A referendum on the Chobham Neighbourhood Plan will take place later this year following approval at the latest Surrey Heath Borough Council Executive meeting.
The Neighbourhood Plan includes a range of policies relating to the whole of Chobham Parish including housing mix, biodiversity, parking standards, flooding, Chobham Village Centre, important views, local green spaces and heritage.
Electors in the Chobham Parish area will get the opportunity to vote on whether the Neighbourhood Plan is adopted on 7 May 2026.
Once adopted, neighbourhood plans form part of the statutory development plan for the borough and are used in the determination of planning applications in the relevant Neighbourhood Plan area.
Surrey Heath Borough Council has a statutory duty to help local communities in the preparation of Neighbourhood Development Plans and Orders.
Chobham Parish Council prepared the draft Neighbourhood Plan 2024-2038 and submitted it to the borough council in June 2025. A public consultation on the Plan followed, then an independent Examination.
The Examiner’s report concluded that a slightly modified version of the draft Chobham Neighbourhood Plan should proceed to referendum.
If more than 50% of the votes made in the referendum support the Neighbourhood Plan, it will immediately become part of the Development Plan for Surrey Heath.
Surrey Heath Portfolio Holder for Built Environment and Regulation Cllr Alan Ashbery said: “This referendum is the final stage of the Chobham Neighbourhood Plan process, which has given the community real influence over local development in the Parish. I encourage local people to have their say on whether the Plan is adopted and vote in the referendum on 7 May.”
Visit the Chobham Neighbourhood Plan webpages