Updates on the Local Plan can be found on our news page.
16 August 2023
An independent inspector has now been appointed to examine Elmbridge’s Local Plan, following submission to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 10 August 2023.
The Secretary of State has appointed Christa Masters MA (Hons) FRTPI, to hold an independent examination of Elmbridge’s submission Local Plan. The Planning Inspector will consider the soundness of the Local Plan based on the ‘tests of soundness’ as set out in paragraph 35 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
Please see Local Plan Examination for more information.
10 August 2023
Elmbridge submits Local Plan to Secretary of State. Please see Local Plan Examination webpage for more information.
19 July 2023
The Draft Local Plan was approved for Submission to the Secretary of State by Full Council on 19 July 2023.
6 July 2023
The cabinet agenda item for the submission of Elmbridge Local Plan was considered on 5 July. The draft Local Plan will be presented to the Council meeting on 19 July. For more information see a pathway to a sustainable and thriving Elmbridge.
31 January 2023
We are on track to submit our draft Local Plan for examination by the Planning Inspectorate by summer 2023. Read draft Local Plan update for more information.
1 November 2022
Work is continuing on the new Local Plan. We are currently reading and collating the responses received in the Summer.
17 June 2022
The Regulation 19: Draft Elmbridge Local Plan 2022-2037 representations stage has opened and all representations documents and supporting information is available to view.
7 April 2022
Following the agreement of Elmbridge Cabinet on 16 March 2022, the latest Local Development Scheme (LDS) 2022 to 2025 (PDF, 349.67KB) has been published setting out the timetable for the preparation of the new Local Plan and Supplementary Planning Documents including the Local Design Code.
23 March 2022
On 22 March, the Elmbridge Draft Local Plan was agreed by Elmbridge Borough Council.
17 March 2022
At a meeting of Elmbridge Cabinet on Wednesday 16 March, the Draft Local Plan was recommended to Full Council on 22 March to be published for public representation under Regulation 19.
8 March 2022
On 16 March 2022, the Elmbridge Draft Local Plan is being debated at a meeting of the Elmbridge Cabinet. The recommendations of the Cabinet will be presented to a Council meeting on 22 March 2022. If approved by Council, the next stage on the way to adoption is a ‘Regulation 19 representation’, after which the Plan will then be passed to the national Planning Inspectorate for examination.
For more information see:
Elmbridge Cabinet agenda for 16 March 2022
Watch 16 March Cabinet meeting (webcast portal)
25 January 2022: Draft Local Plan on the agenda for March Cabinet meeting
Last week we said we would update you on the dates for the next stage of the draft Local Plan and we can now confirm the draft Local Plan will be brought to the Elmbridge Cabinet meeting on 16 March for consideration. If Cabinet agrees, the draft plan will then go to a Special Elmbridge Borough Council meeting on 22 March 2022.
A robust Local Plan is vital to a thriving and sustainable Elmbridge. In March we hope to take a significant step forward on our journey to a new Local Plan for Elmbridge.
19 January 2022: Shaping Elmbridge – the next stage of the draft Local Plan process
This final stage of the Draft Local Plan process has been at least six years in the making and it will need an extra push to bring it to Elmbridge Cabinet and Council. That extra push is all about making the submission as robust and unshakable as possible. It’s about ensuring we have considered every possible view and provided every possible piece of data to support our draft Local Plan. That attention to the detail acknowledges the importance of a new Local Plan to the future of the Elmbridge community.
A key contributor to the Elmbridge Draft Local Plan has been the Local Plan Working Group. Their role has been advisory throughout the process. The Group has been determined that the thoughts and views of residents, businesses and Councillors are vital to the success of a new Local Plan for Elmbridge. At the meeting of the Local Plan Working Group on Thursday 13 January 2022, the Group gave its full support for the Elmbridge draft Local Plan and it will continue to work for the best interest of the Elmbridge community as the final pieces of the draft are pulled together.
A Local Plan is considered a hugely demanding document to develop. Demanding because it is not just a collection of policy reports detailing housing development, it is instrumental in the shaping of an area, involving much consultation and debate, with legal and political views weighing in, and in the last couple of years, COVID-19 has also impacted both the process and the thinking behind the Plan. However, when completed and ratified by the national Planning Inspectorate, it is fundamental to an area – determining not just how many new and affordable homes can be built and where, but more importantly how sustainable communities are given the fundamentals to thrive – green spaces, transport network, schools, medical practices, high streets and much more.
We will update you further on timescales as soon as possible.
June 2021
The timetable for the review, consultation and publication of a new plan is published in a document called the “Local Development Scheme”. It explains when we will consult on the plan, when it will be examined and when we hope to adopt the plan. The Council's Local Development Scheme 2021-2024 was agreed by Cabinet on 7 June 2021. The Council is currently preparing its draft Local Plan (Regulation 19).