Planning Inspector will find the Tandridge Local Plan unsound
On Thursday 27 July, a Local Plan procedural meeting was held between council officers and the Planning Inspector, Philip Lewis, to discuss the Council’s proposed steps for progressing the Local Plan.
Following the meeting, the Inspector has written to the Council to advise he cannot find the plan sound or recommend its adoption. The plan was submitted in January 2019 by the previous Council administration. A central part of the plan was a Garden Community for 4,000 homes at South Godstone.
The Inspector’s letter will be discussed at the Planning Policy Committee on Thursday 21 September.
The Council has worked hard to address the Inspector’s concerns about the plan, proposing various amendments, including the removal of the Garden Community from the plan.
The Council is disappointed with the outcome of the procedural meeting, at which it believes a pragmatic solution was presented for the plan.
The Council still has development plans and policies in place which will help guard against the risk of unsuitable planning development and protect the Green Belt which covers 94% of the district.
The letter from the inspector is available on the Council’s website.