RESIDENTS are being encouraged to have their say on plans which could see 4,400 homes built in the South Downs over the next 17 years.

The development of the South Downs National Park’s local plan took another step forward this week after the authority’s planning committee endorsed the “direction” of the current policy.

The draft plan proposes that about 40% of new homes in the park will be affordable - approximately 1,800 affordable homes up to 2032.

Organisers of the local plan say the document will set out for the first time how the national park authority will manage development and promised that the park’s prized landscapes would always come first.

The draft plan includes proposals for approximately 650 homes in Lewes, which includes 390 dwellings in the North Street Quarter, 150 in Midhurst and 150 in Petworth.

Residents will be able to have their say when the consultation on the draft local plan goes live in autumn this year before a second round of public consultation next summer where it will be subject to an independent examination at public hearings.

It is hoped the plan could be adopted by spring 2017.

The park celebrated its fifth birthday at the start of the month.

Tim Slaney, director of planning for the South Downs National Park Authority, said: “National Parks aren’t suitable places for unrestricted growth, and the first priority is to conserve the landscape.

“But, with a vibrant local economy and house prices in the South Downs well above national and regional averages, we need to deliver housing to meet the needs of local people and keep our communities and rural economy thriving – now and in the future.

“The final Local Plan will set out the areas and where possible the likely figures for new houses in the National Park up to 2032 giving people certainty about the future of their towns and villages.

“There shouldn’t be many surprises as many of these figures have already been announced through the Joint Core Strategies we’ve developed in partnership with other local authorities.”