Troy Planning + Design has prepared an Urban Capacity Study on behalf of Elmbridge Borough Council to help underpin growth options in the new Local Plan.
Elmbridge is a Green belt borough on the edge of London. It is experiencing significant pressure on land for new housing. Early consultation on the Local Plan included options for substantial Green belt release. Responses to consultation suggested that not enough had been done to investigate the potential for development on previously developed land. An Urban Capacity Study was thus commissioned to explore this.
The study took a forensic approach to site search within ‘sustainable’ locations in the borough, identifying opportunities in and around town and district centres, and train stations.
The work involved street-by-street site searches, a call for sites, review of existing development pipeline information and allocations. Meetings and workshops with officers and asset management teams also sought to identify suitable, available and achievable sites for development in the plan period.
Estimates of capacity were calculated on a site-by-site basis, reflecting analysis of local character and recent patterns of development, with consideration also given to delivery matters and likely development phasing periods. The study, which includes a full GIS database of sites, is informing the Local Plan, the update of the Brownfield Land Register, and five-year housing land supply matters.
Location
Surrey
Client
Elmbridge Borough Council
Years
2017 – 2018
