Natural England remove their position statement on water neutrality within Sussex North Water Supply Zone ("SNWSZ")

Advice Note: Water Neutrality in the Sussex North Water Supply Zone (SNWSZ)

On 14 September 2021, Natural England (“NE”) issued a position statement advising that water abstraction for drinking water supplies was having a detrimental impact on designated sites in the Arun Valley. As a result, NE advised that any new development within Horsham, Crawley, parts of Chichester District, the South Downs National Park, and West Sussex County Council areas should not contribute further to this impact.

NE formally withdrew this position statement on 31 October 2025. This means that new development proposals within the Sussex North Water Supply Zone (SNWSZ) are no longer required to demonstrate water neutrality in order to obtain planning permission.

If your development schemes within the SNWSZ are subject to planning conditions or obligations requiring water neutrality measures, you may wish to review these in light of NE’s updated position to assess whether they can now be varied or discharged.

For more information, please contact Hannah Langford. Hannah is our lead Partner of our Planning practice area and was recognised in both the Legal 500 and Chambers UK 2026 rankings.