Neighbourhood Planning

What is Neighbourhood Planning?

Neighbourhood planning is a way in which communities can come together and prepare plans to guide the type of developments they wish to see in their local area.

Neighbourhood planning enables parish councils and neighbourhood forums (for non-parish areas) the opportunity to use tools such as Neighbourhood Plans and Neighbourhood Development Orders to enable development in their area, in consultation with local residents, businesses and other interested parties.

A Neighbourhood Plan should support the strategic development needs set out in the Local Plan and plan positively to support local development. Neighbourhood Plans are tools for sustainable development and cannot be used to prevent development in an area. Neighbourhood Plans can only include proposals for an equal or greater amount of growth than set out in our Local Plan or Spatial Development Strategy.

Certain procedures and requirements need to be followed in undertaking neighbourhood planning and we have a duty to provide technical and practical support to those that decide to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan or Development Order. Please email us at planning.policy@molevalley.gov.uk for more information.

Preparing a Neighbourhood Plan

There are three main stages:

1. Getting established

The first step is to designate the Neighbourhood Area and, where appropriate, set up a Neighbourhood Forum.

We would consult on designating a Neighbourhood Area, and Neighbourhood Forum where required, for the purposes of preparing a Neighbourhood Plan for that area. Following the consultation, we would consider the responses and determine whether to designate the Neighbourhood Area, and Forum if required.

2. Preparing the plan

This includes building an evidence base and conducting consultations with the local community and developing local partnerships. This will inform the vision and aims of the Plan, which will then inform the formulation of policies.

The Parish or Forum are required to consult on a draft Neighbourhood Plan and supporting evidence before submitting an amended draft Plan to us.

3. Bringing the plan into force

An amended draft Neighbourhood Plan would be submitted to us and providing the Plan meets all the necessary requirements, we would consult on the Plan. We would then arrange for an independent examination to take place and, depending on the outcome of the examination, subsequently hold a public referendum for people living within the Neighbourhood Plan Area for local people to decide whether we should make the Plan. Following the referendum, we would then consider whether to make the Plan.

Once made, the Neighbourhood Plan would become part of our local development plan and would be considered when determination planning applications in the Neighbourhood Plan Area.

Our made Neighbourhood Plans

Neighbourhood Plans have been made for the following neighbourhood areas:

• Ashtead (made May 2017)
• Bookham (made May 2017)
• Capel Parish (made December 2017)
• Westcott (made December 2017)

Our emerging Neighbourhood Plans

Betchworth

We received a proposal from Betchworth Parish Council to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan for the parish of Betchworth.

A consultation on designating a Neighbourhood Area is taking place over a six-week period between the 1 September and 14 October 2026. More information can be found on the Planning Consultations page.

Charlwood

We received a proposal from Charlwood Parish Council to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan for the settlements of Charlwood and Hookwood.

The Neighbourhood Area was designated by the Council on the 24 September 2024, following a six week consultation between Tuesday 7 May 2024 and Wednesday 19 June 2024.

Ockley

We received a proposal on behalf of Ockley Parish Council to prepare a Neighbourhood Development Plan for Ockley.

The Neighbourhood Area was designated by the Council on the 22 March 2022, following a six week consultation between 12 January 2022 and 23 February 2022.

Westcott

We received a proposal from a local organisation calling themselves the Westcott Village Forum to prepare a new Neighbourhood Plan for Westcott.

The Westcott Village Forum and Neighbourhood Area were designated by the Council on the 17 June 2025, following a six week consultation between 1 April and 16 May 2025.

The Westcott Village Forum held a Regulation 14 consultation on a draft Westcott Neighbourhood Plan with the local community in Autumn 2025. More information on this can be found on the Westcott Village Association website. We then held a Regulation 16 consultation on an amended draft Westcott Neighbourhood Plan between 8 December 2025 and 2 February 2026.

On 4 February 2026, the Council submitted the amended draft Westcott Neighbourhood Plan for independent examination. More information can be found on the Westcott Neighbourhood Plan Examination webpage.