Public meeting at East Horsley Village Hall – Friday 9 October 7.30pm
Updated 8 October 2026: Important - The meeting is fully sold out
Thank you for the tremendous interest in this important local issue. The meeting at East Horsley Village Hall is now fully booked.
If you do not have a ticket, please do not attend in person, as we are unlikely to be able to accommodate additional people.
Unable to attend in person? Watch online
With the help of U3A, we have been able to arrange a live feed of the meeting via Zoom. You may be able to watch on your phone, tablet or laptop.
Topic: What Does Grey Belt Mean for Our Villages?
Date: Friday 9 October 2026
Time: 7.30pm (London time)
Join the Zoom meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83538944218?pwd=8zek4rs9Lq23JaN0bMnXmVyk3SDujf.1
Meeting ID: 835 3894 4218
Passcode: 585788
Please note that online access may be subject to technical or capacity limitations.
About the meeting
Changes to national planning policy and Guildford Borough Council's Green Belt Assessment have raised important questions about the future of Green Belt land around our villages.
East Horsley Parish Council is hosting this public meeting to help residents understand the implications of the Grey Belt designation, hear from local representatives and explore what these changes could mean for our villages and their surroundings.
The meeting will include a panel of local representatives and an opportunity to hear their views and discuss this important issue.
What is “grey belt”?
The Government introduced the concept of “grey belt” through changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
Guildford Borough Council has subsequently undertaken a Green Belt Assessment, which identifies land according to the extent to which it contributes to specified Green Belt purposes. The assessment forms part of the evidence being prepared for the emerging Guildford Local Plan.
The assessment includes land around settlements including East Horsley and Effingham.
It is important to understand that being identified as grey belt does not, in itself, mean that a site has been allocated for development or that planning permission has been granted. Any future planning proposals would still have to go through the planning process.
Nevertheless, the changes have prompted questions locally about what the new designation could mean for the countryside around our villages and how it will interact with existing planning policies and Neighbourhood Plans.
The meeting will provide an opportunity to hear directly from a panel including:
- Zöe Franklin MP
- Cllr Catherine Young, West Surrey Council
- Cllr Fiona White, Planning Lead, Guildford Borough Council
- Cllr George Potter, Guildford Borough Council
- Cllr Paula Moss, Effingham Parish Council
There will be an opportunity for residents to ask questions and have their say.
Parliamentary Petition
Paula Moss of Effingham Parish Council has recently launched a separate parliamentary petition.
The petition, entitled “Launch a rural proofing review & suspend the use of the grey-belt test”, calls on the Government to undertake a rural proofing review of the grey-belt test and to suspend its use for villages while that review takes place.
The petition's stated argument is that the current tests used to identify grey belt do not adequately take account of the particular function of Green Belt land around villages. It calls for planning policy to recognise the importance of Green Belt purposes, village settlement boundaries and made Neighbourhood Plans when planning applications are considered.
Petition reference: 780361
The petition is open until 21 March 2027.