Dear Sir or Madam
RE: Issues and Approaches – Local Plan Regulation 18 Consultation
What are we consulting on?
Tandridge District Council is in the early stages of preparing a Local Plan which, once adopted, will set out the vision for the district for the next 20 years and provide a framework for the future improvement, development and local protection of the area and Green Belt. The Council is at an early stage in the plan-making process and have prepared an Issues and Approaches document for public consultation which we are seeking your views. Your input is important and the outcome of the consultation will contribute to the development of the Local Plan going forward.
This Issues and Approaches document sets out a variety of approaches and potential delivery strategies which could guide development in the future. The consultation period will take place for 10 weeks from 18th December 2015 to 26th February 2016.
The consultation seeks the views on all aspects of the Issues and Approaches document as well as a variety of other technical studies which are published alongside it.
Where can I view the documents?
The Issues and Approaches documents and associated technical studies can all be viewed on the Council’s website (www.tandridge.gov.uk/localplan). In addition, hard copies of the documents can be viewed at; Reception of the main Council Offices (Tandridge District Council, Council Offices, 8 Station Road East, Oxted, Surrey, RH8 0BT) and in each of the libraries in the District.
How to comment
You can send us your comments using the Council’s online consultation portal, Objective, which allows you to access the Issues and Approaches document and comment on the questions which is of most relevance to you. The last page of the consultation document sets out where the questions are within the document.
To make use of the Objective system, you will be required to set up an account to ensure the Council can associate comments with relevant parties and individuals. The Council cannot accept anonymous comments and need to be able to verify the origin of responses with a name and contact address (preferably email), for it to be accepted as valid. Further, the Council cannot guarantee the anonymity of respondents as comments received form part of the evidence base for the wider Local Plan and will be publically available for examination purposes.
Following this consultation and to comply with the principles of the Data Protection Act, the Councils existing Local Plan database will no longer be utilised to contact parties regarding Local Plan matters. This administrative shift ensures that the Council has the most up to date information and does not contact those that do not wish to be kept informed. As such, if you wish to remain involved in the Local Plan process and continue to receive correspondence on planning policy matters, you will need to create an account even if you do not wish to make comments as part of this consultation. Please note that anyone can set up an account and at any time. To register, please follow the short guide on the Council’s website (www.tandridge.gov.uk/localplan).
The Council will also accept comments submitted and received within the formal consultation period (18th December 2015 – 26th February 2016), via:
· email to localplan@tandridge.gov.uk, and
· by post to: Planning Policy, Tandridge District Council, Council Offices, 8 Station Road East, Oxted, Surrey, RH8 0BT
For the benefit of sustainability, the Council recommend and encourage the submission of comments using electronic methods.
Next steps
This is the first stage of public consultation for the Councils Local Plan and no decisions have been made. The Issues and Approaches document does not:
· Change current planning rules,
· Alter Green Belt boundaries,
· Identify a preferred location for development, or
· Change current boundaries of towns and villages.
Following the closure of this consultation on 26th February 2016, responses will be analysed and taken into account alongside additional technical work and liaison with partners such as infrastructure providers. A further document is currently scheduled to be publically consulted upon in 2016. Please ensure you set up you online account on the Council’s consultation portal to ensure we can keep you informed.
If you have any further queries, please contact the Planning Policy team on 01883 722000.
Kind Regards,
SLThompson
Sarah Thompson
Head of Strategic Planning Policy
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