Surrey Structure Plan 2004

For more information, please contact

Planning Policy and Conservation Team

Tel: 01276 707222
planning.policy@surreyheath.gov.uk

Surrey Heath Borough Council
Knoll Road
Camberley
Surrey GU15 3HD

After public consultation in 2003 and considering the recommendations made by the Panel, Surrey County Council has now adopted their 2004 Structure Plan. The Surrey Structure Plan 2004 was approved by the County Council on 19 October 2004 and after the required six-week period for any legal challenges was finally adopted on 4th December 2004.

Taking into account both national and regional policies and guidance the Structure Plan sets out the county's planning strategy until 2016. The Structure Plan will provide the strategic policy background against which Surrey Heath Borough Council will prepare its Development Plan Documents (DPD's).

The Protection of the Greenbelt and the Countryside
The Structure Plan 2004 covers all aspects of land use in the county: town centres and urban areas, rural settlements, the countryside and the green belt. The Plan also addresses the use of land for all types of activity - such as employment, retail, transport, and recreation. However, most importantly it sets out how Surrey will deal with the large housing allocation imposed by the Government - which requires space to be found for almost 36,000 new homes in the county, whilst protecting many vital areas such as greenbelt land and areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) from development.

The Plan gives clear direction to the placement of the Government's housing allocation for Surrey, reinforces the Council's pledge to protect its most prized asset - the Surrey countryside - and also gives a realistic approach to coping with future development.

Housing Allocations 2001 - 2016
Of the 36,000 new houses to be built in the county, Surrey Heath has been given an allocation of 2,780 houses between 2001-2016, which the Panel agreed was reasonable and a number that should not be increased. The Structure Plan encourages higher densities in urban areas, urban extensions, the revision of Low Density Policy Areas in the forthcoming DPD's and the transference of some existing unwanted commercial land to residential use as ways to provide the 2001-2016 housing allocation numbers.

Affordable Housing
Although seen as a challenging target by the Panel, the Structure Plan has set a target of 40 per cent of the 36,000 new homes to be affordable housing, in order to ease the increasing difficulty of residents getting on the property ladder. This would mean at least 13,000 affordable homes could be built in the county. Surrey Heath will therefore be reviewing Policies in the Surrey Heath Local Plan 2000 and be considering new levels of affordable housing provision for the forthcoming Housing and Employment 2001-2016 DPD based upon local needs evidence.

Housing Reserve Sites
Surrey Heath argued that the long-standing reserve sites at rural settlements, such as West End and Windlesham, cannot be regarded as sustainable locations for further housing development. The Panel concluded that there is no case in principle for releasing any land, which is not in a sustainable location, unless the most exceptional circumstances apply. They further conclude that such sites should be returned to the Green Belt, and this would need to be done through the Housing and Employment 2001-2016 DPD.

View a full copy of the Surrey Structure Plan can be reviewed Opens in a new window