The document sets out terms for house building and infrastructure up until 2040.

The borough is the smallest of Surrey’s eleven with a population in 2021 of 80,900 people.

Opposition heard from a petitioner who requested all green belt land should be removed from the plan was debated and dismissed.

A public consultation will take place “at the earliest opportunity” with the plans being submitted to a government inspector next summer.

The original in February last year for 5,400 homes on greenbelt land was met with protests and the document had to be revised.

Green belt sites such as Horton Farm and Hook Road Arena are due to be declassified under the plans to allow new homes to be built.

Commenting after the meeting, Councillor Peter O’Donovan, Chair of the Licensing and Planning Policy, said “The Proposed Submission Local Plan provides a vision for our borough that strikes a balance between providing much needed homes including affordable housing, infrastructure, and support for local businesses whilst ensuring enhanced protection for biodiversity and our borough’s green spaces, and protecting the valuable local heritage and character of our borough’s towns and villages.

“It is challenging to find a path that meets the many different needs of all our communities, and not everyone may agree with every aspect of this plan. However, having listened to all the feedback, and examined the comprehensive evidence base, we feel strongly that this plan ensures that everyone in our borough, both now and in the future, is given the chance to thrive in Epsom & Ewell.

The Regulation 19 Consultation will take place at the earliest opportunity. We will announce the dates on our website and on social media as soon as they are confirmed.”

The news comes as the housing minister’s set out plans to boost house building with measures including new targets for completing new homes.

Matthew Pennycook’s told the Commons the housing shortage is due to ‘inept tinkering’ by the Tories.

Helen Maguire, MP for Epsom and Ewell said:

“The new homes we need in Epsom and Ewell must be genuinely affordable and community-led, not dictated from Whitehall, with local services like GPs, schools, and public transport built alongside them. We need solutions that are both practical and viable but this should also include protecting our green spaces.”

“In Epsom and Ewell and across our region, there are vulnerable families who are desperate for a safe and warm home. The most effective way to deliver homes at the pace we need is to have local communities on board. That way, we can build homes to help solve the care crisis, aid vulnerable families who are living in temporary accommodation, and better support younger generations.

“Britain is in a housing crisis, but this announcement does not address the root problem, which is a desperate lack of social housing. To rebuild trust in the planning system, we need viability issues to be resolved upfront. Too often, developers exploit loopholes to avoid delivering much-needed social housing. At the same time, we need clear definitions of what ‘affordable’ really means, so we are building homes that local people can truly afford.”
Earlier this week at the full Council meeting at Epsom & Ewell Borough Council, it was agreed to send the Local Plan, with its controversial Green Belt sites, to the regulation 19 consultation stage and then on to the Government. Liberal Democrat councillors voted that the Plan was unsound, citing issues with housing targets, density, and the proposed development of virgin Green Belt land at Horton Farm.

Cllr Julie Morris, Leader of the Liberal Democrat group on Epsom & Ewell Borough Council, said:

“This Council has never really got to grips with properly updating its local policies and we have done rather well so far in fending off inappropriate and opportunistic planning applications. Having the official documents necessary to guide what happens in our borough in the future is surely paramount for any party in control of any local authority. The ruling Residents Association group here has failed miserably in this regard.”