Reigate and Banstead Borough Council has launched a public consultation on plans to build nearly 200 homes in The Horseshoe area in Banstead and 35 near Kingswood railway station (pictured below) over the next 11 years.
The council’s Development Management Plan (DMP) includes plans for building nearly 7,000 new homes across the borough by 2027 to tackle rising demand for houses, and for providing infrastructure to support urban expansion.
The consultation on the DMP, which would update the council’s Local Plan, runs between August 1 and October 10. Through the Local Plan – and by extension, through the DMP – the council hopes to “preserve, conserve and enhance the traditional character of the borough”.
The Horseshoe, Banstead
The initial Core Strategy Plan (part one of the Local Plan) was adopted by the council in 2014 and originally depicted the scale and rough location of the growth.
This included the target to build 460 new homes each year- a target in which was successfully reached in the last year with 535 new dwellings ¬– to reach a total of 6900 by 2027.
However, the DMP (part two of the Local Plan) focuses more on the planned sites for such residential and commercial development as well as being a guide to what the borough may look like come the completion of the plan.
Moreover, the latest round of public consultation concerns the protection of local heritage sites and the natural environment, with the council keen to stress a “preserve, conserve and enhance” approach to development.
Kingswood Railway Station
Exhibitions are being held, in libraries across the district, throughout the next ten weeks to allow residents to see first-hand the proposed key sites and speak to any officials with any queries in which they have.
Cllr Tony Schofield, Executive Member for Planning Policy, said: “Having a Local Plan in place will provide greater local control over where development goes. It will help make sure that the need to provide new housing and grow the economy is balanced against protecting the local environment and providing infrastructure and services.
“In our plan, new development will be provided in urban areas as a priority. If the Council does not have a plan in place it is more likely that government planning inspectors will decide for us where development will go in the future and what it looks like.”
“I urge residents, businesses and workers in the borough to give us their views. This is your chance to shape what is included in this plan. Your views are important to us so please get involved.”
To view the full consultation document and supporting evidence or to find out more, visit the Council’s website reigate-banstead.gov.uk/dmp
Comments forms are available to download and then email or post to the policy team at ldf@reigate-banstead.gov.uk or at the Town Hall, Castlefield Road, Reigate RH2 0SH, respectively.
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