Local Plan Strategy FAQs

Q1 What is the Council's Local Plan strategy?
Q2 How much housing do we need to plan for?
Q3 Why have the council amended their strategy?
Q4 What is an allocation?
Q5 What is brownfield land?
Q6 How have the draft allocations been selected?
Q7 Have there been any changes to the allocation sites following the Preferred Options consultation?
Q8 How many of the proposed allocation sites will be taken forward to form the final plan?
Q9 What are the timeframes for the development of the allocations?
Q10 Who owns the sites put forward for development? Will the Council be developing these?
Q11 What action would the Council take if a developer chose to use their site for something other than as identified in the allocation?
Q12 Will sites be subject to compulsory purchase by Spelthorne BC?
Q13 What discussions have you had with neighbouring Surrey Boroughs?
Q14 What about employment sites?
Q15 What does 'sustainability' mean, and what is a Sustainability Appraisal?

Q1 What is the Council's Local Plan strategy?

The Spelthorne Local Plan 2022 - 2037 sets out how we can achieve a sustainable future for Spelthorne that protects and enhances our Borough, delivers a wide range of benefits for our residents and meets our future housing needs.

In order to meet our housing need, while managing the impact of new development on Staines, the Local Plan strategy agreed by the Council is to release a small amount (approximately 0.7% / 24.8 ha) of Green Belt. This approach will allow for more family homes with gardens to be built, as well as offering the opportunity for lower building heights in the more sensitive areas of Staines-upon-Thames.

Q2 How much housing do we need to plan for?

The Plan seeks to deliver 9,270 homes over the Plan period, which equates to an average of 618 homes per year.  This figure is Spelthorne's objectively assessed need, based on the Government Standard methodology, which is set out in the NPPF and the accompanying Planning Practice Guidance.

Our need has been calculated by the Government using a standard method based on household growth and affordability of housing in the area. The need for Spelthorne is 618 homes per year over the next 15 years. We think this number is very high, taking account of our Green Belt and flooding areas, so we challenged this method at the time it was announced. We are preparing a Local Plan that aims to meet the need so we can protect land we don't want developed but will continue to push the Government for the need figure to be reduced.

Q3 Why have the council amended their strategy?

The Preferred Options Local Plan consultation proposed the release of 53 hectares of Green Belt (1.6% of total Spelthorne Green Belt), however following the comments received by local stakeholders we felt it necessary to ensure we had fully considered all brownfield options before determining if Green Belt should be released. Despite analysis to maximise urban densities and a call for sites exercise, we still have a deficit of 625 units and so feel a small amount of Green Belt release (approx. 24 hectares or 0.6%) will enable us to meet our needs and provide much needed family housing. 

Q4 What is an allocation?

This is the term we use for when land is put forward by the owner to be developed and we set out what it will be used for (housing, employment etc), how many units and what requirements we expect to see included, such as access improvements. This supports the Local Plan and shows how we can deliver the homes and other uses we need. The owner will still need to apply for planning permission but the allocation will mean it is acceptable in principle. If a site in the Green Belt is allocated for development, it will be removed from the Green Belt once the Local Plan is adopted.

The draft allocation sites are subject to public consultation through the pre-submission version of the Local Plan.

Q5 What is brownfield land?

Brownfield land is land which has been previously developed and is most often found in the urban area. This land could have been used for employment or other industrial purposes. This land is sought to be developed first as it is often in sustainable locations however this land could also be subject to contamination depending on its previous use and this would need to be remediated before any subsequent development takes place, especially for housing.

Q6 How have the draft allocations been selected?

A site selection methodology (SSM) was produced which sets out a robust set of criteria against which potential development sites are assessed. This methodology was consulted on publicly in 2018 but will be updated following the revision to the spatial strategy to ensure development sites adhere to the direction of the emerging Local Plan.

We welcome comments on the site assessments as the pre-submission Local Plan is consulted on. It may be that you have local or historic knowledge that you wish to draw our attention to so we want to hear from you.

Q7 Have there been any changes to the allocation sites following the Preferred Options consultation?

The Council has reviewed its preferred Local Plan strategy following the Preferred Options consultation to ensure that it best meets the needs of the community. Having reviewed the consultation representations, Officers and Members have worked together to ensure that brownfield land has been fully exhausted before considering whether Green Belt release is required. Detailed analysis of each settlement area has taken place to ensure that densities have been maximised in the urban area and an additional call for sites took place in March 2021 to invite landowners and developers to promote potential development sites. These exercises identified some new development sites but we still have a deficit and are unable to meet our needs in the urban area, therefore a small amount of Green Belt release is proposed within the revised Local Plan strategy. The revised strategy focusses on small sites, previously developed land, sustainable locations and weakly performing Green Belt. A limited number of sites have been identified using these criteria.

Q8 How many of the proposed allocation sites will be taken forward to form the final plan?

The sites identified in the plan as proposed allocations will be required to meet our housing need. Officers and Councillors will determine which sites will be most suitable for allocation in line with the proposed Local Plan strategy and these will then be consulted on with the public.

Q9 What are the timeframes for the development of the allocations?

The Local Plan period will cover a period of 15 years from adoption so all development required to meet our needs will have to be delivered during this timeframe. Draft allocation sites will be broken down into delivery periods of 1-5 years, 6-10 years and 11-15 years in line with the 15-year Local Plan period. Landowners and site promoters have been contacted and indicated which of these timeframes they believe their respective sites would be considered deliverable. The timeframes for delivery will then have an impact on the timings within the Plan. We will further consider specific sites and their phasing once we have firmed up our allocations and discussed specific matters regarding delivery with landowners and site promoters.

Q10 Who owns the sites put forward for development? Will the Council be developing these?

The vast majority of sites that are proposed to be allocated in the Local Plan for development are privately owned. There are a small number of sites, which are Council-owned and others which are owned by Surrey County Council. Where the site is privately owned, the expectation would be that the landowner will develop the site or sell the land to a developer to do this. There is no requirement for Spelthorne Council to develop these sites.

Q11 What action would the Council take if a developer chose to use their site for something other than as identified in the allocation?

The Council will have a continual dialogue with landowners through the consultation process. By allocating a site this, in effect, confirms the principle of the development and its use. Therefore, a site allocated for a particular use or type of development would likely only be suitable for that use. The finer details of any development of the allocations will be confirmed at the planning application stage.

Q12 Will sites be subject to compulsory purchase by Spelthorne BC?

This could be an option if absolutely necessary, but sites promoted to us by developers/landowners have confirmed their availability and it will be up to them to deliver each site. We will be engaging with site promoters and landowners where necessary following the consultation to consider the delivery of each potential allocation in more detail.

Q13 What discussions have you had with neighbouring Surrey Boroughs?

Through the Duty to Cooperate, we are legally required to engage with neighbouring local authorities on strategic issues such as Housing, Green Belt, Employment land, Transport etc.  The Council have regular discussions predominately with Runnymede BC, Elmbridge BC, London Borough of Hounslow and Surrey County Council. We also engage regularly with other Surrey, London and Berkshire authorities on various cross-boundary matters where required. The Council have signed Statements of Common Ground (SoCG) with a number of these authorities and this are available to Duty to cooperate.

Q14 What about employment sites?

We have assessed what our needs are for new employment sites and have proposed some land in the Preferred Allocations, mainly for office and storage/distribution uses as our evidence shows we need these types of businesses but not industrial uses.

We feel that it is important to re-assess our employment needs once the market has stabilized following the Covid-19 pandemic. This will confirm whether there are any changes in our employment needs. Any allocation sites for commercial use will be subject to public consultation.

Q15 What does 'sustainability' mean and what is a Sustainability Appraisal?

Sustainability focuses on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability is made up of three main objectives - economic, social and environmental. This is reflected within the sustainability indicators which are included with each of the draft polices. National planning policy emphasis the need for decision-making in planning to take account strongly of these objectives to strike a balance between these and minimise negative impacts. A Sustainability Appraisal (SA) is a tool used to appraise these three objectives. We are required to undertake an SA of the Local Plan, its policies and allocations to ensure that these accord with the three objectives to make sure the Plan is sustainable. Therefore the SA is integral to the plan making process as it helps to demonstrate that the Local Plan is the most appropriate when weighed against the reasonable alternatives.