Minutes of the Environment and Sustainability Committee
18 June 2026
Present:
Councillor J.A. Turner (Chair)
Councillor J.R. Boughtflower (Vice-Chair)
Councillors:
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L. Barker M. Beecher T. Burrell D.C. Clarke |
J.T.F. Doran K.M. Grant K. Howkins L. E. Nichols
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J.R. Sexton H.R.D. Williams P.N. Woodward
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Substitutions: |
Councillors D. Saliagopoulos (In place of A. Mathur) |
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In Attendance: |
Councillors C. Bateson |
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30/26 |
Minutes
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The minutes of the meeting held on 19 March 2026 were agreed as a correct record.
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31/26 |
Disclosures of Interest
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Councillor Saliagopoulos declared an interest in Item 7, “Local Plan Immediate Review Gateway One”, and advised she would leave the meeting for discussion of that item.
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32/26 |
Questions from members of the Public
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There were none.
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33/26 |
Tree Maintenance
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The Committee considered a request to commence a joint procurement exercise with Runnymede Borough Council and Surrey Heath Borough Council. A joint procurement would assist in achieving economies of scale, improve value for money and ensure consistent standards of tree maintenance across the participating councils. The approach would also support efficient service delivery during the transition to Local Government Reorganisation.
The Group Head Neighbourhood Services advised work would be undertaken by the in-house parks team where possible as a first step. The contract would include key performance indicators that would set out timescales for work to be completed.
The Committee resolved to:
1. Authorise the Group Head Neighbourhood Services to commence a joint open tender procurement exercise with Runnymede Borough Council and Surrey Heath Borough Council for the provision of tree maintenance services for a period two (2) years, with an option to extend for a further one (1) year.
2. Approve a maximum contract value that does not exceed a total annual budget of £65,000, and in accordance with the appropriate level of delegation as set out in the Spelthorne Borough Council Constitution.
3. Authorise the Group Head Corporate Governance to enter contracts and all ancillary documentation with the successful tenderer.
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34/26 |
Affordable Housing SPD and Climate Change SPD
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The Committee considered the Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) and updated Climate Change Supplementary Planning Guidance with comments from relevant stakeholders and the public after a consultation period. The Local Plans and Infrastructure Manager set out the amendments to both SPDs as a result of the consultations which included amendments for clarity.
The Committee expressed concern regarding the accuracy of the median price of dwellings in Spelthorne as they felt it was too low. Consultants JJV explained they incorporated data from the Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment evidence, and the table set out in the report reflected the median house price by housing type using data available from the Land Registry.
The Committee noted that the future of existing Section 106 funds would be a matter for West Surrey to consider. The Committee also acknowledged that planning applications were assumed to be viable to provide affordable housing. In practice, the Affordable Housing Policy would provide guidance on methodology and inputs for viability, with 100% compliance as a starting point. The policies would be utilised by planning officers to judge if applications were acceptable.
The Committee resolved to recommend to Council the adoption of the Spelthorne Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document and Updated Climate Change Supplementary Planning Guidance under Regulation 14 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) Regulations 2012.
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35/26 |
Local Plan Immediate Review Gateway One
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Councillor Saliagopoulos left the meeting 20:02.
The Committee considered approval of commencement of the immediate review of the Spelthorne Local Plan. Following approval of the Local Plan in March 2026, the Planning Inspector required the Council to undertake an immediate review of the Local Plan and submit this within two years of its adoption. This would ensure continued plan soundness, and enable a re-assessment of long-term housing needs and key evidence within the borough. Commencing an Immediate Review would also ensure the process was sufficiently advanced ahead of Local Government Reorganisation and would maintain continuity and minimise disruption during the transition to the West Surrey authority. A number of other Councils within the West Surrey Council footprint were also undergoing the immediate review process.
Financial support had been provided to assist with the accelerated plan. If the process was delayed, the Council would be required to refund the financial support and there was a risk the local authority could be subject to a planning intervention.
The Committee noted the composition of the Local Plan Task Group, and suggested this proportionally reflect the political make-up of the Council. Some members of the Committee suggested that those members who were also West Surrey Shadow Councillors should be given preference for membership on the task group. The Committee were re-assured that the Local Plan Task Group would not make decisions, but would make recommendations to the parent committee.
The Committee resolved to:
1. Approve the commencement of the Immediate Review of the Spelthorne Local Plan, in accordance with Policy ST3 and the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026
2. Approve publication of the Local Plan Immediate Review Timetable, in accordance with the requirements of the new plan-making system.
3. Approve publication of the statutory Notice of Intention to Commence Plan-Making to formally commence plan-making and meet the Government’s Local Plan Implementation Funding requirements.
4. Approve the undertaking of a statutory Scoping Consultation in accordance with Regulation 20 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026.
5. Delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Environment and Sustainability Committee, to make any necessary updates to the Local Plan timetable as required by the new regulations (monthly review), any minor amendments to the Scoping Consultation and as required by the new regulations to self-publish the required Gateway 1 documentation.
6. Note that decisions 1-4 fulfil the requirement of the Inspector’s Report which requires a review of the Local Plan immediately and an updated or replacement plan to be submitted for examination no later than two years from the date of adoption of the Local Plan, and note that decisions 1-4 fulfil the requirement of the letter from MHCLG dated 15 January 2026.
7. Note the implications of Local Government Reorganisation and the importance of progressing the Immediate review at pace to ensure continuity through the transition to the West Surrey Authority.
8. Agree to reconvene a Local Plan Task Group and agree the composition of the Local Plan Task Group, Membership and Terms of Reference, subject to overall proportionality.
9. Delegate authority to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair of this Committee to agree the names of those ward members on the Local Plan Task Group.
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36/26 |
Transitional Corporate Plan
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The Committee were advised that a proposed new Council Transitional Plan for 2026/27 was endorsed by the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee on 26 May 2026 and it was resolved that all service committees would be requested to review the items on the plan that fell in their individual remits. The Plan was deliverable within the Council’s existing budget and any new actions would require suggestions on how they could be funded. Feedback would then be collated and presented to the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee to make a recommendation to Council for adoption.
The Committee noted that some of the projects still required additional committee approvals, and the Council could make decisions to not proceed with certain items. Some members of the Committee provided the following comments on the plan:
- “Support communities to take pride in where they live by encouraging residents to help protect and care for the borough” and associated actions should be removed
- Actions under “Support Spelthorne’s long-term interests in the development of Heathrow expansion proposals and the River Thames Scheme” should include reference to groundwater and a review of Heathrow related information on the Council’s website
- Reference to the proposed Multi-Use Games Area should be re-worded
- An action should be added to clear the River Ash.
The Committee considered the proposed Transitional Plan and resolved to provide comments on areas relevant to the Committee’s remit to the Corporate Policy and Resources Committee.
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37/26 |
Updates from Task and Finish and/or Working Groups
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The Committee received updates on the work of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Task Groups, and the Climate and Nature Working Group.
The Committee resolved to note the updates.
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38/26 |
Forward Plan
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The Committee considered the forward plan for future business.
The Committee resolved to note the forward plan for future committee business.