Last Updated on 31 May 2023
Merton Council has created a new Local Plan which will provide a basis for planning decisions for the next fifteen years or so.
You can view the plan at https://www.merton.gov.uk/planning-and-buildings/planning/local-plan/newlocalplan. It has sections on planning policies and on the different localities within the Borough. Those latter sections include information on sites that are, or may become, subject to development or redevelopment in the future.
You can read our response here (24 pages). As it is a critique of particular sections of the Council’s plan, the two documents should be read together. Our comments on localities are generally about the Wimbledon area rather than the whole borough.
The next part of the process is for the Secretary of State to appoint an Inspector to examine the plan in order to determine whether or not it is sound and legally compliant. That is likely to involve public hearings into aspects of the plan. The Inspector can then agree modifications with the Council. This process is likely to last many months, so the Council’s aim for adoption of the Plan by Winter 2021 looks unlikely.
Overall, we were not impressed by the quality of the Council’s document. There were so many errors that it does not seem to have been proof-read. We had hoped for better.
