Surrey's smallest borough approves plan for homes

Plans to build nearly 5,000 homes in Surrey's smallest borough have taken a step forward.

On Tuesday, Epsom and Ewell Borough Council approved the next stage in its local plan process, which is a public consultation before it is submitted to a government inspector.

The local plan sets out where and when homes will be built up to 2040 in the borough, which borders London.

In it, there are plans for 4,916 new homes including some on green belt land released by the council.

With a population in 2021 of 80,900 people, Epsom and Ewell is Surrey's smallest borough in terms of geographical area, but the most densely populated, according to the local plan.

The consultation, for which a start date is yet to be announced, will be the final opportunity for feedback on the plan before it is submitted to a government inspector in summer 2025, the council said.

Green belt sites such as Horton Farm and Hook Road Arena are due to be declassified under the plans to allow new homes to be built.

Campaign group Save Epsom's Green Belt previously said there should be a focus on brownfield sites instead and claimed the plan "would destroy all the green belt between Epsom and West Ewell".

Councillor Peter O'Donovan, chair of the licensing and planning policy committee, said: "It is challenging to find a path that meets the many different needs of all our communities, and not everyone may agree with every aspect of this plan.

"However, having listened to all the feedback, and examined the comprehensive evidence base, we feel strongly that this plan ensures that everyone in our borough, both now and in the future, is given the chance to thrive in Epsom and Ewell."

On Thursday, the government said councils would not be given any "wiggle room" when it came to meeting new mandatory housebuilding targets amid an overhaul of the planning system.

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