Overview
Our planning policies, which make up the current Local Plan, explain how we make decisions about development in Elmbridge.
The Local Plan sets out planning policies and proposals for how the communities and places in the borough will develop over a period of up to 15 years. It includes policies and site allocations to guide the development and use of land in the borough as well as defining the Green Belt and those areas that will be protected and enhanced for heritage or nature conservation purposes.
The Local Plan is at the heart of the planning system and is the starting point in deciding planning applications. The government has therefore made Local Plans a statutory requirement and requires that all local planning authorities must have an up-to-date plan that seeks to address their development needs.