UK Government has set arbitrary housing targets for each borough council in Surrey, but all the borough councils will disappear by end of March 2027. East Surrey will replace all five councils listed below.
- Elmbridge has 142,000 people, 37.2 square miles [ 3817 per square mile ]
- Epsom & Ewell has 83,000 people, 13.2 square miles [ 6288 per square mile ]
- Mole Valley has 89,000 people, 99.7 square miles [ 893 per square mile ]
- Reigate & Banstead has 159,000 people, 49.8 square miles [ 3193 per square mile ]
- Tandridge has 91,000 people, 95.8 square miles [ 950 per square mile ]
Each borough has a different character, density of population. There is a big spread of geographic area, from 13 to 100 square miles.
East Surrey will have 564,000 people, 295.7 square miles
It makes no sense to set a 5 year target for building houses by borough council when the councils will disappear with 17 months. There is a big spread in the size and density of population in the five boroughs that will become East Surrey. Mole Valley and Tandridge are each just below 100 square miles. Epsom & Ewell, Elmbridge are much smaller and more densely populated.
The planning for housing development will be set by East surrey and West Surrey. The targets set by UK Government for Surrey need to be adjusted to be more realistic, practical and achievable. The targets for East Surrey and West Surrey need to be lower than the current unjustifiable and excessive targets. The targets for each borough should be abolished!
There are similar issues in five counties around the UK, where unitary councils will replace borough councils in Cheshire, Essex, Hampshire, Sussex, Surrey.
Please write to your MP to persuade UK Government to lower the excessive targets for East and West Surrey
More signatures on the petition raised by Ewell Green Belt and other petitions will help to increase the pressure on UK Government. Petitions are appearing in many areas to protest against the excessive targets for new homes.
Ewell Green Belt 