The plan was voted through at a Special Full Council Meeting on Wednesday (22 September) and will now be subject to consultation on some of the specific changes. Following this process, the council hopes to make its final submission to the Government for examination by Christmas.
The revisions were made following consultation on the previous draft which took place between November last year and the end of January 2021. During that consultation, 1,242 comments were received from 418 individual respondents.
A period of consultation will take place from 1 October until 12 November. The plan is available to view on the council’s website.
Hard copies of the documents are also available at:
- Council Offices, The Burys, Godalming, GU7 1HR – by appointment only, please contact 01483 523333.
- Bramley, Cranleigh, Farnham, Godalming and Haslemere libraries – see their websites for addresses and opening times.
The new draft includes a new site at Hindhead comprising previously developed land, which, once it becomes available for development after the Royal Junior School relocates to the senior school in Farnham Lane, planning officers believe will be able to deliver a substantial number of new homes within the plan period to help in meeting identified housing needs for the area. Another site that has been identified as having additional capacity for housing is the Old Grove, High Pitfold, Hindhead.
Council leader Councillor Paul Follows said: “We are pleased to be able to take this plan forward now that the addition of these two sites will mean that Haslemere will be able to meet the required number of new houses without the need to include the Red Court greenfield site in Scotland Lane, which had been unpopular locally and was the subject of a recent planning application that was refused permission predominantly on the grounds of landscape harm.”
Portfolio Holder for Planning Policy and Services, Councillor Andy McLeod, said: “In approving the revisions to the plan it is recognised that we have been able to identify extra capacity at one site proposed under the previous public consultation, along with a new site utilising previously developed land that will deliver in accordance with our objectively assessed housing needs. Both of these are appropriate and sustainable. Once adopted, LPP2 will bring in a new suite of development management policies for determining planning applications that will replace the outdated policies previously adopted in the 2002 Local Plan and will strengthen our ability to insist upon more sustainable development.”