20 July 2023
As the draft Local Plan is approved by Elmbridge Borough Council at a meeting on 19 July, Council Leader, Councillor Bruce McDonald, reiterates his view that the Plan is the pathway to creating a sustainable and thriving borough, making Elmbridge a place people want to live, work and visit.
"We are proud to present the draft Elmbridge Local Plan to the Planning Inspector. With its focus on sustainability, good design, new homes and economic growth, the plan will ensure that Elmbridge remains a great place to live and work.
“Through the Local Plan, we will shape development to be in keeping with our towns and villages while also being more sustainable and having less impact on climate. We are also introducing a Design Code to ensure that house building is reflective of local character.
“While some may worry that the Plan will bring more development to the area, that is not the case. Rather, the draft Local Plan will control and mitigate the impact of development in the borough.
“Let us work together to ensure that our borough thrives for years to come.”
6 July 2023
“The draft Local Plan is the pathway to creating a sustainable and thriving borough, making Elmbridge a place people want to live, work and visit. With its emphasis on sustainability, good design, and economic growth, it's an exemplary Plan supporting the future of Elmbridge” says Councillor Bruce McDonald, Leader of Elmbridge Borough Council, as he delivers the draft Local Plan to the Elmbridge Council meeting on 19 July 2023.
Cllr McDonald continues: “Our residents need us to deliver a Local Plan that addresses their needs now and in the future. I am proud that our Plan provides the community with a clear vision for a sustainable and thriving borough.
“This is a Local Plan we can all be proud of. It is not only compliant with national policies*, but is evidence driven to ensure our towns and villages are considered as a whole community rather than a series of planning applications. We want sustainable development in Elmbridge, one that supports our net zero journey, as well as our vision for thriving communities and this draft Local Plan delivers that.”
Key points of the Draft Local Plan
- The Plan will shape development in Elmbridge to meet the needs of our communities now and in the future, while respecting and enhancing the unique characters of our towns and villages.
- The Plan will increase biodiversity throughout the borough.
- The Plan will protect the green belt, enhance green infrastructure, and designate new Local Green Spaces for protection.
- The Plan allows for 465 homes per year over 15 years, which is an additional 240 homes per year than the existing Core Strategy and supports the delivery of a range of homes including affordable housing.
- The Plan ensures resilience and adaption to a changing climate, as well as a reduction in carbon emissions.
- Climate change and good design principles outlined in the draft Local Plan will help us live more sustainably through improved walking and cycling infrastructure, increased numbers of electric vehicle chargers and improved air quality.
- The draft Local plan seeks to protect our key employment sites, supporting local businesses and the retailers in our centres.
Local Plans
A Local Plan is an important strategy document. For Elmbridge, it is the implementation tool supporting our 2030 Vision for a sustainable and thriving borough. When approved by the national Planning Inspectorate, a Local Plan becomes fundamental to an area – determining how sustainable communities are given the means to thrive through green spaces, transport network, schools, medical practices and high streets for example.
It is supported by a raft of evidence base documents that need to be considered and assessed against national policy, the views of residents, businesses, and Councillors.
What’s next?
If approved by Council, the next stage is to submit our Plan to the Secretary of State who will appoint an Inspector to carry out an independent examination. This process is dealt with by the Planning Inspectorate.
The examination will assess whether the plan has been prepared in accordance with legal and procedural requirements and if it is sound. The four tests of soundness are set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
The Inspector will consider the evidence provided by Elmbridge Borough Council to support the plan and any representations which have been put forward by local people and other interested parties such as developers and house builders. In most cases the examination will include hearing sessions which are held in public. The Inspector will determine the appropriate format for those sessions, which could be in-person/physical (‘real’), ‘virtual’ video or telephone conference, blended events or a ‘blended’ mix of formats for each or different sessions (ie a mix of in-person and virtual).
At the end of the examination the Inspector will send a report to Elmbridge Borough Council recommending whether or not they can adopt the plan. In most cases the report will recommend some changes that are necessary to allow the plan to be adopted. These are known as ‘main modifications’ which will be subject to public consultation before being considered by the council at a formal meeting
In carrying out the examination, the Inspector will be conscious of the benefits of having a robust and up to date plan adopted as quickly as possible and will apply the principles of openness, fairness and impartiality.
For more information see GOV.UK: Local Plans - the examination process.
At this time, we do not know the schedule for the examination but will update residents when as soon as we know.
* National Planning Policy Framework - NPPF