New Guildford Local Plan
The Council is preparing a new Guildford Local Plan in line with Government's new plan-making system.
On 5 June 2026 we published a new timetable and have given formal notice of our intention to commence Guildford Local Plan preparation.
Our timetable sets out key milestones including the timing of consultations to be undertaken in preparing our new Local Plan. The timetable can be viewed here.
The Notice of intention to commence (PDF, 641 KB) Guildford Local Plan preparation is set out below.
It is also available to view at the main council offices and libraries listed below.
Notice of Intention to commence Guildford Local Plan preparation
Prepared in line with Regulation 19(1) of The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026.
Notice of intention to commence local plan preparation is hereby given with the following details:
(a) the name of the local planning authority who have prepared the notice: | Guildford Borough Council |
(b) the geographical area to which the local plan is to relate: | Guildford Borough Council administrative boundary / ONS code E07000209 See also the map below (Annex 1) showing the boundary of the geographic area to which the local plan is to relate |
(c) the title by which the local planning authority will refer to the local plan: | Guildford Local Plan |
(d) details of where the local planning authority's local plan timetable is published: | The Timetable for our Local Plan is published on the Council's website and made available at: 1) Guildford Borough Council (GBC) main offices at Millmead House, Millmead, Guildford, Surrey GU2 4BB (during normal office hours) 2) Ash Library, Ash Street, Ash, Surrey GU12 6LF; 3) Guildford Library, 77 North Street, Guildford, Surrey GU1 4AL; 4) Horsley Library, Parade Court, Ockham Road south, East Horsley, Surrey KT24 6QR; 5) Shere Diamond Jubilee Library, Shere Village Hall, Gomshall Lane, Shere, Surrey GU5 9HD |
(e) the date on which the notice is made available: | 5 June 2026 |
Date the Council expect to start preparing the plan:
| As per our published local plan timetable, the Council expect to make its self-assessment summary available (Gateway 1) on 30 October 2026, which will start the 30-month plan preparation process. |
Annex 1: Boundary of the geographic area to which the local plan is to relate
In January/February 2026, and ahead of formal commencement of the new plan-making process, we undertook a series of early engagement workshops to:
- share information about Government's new plan-making system
- seek views on the challenges and opportunities the new Plan should address
- seek help in beginning to shape a distinctive local vision for the Plan
A report was produced which pulls together the findings from the workshops along with a separate appendix with the council's full presentation along with the findings by workshop and by breakout group. You can access these here: