Woking Borough Council

Woking Site Allocations DPD: Main Modifications Consultation

This consultation has now closed.

Please note that the deadline for submitting responses has been extended to 5pm on Monday 14 December 2020, in response to the national lockdown and associated restrictions coming into force on 5 November. This supersedes the old deadline quoted on consultation materials and representation forms.

Officers will hold an additional zoom meeting where they will be available to answer any questions about the consultation. This will take place on Thursday 3 December at 4pm.  Please register for a place over the phone or by email on 01483 743871 or [email protected]. Places are limited and allocated on a first come first serve basis.

The Council has prepared a representations form, which everyone is encouraged to use to make their representations. This can be downloaded using the following link: 

If it is not possible to use the form, responses must be in writing and include your name and contact details (email address if possible). 

Representations must be received by 5pm on Monday 14 December 2020, and can be submitted:

  • Preferably by email to: [email protected] 
  • Or by post to: Planning Policy Team, Woking Borough Council, Gloucester Square, Woking GU21 6YL

Please note that the Civic Offices are currently closed to the public due to the Coronavirus pandemic, so hand-delivered responses will not be possible.

Consultation Background

The Independent Examination of the Woking Borough Council’s Site Allocations DPD began on 31 July 2019. The Hearing part of the Examination completed in December 2019. The Council is publishing the Schedule of Proposed Main Modifications - alongside an Addendum to the Sustainability Appraisal, an Addendum to the Habitats Regulations Assessment, and a Topic Paper concerning a High Court judgment and ONS Projections - to give everyone the opportunity to comment, and for the comments to be taken into account by the Inspector before he submits his Report to the Council. Scroll down to find the consultation documents.

The main modifications are considered necessary in order to make the Site Allocations DPD sound and/or legally compliant. A schedule of changes to the Proposals Map, which are necessary to capture the spatial implications of the Main Modifications, is also being published for consultation.

It is emphasised that the consultation ONLY relates to the Main Modifications to the DPD, and the accompanying documents listed above, and NOT to any other aspects of the submitted DPD. Most importantly, this consultation does not represent an opportunity to raise other matters which either were or could have been part of the earlier representations or the Examination Hearings of the DPD. There is also no need to repeat representations that have been submitted before, which have already been passed to the Inspector.

For information purposes only, the Council has also published a schedule of Additional Modifications that will be incorporated into the DPD to enhance its quality. The Additional Modifications are of editorial or factual nature and are NOT being consulted on.

The Council is aware of the need to adhere to specific restrictions during the Coronavirus pandemic such as social distancing and access limitations to public buildings, and has taken appropriate measures to ensure that anyone who might reasonably wish to be consulted has the opportunity to give their view during the consultation period. The Council has published a detailed Consultation Plan on how this could be achieved, available to download using the following link:

The Consultation Plan is a living document and would be amended to reflect any new Government guidance or other significant changes.  It has most recently been amended to take account of the national restrictions in England from 5 November 2020.

The Inspector has written a note providing further details on the scope of the consultation and next steps.

Consultation Documents

  • Schedule of Proposed Main Modifications: view the schedule of main changes proposed.
  • Schedule of Proposals Map Modifications: view the schedule of changes to the Proposals Map. For ease of reference, the Proposals Map including modifications can be downloaded here; and the modified Proposals Map Insets can be downloaded here;
  • Addendum to Sustainability Appraisal Report: screening exercise of the impact of main modifications on the Sustainability Appraisal.
  • Habitat Regulations Assessment Addendum: a screening assessment to test whether modifications would have any impact on the conclusions of the Site Allocations DPD Habitats Regulations Assessment.
  • Topic Paper: the Inspector asked the Council to produce a Topic Paper concerning the Aireborough Neighbourhood Development Forum v Leeds City Council (2020) EWHC 1461 High Court Judgment, and the implications of the ONS 2018-based Household Projections.

Other Documents

  • Schedule of Additional Modifications: minor changes that do not materially alter the policies of the plan. The Inspector will not be considering comments made on the additional modifications.
  • Draft Site Allocations DPD (November 2018): this is the 'Regulation 19 consultation' version of the DPD, to which modifications are being proposed. This document is NOT being consulted upon, but is provided here for ease of reference.

Viewing and enquiring about the documents

Until 5 November, consultation documents were available to view at local libraries. Regulations coming into force on 5 November allow libraries to remain open only for very limited purposes (described on Surrey County Council's website here), and consultation documents cannot now be viewed.  The planning policy team can continue to provide a USB stick containing the full set of consultation documents, or can post paper copies of requested consultation documents and representation forms for those without access to the internet.

Planning Policy Officers will host an additional Zoom meeting on Thursday 3 December at 4pm to answer questions about the consultation. Please call or email to register for the meeting (numbers are limited to allow everyone the opportunity to speak) on 01483 743871 or [email protected].

For further information or advice, or to request paper copies of the representation form and any consultation documents, please contact the Planning Policy Team by email at [email protected] or by telephone on 01483 743871.