the Regulation 19 public consultation of the Proposed Submission South Downs Local Plan is live until 23:59pm on Tuesday 23 June 2026.

The Authority has prepared a draft Open Space Study and interactive map to inform the Proposed Submission Local Plan, in particular Policy SDG3 (Public Open Space, Sports and Recreational Facilities). The draft study and interactive map can be found on our website here:https://www.southdowns.gov.uk/planning-policy/new-south-downs-local-plan/evidence-base/communities/open-space-and-play-spaces/

The Authority has prepared the draft Open Space Study and interactive map using a variety of sources (see Table 4.2 in draft study), including Neighbourhood Plans, Parish Priorities Statements, open space submissions received from 23 (of 176) town and parish councils in 2023, shapefiles received from 10 (of 12) borough, city and district councils in 2025, and other sources.

The Authority is very grateful for all the data and information provided by yourselves and others. In the spirit of partnership working, we would like to invite you to review and verify the open spaces and play spaces identified in the draft Open Space Study and interactive map for your respective areas. This is so we can further refine the draft study and interactive map ahead of submission of the Proposed Submission Local Plan to the Secretary of State for independent examination later this year.

In particular, we would be grateful for your review of:

• Identified open spaces and play spaces in your area (see interactive map) including their boundaries, categorisation (see Table 4.1 [p21-26] in the draft study), and whether they are publicly accessible;
• Identified play spaces in your area (see interactive map) and whether they are Local Areas for Play (LAP), Locally Equipped Areas for Play (LEAP), or Neighbourhood Equipped Areas for Play (NEAPs) (see Table 4.1 [p25] in the draft study); and
• Whether we have missed any sites in your area which are publicly accessible and used by residents as open space and/or play space.

We would be grateful if you could please get back to us by Tuesday 23 June 2026 when the Regulation 19 public consultation of the Proposed Submission South Downs Local Plan is due to close.