Participation Urged in Public Consultation on Local Plan, Part Two

Published on: 4 Jun, 2020
Updated on: 6 Jun, 2020

Guildford residents are being urged to take part in the next public consultation on Part Two of the Local Plan which will set out the borough’s “Development Management Policies”.

And Guildford Borough Council has “already begun to address” the concerns expressed about the consultation on Part One of the Plan, Strategy and Sites. Some have said that thousands of comments made objecting to the proposals it contained were largely ignored.

In a press release, a council spokesperson said: “Sustainable development, protecting natural habitats, supporting the rural economy and high-quality design, across the borough, are at the heart of Guildford’s preferred approach to the second part of its Local Plan.

“The Local Plan is our plan that shapes and controls the future development of Guildford borough. We adopted the Local Plan: strategy and sites (the first part of the Local Plan) last year which focused on allocating sites to meet identified need in terms of housing and employment.

“Now we are producing detailed policies, called Development Management Policies, that will be used to ensure future development meets the highest standards in terms of design quality and meeting the climate change emergency. They will protect the special character of the borough and will be used to guide decisions on whether or not planning applications are granted permission.

“From June 3 you will be able to have your say on the preferred policy approaches when a seven-week public consultation begins. The consultation runs until 12pm on July 22.”

Cllr Jan Harwood

Cllr Jan Harwood (Lib Dem, Merrow), lead councillor for Climate Change said: “Sustainable development, protecting our environment and supporting economic growth across the borough are at the heart of new policies which form part of Guildford’s adopted Local Plan.

“We’d like to hear your views on the specialist planning policies that will help protect the unique character of our borough and ensure we have the highest quality development in Guildford and our surrounding villages. Please do get involved and share your views when the consultation opens – you can help us make a difference.”

Asked whether the public could feel reassured that following the dissatisfaction over the previous consultation, participation would this time be worthwhile, Cllr Harwood responded: “The electorate of Guildford Borough expressed their dissatisfaction with the previous method and style of politics at the ballot box last May. Since then, I am proud of the work we have done to take the local plan forward in a constructive and community-focused way.

“The document we have presented to the public for consultation has achieved cross-party support from nearly all councillors due to its quality and attention to detail. As such, we have already begun to address those concerns and are committed to doing so in the future. As a final note, it is always worthwhile to exercise your democratic rights and I encourage everyone to do so.”

GBC will be inviting comments on the 38 policies covering topics which include:

ensuring high-quality, sustainable design is in keeping with the attractive historic character of our borough;
protecting the natural environment and local wildlife including woodland, trees and other habitats;
minimising the impact of any new development on air quality in the borough;
promoting high-quality standards of energy, water and carbon efficiency to reduce the effect of climate change;
protecting and enhancing accessibility to good quality open space and community facilities;
encouraging people out of their cars by creating a Guildford borough-wide cycle network.

The consultation presents “issues and options” relevant to Guildford and goes on to suggest a “preferred option” or approach for each policy.

A spokesperson added: “All comments received will be considered as part of preparing the next version of the plan that will form the basis of the document submitted to the Secretary of State for examination.”

To comment visit https://guildford.inconsult.uk/consult.ti/LPDMIO/. Due to the current coronavirus restrictions, GBC is unable to provide a paper copy for residents to review at its council offices or libraries. If you wish to discuss any aspect of the consultation, you can call GBC’s Planning Policy team on 01483 444471 or email: planningpolicy@guildford.gov.uk.

Responses to Participation Urged in Public Consultation on Local Plan, Part Two

Jules Cranwell Reply

June 4, 2020 at 6:52 pm

I’m not sure what the point is. The previous “consultation” garnered over 30,000 objections to the Local Plan which were ignored by the incumbent Tories. Given the Lib Dems so vociferously defended the Plan, I do not expect any more credence given to the results of this next consultation.

There can be no “sustainable development” or “protecting the environment” or “minimising the impact on the environment” as a result of this plan. This is self-evident, and the GBC Lib Dem leadership knows this.

This plan has nothing to do with anything other than vast and obscene profits for developers.
Jim Allen Reply

June 5, 2020 at 1:15 pm

There are some interesting points in the document which indicate that this council is beginning to listen. First, because of The Star public house fiasco, it has been recognised that it is the incomer’s responsibility to noise-insulate buildings, and they have incorporated part of the Burpham Neighbourhood Plan regarding parking outside the town centre.

Other things remain wrong though like the SUDs proposal – pumped ponds as opposed to controlled constant flow outlet. So for me it will be, wait and see.