The Long Ditton Residents Association have formerly responded to Elmbridge Borough Council. 
(Our response can VIEWED HERE)

LDRA Statement

Our main concern is that the Council has prematurely treated Green Belt as an ‘option’ for meeting long term development when Government policy is clear that Green Belt release should only even be considered after all other options have been exhausted.

The Council has undertaken a comprehensive review of the Green Belt in Elmbridge to inform the options currently being considered.  Green Belt releases have been suggested as potential options for meeting the objectively assessed housing need (of 9,480 to 2035) as a result.

However, national policy (National Planning Policy Framework) makes it clear that this should only happen in ‘exceptional circumstances’ and after all other options have been explored through the local plan review process.  The Housing White Paper (Feb 2017) confirms that there will be no change to national policy but proposes amendments to the NPPF (to be introduced later this year) to make it clear that:

“authorities should amend Green Belt boundaries only when they can demonstrate that they have examined fully all other reasonable options for meeting their identified development requirements, including:

* making effective use of suitable brownfield sites and the opportunities offered by estate regeneration;

* the potential offered by land which is currently underused, including surplus public sector land where appropriate;

* optimising the proposed density of development; and

* exploring whether other authorities can help to meet some of the identified development requirement.”

This process should be applied before coming to the conclusion that there are exceptional circumstances for releasing Green Belt.  Options 2 and 3 of the Council’s consultation are therefore premature as other ‘reasonable’ options have not been fully explored. In order for the Council to even consider Green Belt, further ‘urban capacity’ work that goes beyond the Land Availability Assessment, is needed.

LDRA OFFICIAL

YOU STILL HAVE TIME TO RESPOND – RESPONSE CLOSES 24th FEBRUARY!!

Our Greenbelt (including Stokes Field) is under threat, with the Government’s housing shortage.  There are new plans to build thousands of new homes on Long Ditton and Hinchley Wood Greenbelt.

These flyers will be posted through your door shortly (if you would like one to be emailed – please contact us here) – contact@longditton.org

Comments on the new application  (2011/0576), which addressed some of the issues raised at the appeal, were due by 28 March. The application went to the Elmbridge Borough Council Planning Sub-committee on 26 April and was approved. Details of reasons and conditions can be found on the Elmbridge Borough Council website www.elmbridge.gov.uk/planning.

The application has been refused but there is a right of appeal.

At the April committee meeting the Prospect Rd representative noted that H2YDRO Properties had submitted proposals for floating homes, a marina and nature area on the filter bed site on the Portsmouth Rd between Kingston and Winters Bridge and had put on an exhibition at the Holiday Inn. It was noted that the company was part of the Kennett group which also owns St James’ Homes. Although the site is in the Royal Borough of Kingston, not in Elmbridge, any development is likely to affect Long Ditton.