Runnymede Borough Council has announced it will begin preparing a new Local Plan to guide future development across the borough into the 2040s.
Today, Runnymede Borough Council has given notice of its intention to commence the preparation of a new local plan for Runnymede.
A Local Plan guides decisions on future development proposals and addresses the needs and opportunities of an area over a period of at least 15 years. Topics that Local Plans usually cover include housing, employment and infrastructure and they also identify where development should take place and areas where development should be restricted. The Local Plan preparation process also establishes whether there is a need for any changes to Green Belt boundaries, having regard to their intended permanence in the long term, so they can endure beyond the plan period.
Local Plans are at the heart of the planning system and are the main consideration in deciding planning applications. They set the framework in which decisions on proposals are taken locally. The law makes it clear that decisions on planning applications should be made in line with the policies and proposals within the development plan (of which the Local Plan is a key part).
In Runnymede, the current local plan for the area was adopted in July 2020 and is known as the Runnymede 2030 Local Plan. It covers the period 2015-2030. National planning legislation and policy requires local authorities to review and keep their Local Plans up to date and this is why the Council is currently preparing to update its Local Plan.
The other five Districts and Boroughs that will come together to form West Surrey Council are taking a similar approach and following the same timeline. This should ensure early plan coverage across the whole of the new unitary authority area.
The RBC timetable for producing the local plan sets out the important milestones during the plan preparation process including when public consultations will occur. The first consultation on the Local Plan is due to commence in September 2026. There will be two further periods of public consultation. The new local plan is expected to come into force in April 2029.
Cllr Sylvia Whyte, Chair of the Planning Committee said:
“Today marks an important milestone as it signals the start of our journey to prepare a new Local Plan for the Runnymede area. Getting a clear and up-to-date plan in place for the borough will help make sure that future growth is properly managed and supported by the infrastructure and services our communities need. To meet the development needs of the Runnymede area into the 2040s, there will be difficult decisions to make along the way about where new homes and other types of development are accommodated, and we can only make these decisions with the input from local communities and other stakeholders. I would therefore urge residents, businesses and other interested parties to sign up to the Council’s planning policy consultation portal so that they do not miss out on the opportunity to contribute their views as part of the process”.
You can sign up to the Council’s planning policy consultation portal here.
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