BY CLLR LINDA GILLHAM
More than five years ago we were made aware that Thorpe Village was likely to be removed from the Green Belt in the preparation of the Runnymede Local Plan.
While this decision was difficult to argue with as the village had been built up over the years, Cllr. Elaine Gill and I saw opportunities to make sure that future housing and other developments were sited where the residents wanted them and not at the whim of developers.
We went on a course to understand what was involved in Neighbourhood Planning and then set about bringing together residents, landowners, businesses, developers and historians to form a Forum. We all agreed the designated area, and this was submitted to Runnymede Borough Council in August 2016.
The next two years were spent consulting local people on what they wanted Thorpe to look like in 15 years’ time and with surveys and open events we built up a picture of the things that were important to preserve and improve.
Once we thought we knew what we wanted from the Neighbourhood Plan we went out to tender for a planning consultant to help us with the technical side of things. I don’t think anyone understood just how technical this would turn out to be and we all learned a lot about planning legislation and the reports that make up the necessary evidence to support the policies.
We engaged AECOM to produce a Sustainability Appraisal for our policies and a Habitats Regulation Appraisal as there is an SSSI and Ramsar site within the area. We explored the provisions of the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) and were the first Neighbourhood Plan to use a condition which allowed us to move the Green Belt Boundary for about 40 houses to be built in the centre of the village in exchange for a much needed car park, play area and public park. We allocated more housing than Thorpe had been asked for from Runnymede Council and in doing so future proofed the area for more than 15 years. We were very proud to appear in Planning Press and on a programme called “Have I got Planning news for You” as our plan was recognised for its innovation.
Finally, in November 2019 we had the draft plan and went out for the Regulation 14 consultation. This went to residents and all the statutory bodies like the Environment Agency, SCC and Surrey Wildlife Trust. During this process the EA changed the flood zone maps for the River Bourne which meant many of our maps and documents had to be updated but by July 2020 we had taken on board all the responses to the consultations and refined the plan.
This was then submitted to RBC Planning department who put it out for the Regulation 18 consultation. As this finished the plan was sent to an examiner who specialised in Neighbourhood Plans. He came back with 18 questions which required about one month’s work to produce the answers and finally Runnymede Borough Council issued its decision notice in December 2020.
Cllr. Elaine Gill and I are very proud to have helped our residents produce the first Neighbourhood Plan in Runnymede and while we have volunteered hundreds of hours on this project we would recommend all other parts of Runnymede travel the same path to achieve a lasting legacy for their residents.
Due to the Government legislation on the Covid 19 pandemic, the plan could not proceed to referendum until May 6th, 2021. As we go to elect borough Councillors, Surrey Councillors and the Police Commissioner, the people of the designated area in Thorpe will also be asked to vote in the referendum on the Thorpe Neighbourhood Plan.