Development Plan for Woking
Woking Borough Council has a statutory responsibility to prepare Local Development Documents (LDDs). Collectively these documents are referred to as Woking 2027. The LDDs will guide planning and development in the Borough until 2027, and must be in conformity with the National Planning Policy Framework and the saved policies of the Regional Spatial Strategy (the South East Plan), and are influenced by the Sustainable Community Strategy and other Borough wide and area based information.
Woking 2027 is made up of several documents, which currently include:
- Woking Core Strategy (2012): provides the strategic policy framework for planning in Woking
- Development Management Policies Development Plan Document (DPD) (2016): provides detailed policies to help determine day to day planning applications
- Site Allocations Development Plan Document (DPD) (2021): identifies land and allocates sites to enable the delivery of the Core Strategy
- Proposals Map and Insets (2021)
- Hook Heath Neighbourhood Plan (2015)
- Pyrford Neighbourhood Plan (2017)
- West Byfleet Neighbourhood Plan (2017)
- The Surrey Minerals Plan Core Strategy and Primary Aggregates DPDs (2011)
- The Surrey Waste Plan (2020)
- The saved policy of the South East Plan: Policy NRM6 Thames Basin Heath SPA
The Local Development Scheme explains which policy documents are part of the Development Plan and when others will be written. The Statement of Community Involvement sets out when and how people can get involved in the plan-making process and in the consideration of planning applications.
A number of research projects have been undertaken by the Council to inform the preparation of Development Plan Documents for the area. The research and evidence base is available here.
Monitoring and Delivery
The Council monitors the progress made on the preparation and implementation of the Development Plan for the area through an Annual Monitoring Report (AMR). This is published in December each year and reports on the year ending 31 March. The latest AMRs can be found here.
Supplementary Planning Documents
Supplementary Planning Documents have also been adopted which provide greater detail on policies in the Development Plan and help applicants make applications that are likely to be in accordance with the Development Plan. These include:
- Parking Standards (2018)
- Outlook, Amenity, Privacy and Daylight (2022)
- Climate Change (2013)
- Affordable Housing Delivery (2014)
- Hot Food Takeaway (2014)
- Design SPD (2015)
The Council has also produced a number of Supplementary Planning Guidance documents (SPGs) to amplify the policies of the Local Plan 1999. The policies of the Core Strategy and Development Management Policies DPD have now superseded the saved policies of the Local Plan 1999, but a number of SPGs remain relevant (viewed here). The Council is reviewing its SPDs and SPGs to ensure they refer to up-to-date policies in the Development Plan.
Other Guidance
Other guidance documents which help make sure development proposals meet the requirements of the Development Plan include:
- Self-build and Custom Housebuilding Guidance Note on the implementation of policy DM12 of the Development Management Policies DPD (2018)
- Affordable Housing Provision: implementation of policy CS12 following the introduction of new national affordable housing thresholds and vacant building credit (2016)
- Guidance note on the implementation of policies CS13 and CS22 following the introduction of new technical standards for housing (2016)
- Advice note on sustainable drainage systems (2015)
- Thames Basin Heaths SPA Avoidance Strategy (2022)
- Community Infrastructure Levy Charging Schedule (2014)
- Travel Plan Guidance (2017)
- Waste and recycling infrastructure - pre-application design guidance
Further details on all of these documents can be found in the corresponding pages of this website.