Thank you for your support, with your helped, we have reached the milestone number of 1500 signatures for our petition. We will now call for Epsom and Ewell Borough Council to have a full Council Meeting on this issue. Please continue to share this petition as wide as possible so that we will have more signatures to urge EEBC to take immediate actions.

The New Prospectus published on 22nd December 2022 by DLUHC(https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/levelling-up-and-regeneration-bill-reforms-to-national-planning-policy/levelling-up-and-regeneration-bill-reforms-to-national-planning-policy#chapter-4--planning-for-housing made it crystal clear with no ambiguity that Local Planning Authorities will not be required to review and alter Green Belt Boundaries. The central government has given EEBC every possible tool to safeguard and protect the Green Belt, however, it is disappointing that EEBC has not taken any action publicly.

Neighbouring borough MDVC, which is already at Examination Stage, is already working to remove all Green Belt sites from its Local Plan. If MDVC, at a much later stage of Local Planning and would be much more costly and difficult to do so than EEBC, is working on saving the Green Belt, then there should be absolutely NO excuse for EEBC to continue a Regulation 18 with Green Belt sites proposed.

In addition to peer comparison, the upcoming NPPF changes which are highlighted below, have removed ANY possible reasons to develop the Green Belt. Furthermore, we have serious concerns on EEBC's budgeting as EEBC will need to set aside additional budget to consider developing Green Belt sites:

1. LPAs are not required to review and alter Green Belt boundaries;
2. The Standard method is an advisory starting-point to inform plan-making – a guide that is not mandatory;
3. The Central Government will review the Standard method based on the 2021 Census in 2024;
4. No need to demonstrate continually a deliverable 5-year housing land supply;
5. Remove 5-year housing land supply buffers(Specifically for EEBC, Council no longer need to add the 20% buffer as a result of Housing Delivery Test);
6. End of the presumption in favour of sustainable development (the so called ‘tilted balance’);
7. There will be a NEW PLANNING SYSTEM by late 2024, therefore even if EEBC rushed through the Old Style Planning by June 2025, EEBC must start preparing a new Style Local Plan by Dec 2031. This means that for all the budget spent on this current Local Plan, it would be valid only until 2031, not the planned 2040;
8. The deadline will be extended to 30-months after the new system goes live. This will ensure that local planning authorities are protected from the risk of speculative development while preparing their new plan;
9. Emphasis on Food Security, protecting Grade 1-3a in the ALC(Agricultural Land Classification) Farmland from housing development. EEBC requires to conduct Agricultural Land survey if Farmland such as Downs Farm is proposed for development;
10. Reflecting Transport Decarbonisation Plan, pursuing sustainable development with potential carbon assessment at local plan-level. This means car-dependent locations will be dis-encouraged;
11. There will be a National Development Management Policies(NDMP) so that Green Belt Protection will be upheld with statutory weight nationally, together with a policy explicitly encouraging town centres/brownfields development of housing.

Put in simple terms, LPA will be expected to not review Green Belt Boundaries and to protect farmlands. Central target number is advisory only, and the Standard method will be updated with 2021 census data. EEBC also will no longer need to add 20% to the advisory housing target. Local Plan needs to conduct carbon assessment for proposed sites reflecting Transport Decarbonisation Plan. Even if EEBC rushed through with the existing Local Plan, it will only be valid for 5 years instead of the expected 2040, so we will lose at least 9 years with the same amount of budget spent. We urge EEBC to follow with the new planning system now and remove any Green Belts sites from proposed developments to save tax-payers money. Central government will protect LPAs from speculative developments proposed by developers while the Local Plan is being prepared.