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Neighbourhood Planning

How can Surrey County Council support Neighbourhood Planning?

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Introduction

Surrey operates under a two-tier system of local government: Surrey County Council (SCC) and eleven district and borough councils. Generally, the county council is responsible for the more strategic, countywide functions and services whereas the districts and boroughs provide more local services, including acting as the Local Planning Authority for their area.

SCC is the Minerals and Waste Planning Authority, Local Highway Authority and Lead Local Flood Authority for Surrey and has statutory responsibilities for education, heritage, social care and public health and is the responsible authority for preparing the Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

Neighbourhood Plans must be in general conformity with national and local planning policy, including the minerals and waste plans produced by county councils, which form part of the development plan for an area. This means that consultation will be required between SCC and neighbourhood planning groups, particularly where there are any sites or issues that raise minerals and waste safeguarding issues or involve SCC land or services, such as schools and libraries.

SCC can support neighbourhood planning in a number of ways:

  • Providing advice on county council service-related issues
  • Responding to consultations on Neighbourhood Plans via planning.consultations@surreycc.gov.uk
  • Highlighting where Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) receipts received through the neighbourhood proportion could help fund improvements to county council infrastructure for the local community.

Information relating to issues which are the responsibility of SCC that could be relevant for the preparation of Neighbourhood Plans is provided below:

Minerals and waste

SCC is the Minerals and Waste Planning Authority (MWPA) for Surrey and is responsible for preparing minerals and waste plans that contain planning policies for minerals and waste management.

Neighbourhood Plans should not contain policies or allocations that affect minerals and waste development and they should take into account the safeguarding of mineral resources, mineral infrastructure and waste sites (including allocated sites).

Please see SCC's Minerals and Waste planning pages for further information, and view the Policies Map for information on safeguarded areas, existing sites and site allocations.

Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA)

Under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 SCC was given lead responsibility for reducing the risk of flooding from surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses.

The LLFA can provide organisations working on Neighbourhood Plans with information on drainage and local flood risk. Please contact suds@surreycc.gov.uk

We recommend that all development proposed through Neighbourhood Plans should follow the principles of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and Sustainable Drainage System Design Guidance.

See also the Surrey Flood Risk Management Strategy and guidance on ordinary watercourse consents.

If there is a pre-existing flooding/drainage issue there may be an opportunity to use CIL receipts to help manage and reduce the local risk. Identifying pre-existing issues as part of a Neighbourhood Plan can help unlock potential additional funding.

Historic Environment

SCC's Historic Environment Planning Team provide advice and guidance on managing, protecting and enhancing heritage assets in Surrey, working in partnership with organisations such as Historic England and the Surrey Archaeological Society. The Team's major roles are to maintain the Surrey Historic Environment Record – a comprehensive database of Surrey's known heritage assets, finds and features - and to advise on planning proposals and policies for new development.

Guidance is also available on managing Listed and locally listed buildings, Archaeology, historic landscapes and heritage views and vistas, as well as heritage-related planning policy.

Neighbourhood planning groups are strongly advised to contact the Surrey Historic Environment Record and request the information for their area at the start of the process, in order to fully understand the heritage assets and resources of their area and better inform their desired outcomes. This information is usually provided free of charge.

Further information on Surrey's heritage, the Historic Environment Planning Team and consulting the Historic Environment Record can be found on the Heritage and Planning pages.

Education and Early Years

SCC has a statutory duty to ensure there are sufficient school places in the county to meet demand for resident children between the ages 5 and 16 years. The council must therefore plan, organise and commission places for all state-funded schools in Surrey so that high standards are maintained, diverse school communities are created and fluctuating pupil numbers are managed efficiently.

SCC produces a School Organisation Plan which provides an overview of the availability of school places county-wide, as well as forecasts and information at a district and borough level. The forecast for future requirements takes into account birth rates, existing pupil numbers and existing housing data.

SCC also has a duty to ensure there are sufficient childcare services for parents that want them. We produce a Childcare Sufficiency Assessment Report which may be of interest as it contains information about parental demand for childcare, supply of childcare within Surrey and gaps in provision.

Neighbourhood Plans may need to consider the impact any proposed housing would have on schools or childcare in the area.

Provision of Specialist Accommodation

Adult Social Care supports people to live their best life and to be as independent, safe and as well as possible. Its strategic ambitions include the provision of modern, technology-enabled homes and accommodation with the right care and support for older people and working age adults with mental health needs, learning disabilities and/or autism.

Neighbourhood planning groups should consider how the type and size of new homes could help meet the housing needs of local older people and people with disabilities. Provision could include small-scale adapted properties, market and affordable retirement housing or specialist housing with care, such as extra care housing, and for people with the highest levels of care need, residential care homes and nursing care homes.

If the Neighbourhood Plan is considering allocating a site for specialist housing for older people and adults with disabilities in particular, we advise this should be as close as possible to local shops, General Practitioner (GP) surgeries, community facilities and bus stops to allow ease of access.

Further information is available in district and borough planning profiles. These set out SCC's current understanding of future needs for extra care housing, residential care homes and nursing care homes and also set out expectations around the development of extra care facilities.

SCC encourages early engagement where specialist accommodation is being considered in a Neighbourhood Plan. Please contact asc.housingplanning@surreycc.gov.uk

Public Rights of Way (ROW)

The County Council is responsible for the management and maintenance of Surrey's network of footpaths, bridleways and byways, and for the Definitive Map that is a legal record of the location and status of Rights of Way.

Neighbourhood planning organisations should consider opportunities to protect and improve the network for the range of users and increase access for all. Communities may also want to consider allocating Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) receipts to ROW schemes.
In recent years the Countryside Access team has completed a range of ROW improvement schemes using CIL. Projects, both large and small, have included surface and drainage improvements, upgrading of footpaths to bridleways to allow for cycling as well as legally securing and constructing a completely new footpath.

When consulted on larger proposed developments, the Countryside Access team may also request S106 contributions to fund improvements to the network beyond the development. They are keen to hear from parish councils if there is a particular requirement.

To discuss any requirements that a community may have all enquiries should be made to the Countryside Access Team at rightsofway@surreycc.gov.uk

Highways

SCC is the local highway authority and will provide comments on the high-level highway and transport implications of a Neighbourhood Plan. Planning applications for any sites allocated in a Neighbourhood Plan should be supported by a Transport Assessment and Travel Plan.

SCC has produced the Healthy Streets for Surrey guide, which sets out mandatory highway design practices to be followed within development proposals as well as design practices which are strongly encouraged due to the benefit they will have on the neighbourhood. The aim is to create streets that are safe, welcoming and attractive for all to access. The guide should be used alongside any local design code. Proposed development layouts and any off-site improvements should accord with Healthy Streets for Surrey.

SCC approved Local Transport Plan 4 (LTP4) in July 2022. The plan sets out county-wide policies on reducing traffic emissions in order to help meet the county's commitment to becoming net zero by 2050. It is a statutory document and is based on four key policies:

  • Active travel and personal mobility
  • Public and shared transport
  • Promoting Zero Emissions Vehicles
  • Planning for Place

SCC is also producing Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs) for each district and borough. These are ten-year prioritised plans for investing in walking and cycling within a defined area. LCWIPs are developed by working with community partners and are therefore of relevance to the neighbourhood planning process. Communities may want to consider allocating CIL receipts to prioritised LCWIP schemes.

Before any scheme to be delivered by SCC is considered for CIL funding by a Parish, Borough or District Council, it should first be discussed with the relevant Surrey County Council team.

Environment and biodiversity

SCC is responsible for producing the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) for Surrey, in collaboration with local communities. Local Nature Recovery Strategies are a new, England-wide system of spatial strategies that aim to halt and reverse declines in biodiversity and deliver wider environmental benefits.

SCC encourage organisations responsible for producing Neighbourhood Plans to engage with our Natural Environment Team, available at nature@surreycc.gov.uk. We are interested to hear about locally identified green corridors or valued green spaces, which if appropriate, could be recognised through the LNRS as areas of importance to biodiversity. There is the potential for areas identified to gain greater significance, as priority areas in the LNRS will link into decision making in both planning and agriculture sectors, for example via Biodiversity Net Gain and Environmental Land Management Schemes respectively.

Neighbourhood planning groups may also find the following of interest:

  • The Surrey Green and Blue Infrastructure Guide which provides guidance and case studies focusing on urban greening, integrating green and blue infrastructure into new developments, green and active travel corridors and green links from urban to rural.
  • The Surrey Tree Strategy 2020 which includes guidance on locations for planting and specific planting considerations.

Public Health

The Public Health Team seek to improve health and reduces health inequalities by using an evidence-based approach to make recommendations on the delivery of health and well-being services. SCC is responsible for a number of Public Health functions which together aim to improve and protect the health of people living and working in Surrey. SCC works closely with partner organisations, such as NHS England and Integrated Care Partnerships, to understand and address the wider issues that influence people's health locally.

Data produced by Public Health that may be of value for the neighbourhood planning process includes:

The Public Health Team will review and comment on Neighbourhood Plans from the perspective of healthy placemaking and also the SCC objective to tackle health inequality.

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