Agenda and decisions

To take any questions or statements from members of the Public.

To receive declarations of any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or other registrable or non-registrable interests from Members in respect of any item to be considered at the meeting.

The Committee is asked to confirm as a true record the Minutes of the Special Meeting of the Committee held on 19 May 2026 (attached) and the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 16 June 2026 (attached) and to authorise the Chair to sign them.

Tandridge District Council (TDC) recently consulted on a draft Local Plan relating to Spatial Strategy Options (Regulation 18). As TDC will become part of the new East Surrey Unitary Authority from 1 April 2027 it is important that the Council provided a formal response to the consultation.

The Committee resolved (5 for, 3 against, 1 abstaining) to:

(1)      Note the Council’s response to the Tandridge District Council Local Plan Spatial Development Strategy Consultation (Regulation 18) that was taken and submitted following Urgent Decision 162.

Epsom and Ewell Borough Council are a statutory consultee on Local Plans from neighbouring authorities. The London Borough of Kingston recently consulted on a publication draft Local Plan (Regulation 19 Stage). This is the final consultation stage before the plan is submitted for independent examination.

The Committee resolved (5 for, 3 against, 1 abstaining) to:

(1)      Note the Council’s response to the Kingston Local Plan Regulation 19 Consultation that was taken and submitted following Urgent Decision 161.

The Authority Monitoring Report (AMR) is a factual report that has two purposes; to monitor progress towards new Local Development Documents and to monitor the effectiveness of key policies set out in Local Development Documents.

The Committee resolved (8 for, 1 against) to:

1)        Note the content of the Authority Monitoring Report for the 2025/26 Monitoring year and agree to it being published.

The Examination of the Epsom and Ewell Local Plan 2022-2040 commenced following the appointment of a Planning Inspector on 1 April 2025. The Planning Inspector is assessing the legal compliance of the plan and its compliance with the four tests of soundness set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

The purpose of this report is to present the Planning Inspectors proposed Main Modifications to the Submission Epsom and Ewell Local Plan (2022-2040) (Appendix 1) to the Committee so that they can make a recommendation to Full Council that a statutory public consultation be undertaken for a period of 6 weeks.

The Committee resolved (7 for, 2 against) to:

1)        Note the Inspectors Proposed Main Modifications to the Submission Local Plan (2022-2040) contained in Appendix 1 to the report, and revisions to the Submission Local Plan policies maps contained in Appendix 2 to the report.

Resolved (6 for, 3 against) to:

2)        Recommend to Full Council that the statutory public consultation on the documents contained within Appendix 1 and 2 to the report, together with the Sustainability Appraisal Addendum (Appendix 3 to the report) and Habitats Regulations Assessment Addendum (Appendix 4 to the report), commence for a period of at least 6 weeks.

Resolved (5 for, 4 against) to:

3)        Nominate and Authorise the Head of Planning Policy and Economic Development in consultation with the Chair of the Licencing and Planning Policy Committee, to make any necessary amendments to the documents listed in recommendation 2 above following the consultation should the Inspector require any further modifications.

Resolved (5 for, 4 against) to:

4)        Nominate and Authorise the Head of Planning Policy and Economic Development in consultation with the Chair of the Licencing and Planning Policy Committee, to update the Local Development Scheme (local plan timetable).

A new plan-making system was introduced through Regulations published in March 2026. This would be to produce a Plan to follow the current Plan that remains under examination as referred to within this same Agenda.  

The purpose of this report is to inform members of this new system of plan making and the subsequent correspondence between the Head of Planning Policy and Economic Development and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) representatives concerning the Council commencing work on its next Local Plan for the borough whilst the Examination of the Epsom and Ewell Local Plan (2022-2040) continues. 

The Committee resolved (7 for, 2 against) to:

(1)      Note the content of the letter from MHCLG dated 20 August 2026 (Appendix 4 to the report)

(2)      Recommend that EEBC officers request to meet with the Chief Executive and Executive Member for Strategic Planning and Growth of the Shadow East Surrey Unitary Authority to determine how to progress this requirement in the context of Local Government Reorganisation, with the outcome of those discussions to be reported back to a future meeting of this committee.