Claygate consultation

Claygate consultation

What's happening?

The council is undertaking a four-week consultation with the residents, businesses and communities of Claygate from Thursday 3 April to Thursday 1 May 2025 on the draft Claygate Vision and draft Action Plan.

The draft Claygate Vision and draft Action Plan have been developed as part of the council’s wider Placemaking ambitions as set out in the council's Vision and have been developed by Elmbridge Borough Council working in partnership with Claygate Parish Council.

The draft Vision has followed on from the initial survey work undertaken by Claygate Village Association (CVA), which sought the views of residents about the future of Claygate, as part of the Claygate: The Way Forward campaign. Following the initial work led by CVA, the Association passed on the results and recommendations from the survey to the council and Claygate Parish Council to develop further and consult upon.

What is Placemaking?

Placemaking is an approach that informs and facilitates the delivery of council and community-led projects and initiatives. It is a collaborative process that empowers communities to shape and improve their neighbourhoods in partnership with key stakeholders such as the borough council. This commitment was initiated through the council’s vision.

Claygate consultation

The draft Vision

At the heart of the draft vision is maintaining the vitality of the shopping areas, creating a thriving and prosperous centre and a hub for the community. New development will be guided by Elmbridge Borough Council’s Design Code and enhanced by high quality buildings while retaining its green and leafy character. Claygate will continue to be a socially responsible and caring community by supporting the health and wellbeing of its community, in partnership with the voluntary sector.

The draft Vision sets out what Claygate is like now and the aspirations for the future in the first section. This is followed by objectives under three key areas – Thriving Claygate, Sustainable Living and Our Village Community which pull together the recommendations from the CVA survey.

The draft Action Plan

The draft Vision is accompanied by a draft Action Plan which contributes towards achieving the vision objectives, that Elmbridge Borough Council and Claygate Parish Council want to accomplish. 

The action plan provides a framework for Elmbridge Borough Council and Claygate Parish Council to ensure that actions to achieve the draft Vision objectives can be prioritised and progressed subject to the resources available to the relevant organisations.

Claygate consultation

The Local Plan and Green Belt

When developing the draft Vision, a key area that emerged from the initial survey work and in discussions with Claygate Parish Council was the future of the Green Belt around Claygate. 

Claygate Parish Council has made clear that they remain committed to no development in the Green Belt. However, this position does not align with the outcome of the Local Plan Examination and steer from the Planning Inspector, nor current National Planning Policy and guidance regarding meeting development needs. As such, it is not an overall objective that the borough council could support at this time.

The borough council will consider the approach to Green Belt through its new Local Plan and, in the interim, will consider planning applications on Green Belt on a case-by-case basis.

Claygate consultation

Local government reorganisation

Local government reorganisation (LGR) is the process by which the structure and responsibilities of local authorities are reconfigured leading to better outcomes for residents.

Surrey is part of the first wave of the government’s LGR agenda which will see Surrey move to a unitary model, with the county and borough and district councils dissolving to create two or more new unitary authorities. 

Based on the government’s timeframes announced on 5 February, if proposals for Surrey are approved, shadow elections for new unitary councils will be held in 2026, with the unitary councils established in 2027. 

When considering the associated timelines with LGR, Elmbridge officers have identified some short-term initiatives in the Claygate Vision Action Plan. These projects can be implemented within the LGR timeframe set out above.

Claygate consultation

Torrington Lodge site

As part of the survey work undertaken by CVA as part of the ‘Claygate: The Way Froward’ initiative, residents were asked how they would like to see the car park developed.

The responses from the survey are now informing a feasibility study, where options for the future of Torrington Lodge Car Park will be explored in discussion with Claygate Parish Council, prior to any consultation on the future use of the site. 

Next steps

Working with the Parish Council, the responses to the consultation will be reviewed and consideration given to whether any amendments are required to the Draft Vision and draft Action Plan. 

The final Vision and Action Plan will then be presented to Elmbridge Borough Council for adoption. It is anticipated that this will be in summer 2025.