Housing targets in district 'very challenging'

Housebuilding targets in Tandridge will make protecting landscapes in the region "very challenging", the district's council leader says.

Catherine Sayer says government demands for housing and weaker protections of green belt land mean the council must find a "difficult balance" between housebuilding and protecting landscapes in its Local Plan up to 2044.

Housebuilding targets must rise from 125 homes per year in the most recent plan to 993 per year by 2044, a council spokesperson said.

A consultation on the council's Local Plan opened on Monday and closes at 23:59 GMT on 1 March.

Housing minister Steve Reed said a sharp surge in housebuilding would be needed nationwide in order to meet the government's target of building 1.5 million homes.

Tandridge District Council said its local plan would aim to put homes "in the right places" but also support natural recovery in the region.

A spokesperson said it was asking residents for their views on where homes should be built, what homes were needed and where land should be protected.

Tandridge residents can have their say on the council's website, by email, by post, and with paper copies found in libraries and at its offices in Oxted, they said.

The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government has been approached for comment.

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