Shaping the future together: planning the next 20 years
Communities are being encouraged to share their aspirations and ideas for Kingston’s future over the next 20 years, following the launch of the final round of engagement ahead of a draft Local Plan.
In response to the unprecedented level of change since the previous feedback in 2019, the council has launched an additional round of engagement to ensure the new Local Plan reflects the current hopes and concerns of residents and communities.
Cllr Caroline Kerr, Leader of Kingston Council, said:
“Please do take part in this engagement because the Local Plan will really affect the places we all care about for decades to come. We want to hear where you think new homes should be built in our borough.
“The Mayor of London in his London Plan requires Kingston to deliver 964 homes a year and, if we fail to meet his target, Kingston risks losing all local control of planning decisions. The government’s White Paper on planning would increase our housing targets even higher to 2000 new homes a year. In this context we have to produce a Local Plan that shows how we will meet the Mayor of London’s target.
“I want key workers and young people to be able to afford to live here but I really want to hear what you think. How can we manage this development but also protect our heritage, improve our green spaces and make sure we have the schools and healthcare we need? The past year has brought a sharper focus on the importance of our local areas. Make sure you have your say on how our borough looks in the future.”
Cllr Rebekah Moll, Portfolio Holder for Planning Policy and Culture, said:
“We’ve seen such a huge amount of change since we heard from our communities back in 2019. The Government has changed planning policies, the London Plan has been adopted and sets us a very ambitious housing target, Brexit is a reality and, as a council, we’ve declared a climate emergency.
“This plan is a long-term investment in our borough for the next 20 years and beyond. It’s absolutely right that we allow time to hear the latest thoughts from our residents and communities. I look forward to hearing from you. Please do get involved - let’s shape Kingston’s future together.”
The Local Plan will set the vision for the borough and guide what development goes where, from homes to parks, medical centres to transport links and much more. The policies within the plan will also help the council decide whether to approve or refuse planning applications.
The conversation will run until Thursday 30 September. Find out more and share your thoughts by visiting www.kingston.gov.uk/localplan, emailing the team at localplan@kingston.gov.uk, or you can call our freephone call-back service on 0800 008 6309 if you need any help.
There will also be events taking place to hear your views, the format of which will depend on the Covid situation. Details will be published soon.
Communities are also invited to have their say on a number of sites that have been identified as having potential to be developed over the next 20 years, called a Site Assessments Update. These locations have been suggested to the council over the years, including through the Call for Sites in 2017 and 2019. This round of engagement will help shape which sites the council reviews in greater detail.
Following this final round of feedback, the council’s planning team will draft Kingston’s Local Plan. The draft plan will be taken to the Place Committee for approval to go out to public consultation during summer 2022.
Once adopted, the new Local Plan is set to cover the period from 2023 to 2041 and a regular review will be carried out every five years.