Local Plan
March 2025
HUGE RISE IN TARGET FOR HOUSEBUILDING
The government has increased Elmbridge’s housebuilding target by 139 per cent – a huge rise on top of a figure that was already considered unachievable without encroachment on the Green Belt.
The revised National Planning Policy Framework, published in December, imposes drastically increased housing targets for the vast majority of planning authorities outside London. It contains a “presumption in favour of sustainable development”, although a variety of protections are included for the Green Belt, various types of conservation area, and other land.
These designations become especially relevant if a local authority cannot demonstrate a five-year supply of land for housing and/or does not have a valid Local Plan in place. Elmbridge’s current Local Plan expires in 2026, and a new Draft Local Plan is unlikely to be in place before 2028, the version previously submitted having been found to be “unsound” by the Planning Inspector. This is likely to make it increasingly difficult for Elmbridge to refuse applications for developments which satisfy the generalised requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework.
Claygate Parish Council will, of course, continue to oppose any development on the Green Belt around the village.
But the planning turbulence does not end there. After Elmbridge’s Draft Local Plan was found “unsound” and requiring extensive revisions, the Parish Council learned that the government will not permit extensions to the standard six-month period for revising Draft Local Plans after an Examination in Public. The Elmbridge Planning Department has therefore recommended that the existing Draft Plan be withdrawn and rewritten.
To make the process even more complicated, the timetable for the rewriting of the Elmbridge Local Plan overlaps with the accelerated timetable for the planned reorganisation of local government in Surrey. Elmbridge’s new Local Plan timetable calls for it to be ready for Examination in Public by May 2028.
But in May 2027, the government’s proposed new unitary authority in Surrey will, in principle, take over the planning function, as Surrey’s borough and district councils disappear. It is not known how this transition will be managed or what effect the reorganisation of Surrey may have on the timetable for a new Local Plan.
October 2024
| To discuss the status of the Elmbridge Local Plan. |
| It was reported by Cllr Sheppard that the Inspector considers the plans unsound. A full revision of housing numbers in accord with the Government’s existing standard calculation is required, as well as a revisit of Green Belt boundaries. EBC have written to the Inspector requesting a
12-month timescale to re-complete their plans, 15 months if possible. But it will be up to the discretion of the Inspector as to whether this is agreed or not. |
| (extract from Planning Committee meeting, 10th October 2024, item 10) |
NEW RULES POSE A THREAT TO GREEN BELT
One of the first acts of the incoming Labour government this summer was to issue a lengthy consultation document on revising the National Planning Policy Framework and associated policies to increase the supply of housing.
A key feature of the new proposals, of great concern to us in Claygate, is an attempt to provide a structured approach to the release for development of land currently designated as Green Belt.
Following much hard work by members of the Planning Committee, the Parish Council responded to the sections of the consultation most relevant to Claygate—those concerned with Green Belt, and design and density issues.
The new policy proposals were accompanied by a revised method of calculating housing need for local planning purposes which would see large increases in housing targets imposed on nearly all local authorities outside London.
Under the new proposals, it will be much more difficult for a planning authority to justify not meeting these targets than it has been during the past few years, when the targets were less strictly enforced.
The concept of Grey Belt has been introduced, broadly interpreted as Green Belt land which is not properly fulfilling the functions of the Green Belt, or which contains buildings or the remains of previous developments.
Some of the Parish Council's comments are aimed at tightening the definition of Grey Belt and "poorly performing" Green Belt to try to prevent developers claiming any unimproved pasture as Grey Belt.
A key Green Belt test site in Claygate will be the land north of Raleigh Drive, between the Claygate House site and Rythe Road.
A plan for a housing development there was rejected in September 2023 and, in May, an appeal by the developer was dismissed by a Planning Inspector. Your Parish Council will be keeping a close eye on any future proposals for this site.
DRAFT LOCAL PLAN
Elmbridge's Draft Local Plan began its Examination in Public in April. This is a quasi-judicial process with barristers involved, presided over by a Planning Inspector. The Draft Plan, adopted unanimously by Elmbridge Borough Council, is critically dependent on the borough being excused from fully meeting the previous government's housing targets in order to avoid building on the Green Belt—something that would be strongly opposed by most of the community.
On September 11, the Inspector wrote to Elmbridge, saying the Draft Plan had been found to be "unsound", meaning she could not approve it, mainly due to the shortfall in housing numbers (especially for affordable housing) as measured against the standard calculation.
The letter sets a target of six months to revise the Draft Plan. Elmbridge has replied that it believes 12 to 15 months would be a more realistic timetable. The Inspector indicates that the question of release of Green Belt land will have to be revisited. Fortunately, at this stage the housing target remains the one calculated under the existing method, not the increased numbers resulting from the government's proposed new method.
Faced with the changes in Green Belt policy, trying to maintain unconditional opposition to any release of Green Belt land is unlikely to achieve anything. What the Parish Council will need to do is to press for a rigorous approach to any release of Green Belt, based on tight definitions of "Grey Belt", "previously developed land" and "under-performing Green Belt", and giving a high priority to separation between settlements. This last point is very important for Claygate, as we only have a very narrow band of Green Belt between us and Hinchley Wood to the north and Hook and Chessington to the east.
March 2024
DRAFT LOCAL PLAN
The Elmbridge Draft Local Plan has reached the stage of Examination in Public by the Planning Inspector, which will take place in The Civic Centre in Esher. Claygate Parish Council has been advised that the likelihood of the plan being accepted by the Inspectorate will increase in line with supportive public attendance.
Several dates in April, May and June have been listed and the Planning Committee is asking Elmbridge officers which matters will be considered on each date. We will keep residents informed via our website and Facebook page.
VILLAGE DESIGN STATEMENT
Councillor Geoff Herbert, who chairs the Planning Committee, is to lead an initiative to update the Village Design Statement. Meetings will be held in the Village Hall’s Committee Room and details will be published when available. To view the current Design Statement, click “Local Plan” on the Parish Council website.
