Core Strategy / 650 houses planned for Oxted

On 3rd April the Government Inspector appointed to examine Tandridge's draft Core Strategy and rule on its 'soundness' will hold an exploratory meeting at the Council Offices.


The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss the Inspectors initial concerns with the plan an to agree a way forward. That meeting will not decide on the 'soundness' of the document (my understanding is ) but one of four outcomes will be reached

1. His initial concerns will be resolved and the process will proceed
2. His concerns will not be resolved at this stage but the process will still proceed
3. The examination will be suspended while further work on the Core Strategy takes place
4. The Inspector will indicate that the Government may want to withdraw the Core Strategy for a formal resubmission in due course.

Ahead of this meeting two issues have arisen in relation to the plan.

1) The Government Office for the South East have written to the Council indicating that they have some concerns with the plan. This is very unfortunate given the lengths the Council has gone to to ensure that they were consulted on the drafting at an earlier stage.

2) Two local developers have made a series of objections to the plan including proposing specific Green Belt sites, one of which in Oxted for 650 homes be included within the draft Strategy. This is opposed by the Council.

This latter issue has prompted considerable objection from residents in the North of Oxted and they have formed the Oxted and Limpsfield Residents Group to fight this proposal. I very much applaud the action in local residents in opposing this and I hope the Inspector will conclude over the course of the examination process that that the motives of the developers in proposing specific sites have everything to do with narrow commercial self interest and little to do with the housing needs of the district over the next 15 years. The key will be to keep the pressure on this up over the next couple of years.

However, in my view it is the former issue that has the capacity to derail the whole process and again shows the degree of unhelpful meddling by central government officials in the decisions of locally elected councillors and their officers who are better able to understand the needs of the area. If this can be resolved the calls of the developers are much more likely to fall on deaf ears.