Duty to cooperate on strategic planning matters

A 'Duty to Cooperate' is a legal duty created under the 2011 Localism Act, Section 33A of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

The legal duty requires local planning authorities and other bodies (including Local Enterprise Partnerships, Local Nature Partnerships, the Marine Management Organisation, County Councils and infrastructure providers) to engage on planning issues that cross administrative boundaries.

The Duty to Cooperate is the means for ensuring that strategic planning issues that are likely to have an impact beyond immediate local plan areas are addressed appropriately with the relevant partners, to maximise the effectiveness of policy and plan-making.

The council is a member of the Coastal West Sussex and Greater Brighton Planning Board. The Board is represented by lead councillors from local planning authorities, namely:

Chichester
Arun
Worthing and Adur
Brighton & Hove
Lewes
Crawley
Mid Sussex
Horsham
South Downs National Park Authority
West Sussex County Council
East Sussex County Council

The main purpose of the Board's work is the production of a Local Strategic Statement (LSS). The Statement sets out long term strategic objectives and the spatial priorities for delivery of them. The document is available to view at Coastal West Sussex, together with other relevant information and documents produced by the Board.

The National Planning Policy Framework also requires local authorities to produce and maintain 'Statements of Common Ground'. These documents demonstrate effective and on-going joint working as they document the cross-boundary matters as well as the progress made in cooperating to address these.

Current Statements of Common Ground that we have in place can be accessed below. The list will be updated as and when any new Statements of Common Ground are signed.