Our new Local Plan will help shape the future development of the Borough.
Find out how you can share your views on the key issues.
What is the Surrey Heath Local Plan?
Our Draft Local Plan sets out a vision for how Surrey Heath will develop as a place up to 2038. It aims to protect and enhance our Borough’s attractiveness as a place to live, work, and visit.
The plan looks at our future needs for development up to 2038, and helps to decide where that development will go and what it will look like.
The plan sets out planning policies that provide the detailed framework to guide development once the plan is adopted. At that stage, the finalised policies would be used to help decide whether planning applications in our Borough are approved or refused.
How to have your say
We are really keen for as many local people as possible to tell us their views on the draft plan.
Our Draft Local Plan consultation opens on March 14, and allows you to comment on a series of key planning issues for the Borough and the Council’s preferred policy option to address these issues.
What you tell us during this consultation will help us to develop the spatial planning and development management policies for Surrey Heath.
Find out how to respond to the consultation on our website at surreyheath.gov.uk/draftlocalplan
There you’ll also find details of our planned Draft Local Plan public exhibitions, drop in events and virtual sessions.
The deadline for responding to the consultation is noon on May 9.
You can also call our Contact Centre on 01276 707 100 or email us at planning.consultation@surreyheath.gov.uk to find out more information.
If you are not able to visit our website or call our Contact Centre, you can find out more information about the Draft Local Plan consultation at Surrey Heath House.
Printed copies of the key consultation documents, including the draft plan, are available at the SHBC office reception area, and at all libraries within the Borough.
Key issues in the Local Plan
The overarching challenge facing planning in our Borough is providing enough additional housing and infrastructure to support our growing population, whilst making sure that our environment is protected and the quality of life of our residents is maintained.
The Local Plan seeks to do this in the following ways:
Planning for the new homes we need
- Identifying specific sites for new homes
- Requiring a proportion of affordable homes on all new housing sites
- Planning for the type and mix of homes we need, including for older people
- Making efficient use of land for new housing.
Enhancing our town centres, retail offering, and economy
- Focusing new development in Camberley town centre, to ensure it remains competitive and an attractive choice to live, work, and shop
- Allowing greater flexibility in how local businesses use their buildings, and the types of businesses that can come forward, to help adapt to a changing economy.
Infrastructure
- Making sure that new development contributes to improving our roads, schools, and other community facilities
- Supporting improvements to walking and cycling in our local areas.
Environment
- Protecting the Green Belt from inappropriate development
- Resisting development in areas that are more likely to flood
- Ensuring developments make improvements to biodiversity in our area
- Seeking high levels of energy efficiency and to achieve net-zero emission development
- Making sure new development is adapted to the effects of climate change.
Design and Heritage
- Promoting healthy and sustainable living in our communities through good design
- Making sure new development fits in with and improves the unique design and heritage of our different local areas
- Protects heritage assets in our local areas for future generations.
surreyheath.gov.uk/draftlocalplan
