Local Plan Review 2044

On 16 June the Council’s Executive agreed a timetable for preparing the Local Plan Review 2044.

The Local Plan Review timetable takes effect from 25 June 2026.

Local Government Reorganisation: From 1 April 2027, Surrey Heath will become part of a wider West Surrey Council. Dates after this time are subject to decisions by the new Council including resourcing and governance arrangements.

Publish notice of intention to commence plan preparation 

Date(s): 25 June 2026

Decisions and actions taken by: Surrey Heath Borough Council

Publication of notice of intention to commence plan preparation.

Scoping consultation

Date(s): 14 September to 19 October 2026

Decisions and actions taken by: Surrey Heath Borough Council

This consultation seeks views from stakeholders on the scope of the Local Plan and how they wish to be engaged in the plan-making process.

Publication of Gateway 1 self-assessment 

Date(s): 26 October 2026

Decisions and actions taken by: Surrey Heath Borough Council

This formally marks the start of the 30 month plan-making process and is a summary of work carried out to get ready to start the formal plan- making process.

Consultation on proposed plan content and evidence

Date(s): June to July 2027

Decisions and actions taken by: West Surrey Council

This consultation will seek views on the proposed vision, spatial strategy options and a summary of the evidence gathered to date. It may seek views on policy wordings. The consultation will last for a minimum six weeks.

Observations and advice sought for Gateway 2

Date(s): September 2027

Decisions and actions taken by: West Surrey Council

An appointed assessor from the Planning Inspectorate will review progress on the Plan and provide observations and recommendations to the Council.

Consultation on the proposed plan

Date(s): April to May 2028

Decisions and actions taken by: West Surrey Council

This final formal consultation will seek views on a full draft plan and policies map. The consultation will last for a minimum of eight weeks.

Observations and advice sought for Gateway 3

Date(s): August 2028

Decisions and actions taken by: West Surrey Council

An appointed assessor from the Planning Inspectorate will decide whether the Plan is ready for submission based on prescribed requirements on legal compliance and the proposed submission documents.

Submit the local plan for examination

Date(s): October 2028

Decisions and actions taken by: West Surrey Council

Subject to passing Gateway 3 the Plan and supporting documents will be submitted to the Secretary of State for Examination.

Adopt the Local Plan

Date(s): April 2029

Decisions and actions taken by: West Surrey Council

Once adopted, the Plan will form part of the statutory Development Plan for the West Surrey Council area.

Geographical area

The Surrey Heath Local Plan Review 2044 will cover the whole of the Borough as shown in Map 1 below.

Map 1: Surrey Heath Borough Geographical Area

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Scope

The matters which the Local Plan Review 2044 will deal with are:

• Setting a long-term vision.
• Identifying development needs over the plan period including for housing, (including for gypsies and travellers and travelling showpeople, affordable housing, specialist housing and self and custom build housing), employment and retail and town centre uses.
• The allocation of sites for different land uses but particularly to meet the housing requirement.
• Identifying the need for different types of employment spaces such as offices, industrial space, warehouse space and data centres.
• Defining town centres and setting out the approach to development within them.
• Setting out the need for infrastructure to support delivery of the Local Plan such as transport, utilities, green infrastructure, education, health care, libraries, community centres and sports facilities.
• Setting out the approach to the protection and enhancement of the natural environment.
• Setting out a positive strategy for the historic environment including locally and nationally listed heritage assets and conservation areas.
• Ensuring that the policies and allocations in the Local Plan contribute to the mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change.
• Setting requirements for high standards of design, including ensuring the efficient use of land.

Supplementary Plans

The Council has not identified any Supplementary Plans at this time. If a need for a Supplementary Plan is identified in the future, we will update this page with the details and timetable for their preparation.

View CSV and PDF file

To meet the Governments approved data standard, you can also view our Local Plan csv file. This is provided under the Open Government licence.

You can also view the contents of this page in the below PDF.