Plan for 6,000 new homes approved by council

Mole Valley District Council has adopted its local plan setting out where and when new homes will be built

A district council's plan for 6,000 new homes has been given the green light.

Mole Valley District Council adopted its local plan, which sets out where and when new homes will be built up to 2039, after an "exhaustive process".

With 336 new homes planned each year, the council said housing affordability was a "significant problem" in the district.

The council said it was committed to enabling more affordable housing for local people as it plans development in Ashtead, Bookham, Dorking, Leatherhead and the rest of the district.

Councillor Margaret Cooksey, cabinet member for planning, said: “I am delighted to confirm that, after years of hard work and dedication to get to this point, Mole Valley District Council now has a local plan in place until 2039 that will guide future development in Mole Valley."

She added that councillors voting to adopt the plan on Tuesday marked "the conclusion of an exhaustive process" including resident consultation and examination by a planning inspector.

As well as housing, the plan also guides on issues such as open space, play areas, education and health needs, and electric vehicle charging points.

The plan states that 76% of the district is designated as green belt, with the plan process having previously stalled to consider removing all the green belt sites.

The council said the plan would mean releasing 0.65% of the district's green belt for future development.

According to the local plan: "The ratio of average house prices to average wages is amongst the highest in England, leading to people working in the area having difficulty in affording a home in the same area.

"Young people also have difficulty in affording accommodation in the area in which they have grown up."