Preparing the new plan

Surrey County Council will start the process of preparing a new-style Minerals and Waste Local Plan.

However, from 1 April 2027, responsibility for the plan will transfer to East Surrey Council and West Surrey Council as part of local government reorganisation in Surrey. Surrey County Council will cease to exist, and the two new councils will become the minerals and waste planning authorities for their respective areas.

Before work on the new-style Minerals and Waste Local Plan could begin, Surrey County Council was required to:

• publish a notice confirming its intention to prepare a new-style Minerals and Waste Local Plan
• publish a timetable setting out the key stages and expected timescales for preparing the new-style Minerals and Waste Local Plan
• formally withdraw the previous version of the old-style Minerals and Waste Local Plan

These requirements had to be completed by 31 December 2026. Surrey County Council completed all three steps on 6 August 2026.

Completing these steps began a four-month notification period to inform stakeholders that work on the new-style Minerals and Waste Local Plan was starting. The timetable will be updated throughout the plan-making process.

The new-style Minerals and Waste Local Plan will need to pass through three formal stages, called ‘Gateways’ before it can be independently examined and adopted.