CRISIS WEEK!!

***  DEADLINE – Midnight MONDAY 30th SEPTEMBER  *** 

We are hearing that many people are still unaware of the vital Elmbridge wide Local Plan Consultation and far too few have responded.

Whatever your view, please spread the word and encourage people to respond by completing the questionnaire online NOW:

http://consult.elmbridge.gov.uk/consult.ti/LPOC/view

1. Go to ‘Let us know your views’ section and find the ‘online questionnaire’ link
2. For help, information and guidance in responding, please see the 2019 Consultation Guidance or visit the ‘SaveHWLDGreenbelt‘ website

You must have your say. Your voice counts. 

EVERYONE in your household can respond, including children with parental consent.

Non-Elmbridge Residents can respond too.

Remember – The Deadline is 30th September – Closing at Midnight!

Changes to the way Elmbridge Planning Applications are Handled

Elmbridge Council is proposing to change the way planning applications are handled. We believe the changes weaken the power of residents to have a say in what happens in their local area and are therefore undemocratic.

The Current System

Three Local Area Planning Sub-Committees and one Planning Committee. The local area sub-committees are comprised of locally elected ward councillors, who know their area. The main planning committee is comprised of 17 councillors from across the Borough, but not every ward.

• 92% planning applications are determined by planning officers, not councillors, under delegated authority.
• Nearly all other planning applications are decided by the local area planning sub-committees, comprised of local ward councillors.
• Minor applications (2-9 dwellings) are passed to the local area sub-committee when 5+ objections are received.
• Major applications (10+ dwellings) area passed to the local area sub-committee for review.

The Proposed System

• Minor applications (2-9 dwellings) only passed to the local area sub-committee when 15+ objections are received.
• Major applications (10+ dwellings) passed directly to the planning committee.
• Objections from groups such as Residents Associations will be viewed only as 1 objection.
• Objections to single dwelling applications will be dealt with solely by council officers, not councillors, irrespective of the number of objections.

In our view these changes effectively dilute the accountability of locally elected representatives.  At a time when elections have been won, or lost, based on commitments to defend the Long Ditton Green Belt from development, we feel it is important that accountability remains with local area planning sub-committees, whose members have been elected based on these promises.

The decision to adopt this change is being made at the Planning Committee on Tuesday 23^rd July 7.00pm. It seems quite wrong that the Planning Committee itself will decide on whether to grant itself more power, and reduce the influence of the local area planning sub-committees.

In principle the Long Ditton Residents Association disagrees with this proposed change and strongly disagrees with the way in which it is being implemented.

The Long Ditton Residents Association Committee

July 2019