The following announcement has been sent to LOSRA by Spelthorne Borough Council:
The Council is in the process of reviewing its Local Plan which sets out how much development should be allowed in Spelthorne
The review will have to balance the need for new homes and jobs against the ability to accommodate development taking into account issues such as Green Belt, flood risk and infrastructure. At the end of the review exercise the Council will put forward how much development it thinks can be met to an independent Planning Inspector.
In preparing the Local Plan, the Council has to discuss and share its work with a wide range of other bodies to help understand whether it is taking account of planning issues across a wider area. As part of these discussions Spelthorne and Runnymede Councils have been working together to look at housing needs across their combined area over the next 20 years in a Housing Market Assessment.
The assessment is required by government and must consider future housing needs based on population and jobs growth without taking into account whether the Borough can meet this. As such, these figures are what would be required in an ideal world to meet this assessed demand, rather than what the Borough can accommodate. This aspect will be explored at a later stage as a separate part of the review of the Local Plan. Only after this will any decisions be taken.
A draft of the housing market assessment is due to be considered by Cabinet on 24 June. If agreed, the Council will be seeking views on the draft assessment in accordance with the Council’s proposed Statement of Community Involvement. The assessment will be just one part of the evidence to inform the review of the Local Plan.
Cllr Vivienne Leighton, Cabinet Member for Planning and Corporate Development said: “The Local Plan will set out the levels of development we expect to see in the Borough to 2033 and the Housing Market Assessment is a new statutory requirement which forms just one part of the evidence to inform this. I must stress these figures are not the end result; this will be curtailed by the physical capacity of the Borough. To involve stakeholders at the earliest opportunity and before key decisions have been made we are publishing our draft Housing Market Assessment from 25 June on our website and welcome comments from residents and businesses.”
Cllr Richard Smith-Ainsley, Chair of the Planning Committee said: “The draft Housing Market Assessment is due to be published on 25 June and will be available for comment on the Council’s website. A separate exercise to establish the amount and type of housing the Borough can sustain will be carried out later. This will take into account all of the factors, such as Green Belt and flood plain that restrict development in Spelthorne.”
LOSRA expects to take an active part in the Review and has asked to be represented on the Stakeholder Forum which will be involved throughout the Review period. That request has been agreed.