A country park built on a former brickworks
Southwater Country Park, a ninety-acre site with three lakes, was created from a former brickworks that closed in the early 1980s, and the old clay pits now form the park's lakes and wildlife areas.
New estates alongside an older village centre
Recent decades have brought large new housing estates to Southwater alongside its older core, so garage styles here range from older detached outbuildings to more recent integral garages built as part of newer houses.
Council and distance
Southwater sits within the Horsham district, so Horsham District Council is the relevant planning authority, about three miles south of the town.
Frequently asked questions
Is Southwater Country Park relevant to a garage conversion?+
Not directly, though it's a useful marker of how much the village has grown, which is reflected in the mix of older and newer garage types found here.
Which council covers Southwater?+
Horsham District Council covers planning and building control for Southwater.
Nearby areas
Services
Useful local links
- Crawley Borough Council – Planning — The planning authority for Crawley, which sits outside the Horsham district boundary.
- GOV.UK – Planning permission: when you need it — Government guidance on when planning permission is required in England and Wales.
- GOV.UK – Party Wall etc. Act 1996 guidance — Government guidance on notifying neighbours and resolving disputes over shared or boundary walls, relevant to attached garage conversions.
- Planning Portal – Garage conversion — National guidance on when planning permission is needed for a garage conversion in England.
- Planning Portal – Extensions — National guidance on permitted development rules for single-storey house extensions.
- Planning Portal – Outbuildings — National guidance on permitted development rules for garden buildings and outbuildings, including height and coverage limits.