Water neutrality

Sussex sits within an area of serious water stress, meaning the existing demand for water is already a very high proportion of what is available. 

Southern Water supplies households in its Sussex North Water Resource Zone by abstracting ground water from points that are hydrologically linked to the Arun Valley. This is having a negative impact on internationally important habitats within the Arun Valley, including Amberley Wildbrooks, and to avoid making the situation worse Natural England advised in 2021 that all new development within the Sussex North Water Resource Zone must be water neutral. Since then, local authorities have been working out how to deliver this and a potential water neutrality mitigation strategy has been published. There is still work to be done on how it can be implemented effectively and this will be put to the test in the emerging Chichester, Crawley and Horsham Local Plans, which must demonstrate no negative impact on the Arun Valley by showing that water neutrality is workable. We’ll be responding to the relevant consultations as they go live.