Crawley Council Welcomes End of Water Neutrality Restrictions

Crawley Borough Council has welcomed the government’s decision to lift water neutrality restrictions that have stalled housing development across parts of Sussex since 2021.

The rules were introduced after the Environment Agency identified the Sussex North Water Resource Zone, which supplies Crawley, as an area of serious water stress.

There had been concerns that water extraction from local rivers and underground sources was affecting protected habitats in the Arun Valley.

Now, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has confirmed the restrictions will be removed at the end of October.

Under a new agreement between Defra, Natural England, the Environment Agency and Southern Water, the water company will:

• Reduce the amount of water it takes from local rivers and wetlands

• Fund habitat restoration projects — at no cost to consumers

• And ensure new homes meet higher water efficiency standards.

The change will allow around 4,000 delayed homes across Sussex to move forward, with plans for a further 17,000 to follow.

Crawley Council leader Michael Jones said the move was “a major success and step forward for the town.”

“It doesn’t resolve Crawley’s housing emergency,” he said, “but it means we can once again get housing development moving.

"This is real progress after years of hard work to make sure the issue got the attention it deserves.”