Examination-in-Public Session on EBC’s Revised Housing Trajectory Submission to the Planning Inspector – June 17th, 2024
Residents will be aware that, at the end of April, Elmbridge Borough Council called on the Planning Inspector to pause the Examination-in-Public of the Draft Local Plan for a 6 week period, to enable it to revise what is known as the Housing Trajectory – in essence, the housing numbers.
The revised numbers were submitted to the Planning Inspector on 11th June and discussed as the first item of the resumed Examination in The Civic Centre on 17th June, which was attended by one of your Parish Councillors.
Present at the session, apart from the Inspector and her Programme Officer, were c. 11 Representors [generally representing land owners in the borough] and c. 6 Elmbridge Officers.
In summary, the plan, which received wide support from residents across the borough when submitted, is in some difficulty, coming under significant pressure from landowners and potential developers and facing searching questions from the Inspector.
Elmbridge are now awaiting a letter from the Planning Inspector which will set out her findings so far and her views as to what Elmbridge’s Next Steps should be. The Parish Council will communicate this letter as soon as it becomes available.
Over-riding all of this, of course, we now have the prospect of the new Labour government’s views on the use of Green Belt for housing and on the reimposition of mandatory, centrally determined housing targets being brought to bear on the situation. However, to the extent that these policies will be implemented by amending the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), it is not thought that they will directly impact the content of Elmbridge’s Draft Local Plan.
The Parish Council will be scrutinising new draft planning regulations and will continue to defend our community to the best of our ability against the efforts of developers to encroach on Green Belt land.