We have finished our response to the Draft Local Mole Valley Local Plan and delivered it to the Council on Monday, 23rd March.
I need to thank many people who spent far too many hours of their personal time responding to this weighty document. Also thanks to Richard Davey and Dan Coffin of IliveinBookham Facebook and web sites did so much in providing and encouraging all in the village to respond individually to Mole Valley Council.
Les Huett and Carolyn Elson with Dan Coffin and Richard Davey helped organise and distribute leaflets to every household in Bookham with the BRA Road stewards and many other volunteers.
Those involved in producing our response were Geoff Tranter who from a cold start managed the whole process, Les Huett who not only dealt with all the various technologies needed but provided his own contributions.
David Cox, Julia Dickinson, Michael Agius, Keith Whale, Judy and Nigel Smith, Diane Poole all did much work on the detailed infrastructure comments. Richard Moyse here in Bookham and Glynis Peterkin in Ashtead helped greatly with our responses to the policies and other items. Bob Lennox and Sue Irons added their valued support and contribution. Dr Chris Holmes not only did some exceptional original statistical work but also acted throughout as a mentor and constructive critical friend.
Overall a great team effort.
Also thank you to all Bookham residents and interest groups who submitted their comments to the Future Mole Valley Consultation process.
Mole Valley District Council will now take time to absorb ours and all the other responses and will then produce the next version of this Plan document under a regime known as Regulation 19. Again we should have the chance to comment and this will then finally go to the full Mole Valley District Council for agreement before being sent to a Government Planning Inspector for approval or otherwise.
The regulation 19 document should appear much later this year and the Inspector could take up to a year to do his or her job.
The MVDC Cabinet member responsible for Planning, Margaret Cooksey has repeatedly said that this Draft plan is not the one they finally expect to put forward.
We will keep everyone in the Village informed on what we find out as the months unfold.
