Neighbourhood planning

Virginia Water Neighbourhood Plan

“Regulation 16” Consultation

The Virginia Water Neighbourhood Forum submitted its Neighbourhood Plan to Runnymede Borough Council under Regulation 15 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended) on 4 August 2025. The Plan sets out objectives for the future and contains planning policies to guide the development and use of land in the Virginia Water Neighbourhood Area.

The Forum undertook consultation on an earlier draft of their Neighbourhood Plan, between 18 December 2023 and 22 March 2024. Comments made to the Forum on this consultation at the Regulation 14 stage helped to inform changes to the documents now submitted to the Council (and all changes made to the document as a result of this consultation are set out in the Consultation Statement). The submitted Plan and associated documents comply with the relevant legal requirements and can therefore proceed to formal consultation. View the Council’s Legal Compliance Checklist.

In accordance with Regulation 16 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended), the Council would like to invite comments from organisations and individuals on the submitted Neighbourhood Plan and supporting documents for a period of six weeks.

The consultation period will run from: Monday 1 September 2025 - 11.59pm Tuesday 14 October 2025.

Consultation Documents

The consultation documents are available by clicking on the links below:

Printed copies of these submission documents are also available for inspection during normal opening hours at:

  • Runnymede Borough Council offices, Civic Centre, Station Road, Addlestone KT15 2AH;
  • Virginia Water Library, 6 Station Parade, Virginia Water, GU25 4AB; and
  • Virginia Water Community Centre, Beechmont Avenue, Virginia Water, GU25 4EY.

A number of additional documents support the Neighbourhood Plan, and these are available to examine on the Virgina Water Neighbourhood Plan website.

Supporting documents include:

Representations

Please see the following Statement of Representations Procedure.

Representations on the Neighbourhood Plan and/or its supporting documents should be made to the Council in writing:

  • By email: planningpolicy@runnymede.gov.uk
  • Or by post: Planning Policy Team, Runnymede Borough Council, Runnymede Civic Centre, Station Road, Addlestone, KT15 2AH

Your representation should succinctly cover all the information, evidence and supporting information necessary to support / justify your comment and outline any suggested changes, as there will not normally be a subsequent opportunity to make further representations.

Please note that all representations must be received in writing by the Council’s Planning Policy Team no later than 11:59pm on Tuesday 14 October 2025.  Any comments received after this time may not be accepted or taken into account.

When making a representation, you must supply your name and either an email or postal address. All comments will be published, and we may publish your name, but will not publish your contact details. Comments submitted about the neighbourhood plan and its supporting documents cannot be treated as confidential.

Copies of representations will be collated by the Council and submitted to an independent Neighbourhood Plan examiner in accordance with Regulation 17 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended), for consideration as part of an examination on the Neighbourhood Plan.

The examiner will determine whether the Neighbourhood Plan meets the ‘Basic Conditions’ and other legislative requirements set out in the Localism Act. After this stage, further submissions will only be at the request of the examiner, based on the matters and issues he / she identifies through the examination. Further information on the 'Basic Conditions' is available in the Guide to Basic Conditions which can be found in the National Planning Practice Guidance.

Protection of personal data

All representations submitted to the Council will be processed and held in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. Further information is available on the Council’s website at: Information and data

Notification request

Representations may include a request to be notified at a specified email/postal address of the Council’s decision under Regulation 19 to ‘make’ (adopt) the Plan, following successful examination and referendum.

Publicity for determinations made under Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations

The Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004 require the Council to publicise any determination made under Regulation 9(1) of the Regulations. The Council has determined after consultation with the statutory consultees that the draft Virginia Water Neighbourhood Plan is not likely to have significant environmental effects and, therefore, a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is not required. A copy of the SEA/HRA Screening Report which accompanies the neighbourhood plan consultations materials – which includes the screening determination and statement of reasons – is available to download using the links above, and can be viewed in hard copy alongside the consultation materials at the same locations identified above.

A Screening Determination Notice setting out full details is available to download below:

For further information or assistance, please contact the Planning Policy Team on 01932 425 239 or email planningpolicy@runnymede.gov.uk

Virginia Water Neighbourhood Plan

On 27 March 2019 members of Runnymede Borough Council Planning Committee resolved to designate The Virginia Water Neighbourhood Forum and designate a modified Neighbourhood Area. The designation of a Forum lasts for five years, and thus the first five-year period ended on 26 March 2024. After this date the Council received an application to re-designate the Forum, with no changes proposed to the Neighbourhood Area. The application to re-designate the Forum (including the Forum’s updated constitution) can be viewed below: The details of the Forum and the Area are as follows:

The Council consulted on the re-designation of the Forum between 29 May and 10 July 2024. During this period five responses were received. These responses were considered under delegated powers, and a decision was taken to re-designate the Forum for a further five years on 5 August 2024. The decision notice in relation to this can be found below:

Name of the Neighbourhood Forum: Virginia Water Neighbourhood Forum

Name of the Neighbourhood Area to which the Forum relates: Virginia Water Neighbourhood Area

Contact details: Mr John Pyle, info@virginiawaterplan.org

What has happened so far in relation to the Neighbourhood Plan?

The Neighbourhood Forum carried out a formal ‘pre-submission consultation’ between on Monday 18 December 2023 and Friday 22 March 2024 on the draft Virginia Water Neighbourhood Plan.

The Forum has received the responses to the consultation and will be reviewing the feedback given in each of them. This will inform the preparation of a consultation statement and lead onto the preparation of the next iteration of the Plan, which lead to the formal submission of the Neighbourhood Plan for public examination.

For further details about the draft Virgina Water Neighbourhood Plan and how to get involved in the consultation visit the Virginia Water Neighbourhood Forum Website

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