Update 29th February 2024
As someone who responded to the proposed Local Plan, the Residents' Association has received the following from Mole Valley's Planning Policy Team calling for additional comments on the Main Modifications to the Draft Mole Valley Local Plan and associated documents.
There are only certain areas that can be commented upon and see the attached document for a full transcript of the email and links to the modifications and Council Note 35.
After full Council vote (but strong opposition from Ashtead Councillors), Green Belt in Ermyn Way and Exxon Mobil remain under serious threat of development.
The latest Press Release from MVDC:-
Councillor Margaret Cooksey, Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) Cabinet Member for Planning said: “Following my update yesterday, which set out that the Minister of State for Housing, Planning and Building Safety (Department for Levelling up, Housing & Communities) had issued MVDC with a direction not to withdraw its Local Plan from the examination-in-public, a meeting of full Council last night debated how to proceed with the Local Plan.
“The decision of Council was to progress with the examination of the draft Local Plan as originally submitted for examination by the government appointed Inspector. We will now write to the Inspector and inform her of the decision to progress, and wait for her instructions. We anticipate that she will advise us to undertake a consultation, on her behalf, into changes to the plan that she thinks are required to make it compliant with relevant government policy.
“As part of last night’s meeting, Council debated whether instead of preceding it should to seek to make changes to the plan that was submitted to the Inspector back in 2022. After a full and frank dialogue a majority concluded that to make those changes was not in the best interests of the district as a whole.
“In my 27 years of serving Mole Valley District Council, there have been very few decisions that have been more difficult than that of releasing green belt land for housing. Whilst the amount of green belt release is small, at less than 1%, the anger and objection to it is real and understandable. During the debate many Members of the Council represented the views of residents who were strongly opposed to housing on green belt land. Others had serious concerns about the loss of control over development on the green belt and the loss of the opportunity for affordable housing. Affordable housing has repeatedly been voiced by residents as a top priority.
“Whilst housing and green belt are often the issues that come to the fore, we must remember that the Local Plan delivers so much more; biodiversity net gain, designating locally listed buildings, zero carbon homes and electric vehicle charging points, minimum rather than maximum parking standards, education and primary care need, open space, children’s play areas, early years facilities, transport and flood mitigation improvements.”
A recording of the meeting of full Council can be viewed here.