Reigate & Banstead Borough Council is starting work on a new Local Plan that will shape the future of the borough to 2044.

The plan will set out where new development like homes, commercial space and facilities will go and guide what that development looks like, while safeguarding green spaces, heritage assets and the character of the borough’s towns and villages. It also ensures that facilities and services our communities need, such as schools, health services and transport links, are put in place to support development.

Under the Government’s new planning system, local planning authorities are required to formally publish notice of their intention to commence preparation of a new local plan. The purpose is to give communities and other interested persons advance notice of plan-making and information about when and how they may participate in the preparation of the new Local Plan. 

As you have asked to be kept informed of planning policy matters, we are writing to notify you that in accordance with Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026, Reigate & Banstead Borough Council gives notice of its intention to commence preparation of the new Reigate & Banstead Local Plan. 

You can view the notice of intention to commence on our website. A copy of the notice is also available to view at the Town Hall, Reigate as well as at the borough’s libraries in Banstead, Horley, Merstham, Redhill, Reigate and at Tattenham Corner.

A Local Plan timetable has been prepared in line with the regulations. It sets out the key stages and timescales for preparing the Reigate & Banstead Local Plan, including consultation opportunities.

The Local Plan timetable can be viewed on the Council’s website. A copy of the timetable is also available, along with the notice of intention to commence at the Town Hall and borough libraries.

The first stage of engagement in preparing the new local plan is an initial scoping consultation, which will run for six weeks from 14 September to 26 October 2026.

Its purpose is to involve the local community and stakeholders, including residents, businesses, infrastructure providers and other organisations, at an early stage to help shape the direction of the plan. We will share more information about the consultation and how you can get involved nearer the time.

In accordance with the published local plan timetable, the Council expects to publish its Gateway 1 self-assessment readiness summary in December 2026. This is the first mandatory checkpoint in the Government’s plan-making system and will mark the start of the 30-month plan preparation process.

Although responsibility for plan making will move to the new East Surrey Council on 1 April 2027 as part of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in Surrey, the Government is encouraging legacy councils to progress with their individual local plans now to ensure local communities continue to have an up-to-date planning framework in place.

Having a robust, up-to-date plan that steers development to the most suitable places is also the best way to maintain control over speculative development and enable the provision of the facilities and services communities need.

️Email:          planning.policy@reigate-banstead.gov.uk

Telephone:  01737 276 178

Address:      Planning Policy, Town Hall, Castlefield Road, Reigate, RH2 0SH