Spelthorne BC has stepped back from withdrawing its local plan after the housing minister ordered councillors to avoid the move.
But, in a show of defiance at Government attempts to force them to progress the plan, the Surrey authority’s councillors rejected the option of continuing with it as drafted and instead voted to extend a pause on its progress.
On the same day, housing and planning minister Rachel Maclean had written to council leader Joanna Sexton ordering her ‘not to take any step to withdraw the plan from examination’ and report monthly to housing ministry officials on its progress.
In her letter, the minister said Spelthorne’s last local plan was adopted in 2009 and ‘should have been reviewed and updated many years ago’.
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