Residents voted overwhelmingly to put the future of their villages in their hands as Surrey went to the polls last week.

Neighbourhood Development Plans (NDP) for Ashtead and Bookham will inform Mole Valley District Council’s planning decisions in the villages, pending final council approval in the next eight weeks.

The plans create a framework for developments in the villages when making planning decisions and were approved by large margins as residents voted in the Surrey County Council elections on Thursday, May 4.

In Bookham, 3,853 residents voted in favour of the council using the NDP, compared to 986 voting against. In Ashtead, the proportion of ‘yes’ votes (4,303) to ‘no’ votes (393) was even greater.

The plans cover infrastructure and transport, volume, style and size of housing, and the protection of the Green Belt and the villages’ historical heritage and character in Ashtead and Bookham for the next ten and 20 years respectively.

From December: Mole Valley District Council approve referenda on Ashtead and Bookham residents having their say on future houses and infrastructure plans

The Ashtead Neighbourhood Forum and Bookham Vanguard Forum had each spent three years drawing up their respective plans before submitting drafts which were then approved by examiners and ratified by councillors in December.

The Ashtead group’s vision statement reads: “The NDP will seek to maintain and enhance the sense of community within the village by protecting and enhancing the natural and built environment, assisting the local economy, and improving travel, leisure and life-long learning opportunities while supporting our needs with appropriate development.”

The Bookham Vanguard Forum’s statement reads: “The Bookham Vanguard Forum is non-political and seeks to represent everyone in the community. It will oversee and guide the creation of the Neighbourhood Development Plan.”

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When the district council approved the referenda in December, Fetcham West Councillor and Bookham resident Raj Haque (pictured above) described the plan as “one of the best things to happen to Bookham”.

He added: “People can decide their own future in terms of planning issues. Who knows better than the people who live there?”

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Councillor Sarah Seed (pictured above) also praised the Ashtead Neighbourhood Forum for work on its NDP: “I think they have done a really detailed and through job of it, which takes into consideration the residents’ thoughts, their wishes and their opinions.”

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