Dear Neighbour

As it happens, no sooner had Redrow told the Council that it will try to influence the Local Plan Review rather than submit a planning application for Kempton Park, than the initial stage of that part of the Local Plan Review which Redrow wants to influence was sent out for consultation.

You may remember the SHMA – the Strategic Housing Market Assessment – that proposed that between 543 and 725 new dwellings need to be built in Spelthorne every year for the next twenty years. That’s between 11 000 and 14 500 new dwellings in a Borough which currently has 40 000 households.

Now we have the SLAA – the Strategic Land Availability Assessment – which will decide where those thousands and thousands of new dwellings will be built. The Council has just sent out for consultation the methodology it proposes to use for this Assessment. Click here to see the draft consultation paper.

We are in the process of looking at this draft methodology, but one thing caught our eye on an initial reading. Paragraph 19 and following paragraphs set out how a “Development Market Panel” will decide on issues of the Assessment’s methodology and the status of individual sites. Members of the Panel are proposed to include:

“… (developers; those with land interests; land promoters; local property agents, registered providers) each representing a different company/business/interest group. The panel will also consist of representatives who have the knowledge/experience to comment on the draft methodology/sites that are proposed for economic development in terms of their viability.”

Communities? Not mentioned.

So, it looks as if the vested interests will be sitting in judgement on their own claims for development  status .

The consultation closes on 15 October, so do get your comments in by then. Replies to planning.policy@spelthorne.gov.uk  .

Kind regards
Keep Kempton Green