Sussex Waste and Minerals Development Framework and the East Sussex and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Development Framework. These will also look at the role of the harbour in the management of waste and minerals.

The Plan will be subject to a Sustainability Appraisal (SA) which will test several options for development to ensure the delivered scheme has the best social, economic and environmental outcome. The SA will be made available at the same time as the JAAP for public consultation.