At last night’s Resources Committee, councillors discussed the results of the Caterham Masterplan Consultation which ran from 27 March to 1 May this year and set out the next steps for the project.  

The Caterham Masterplan will deliver a vision for Caterham Valley and Caterham-on-the-Hill, which will significantly improve the town’s appearance, retail and leisure facilities, as well as encourage new businesses, boost the economy and create more local jobs for years to come. It is based on earlier consultation exercises, in particular the Town Centre Design Statement.

During the consultation residents were asked to identify the top five key priorities for the town. 96% of respondents want to retain and encourage independent traders, 93% want to maintain and improve community facilities, 90% want to encourage start-up businesses, 87% want to see improved car parking and 83% want to improve the environment for pedestrians.

People were also asked to identify key projects for improvement. 94% of people want to see improvement to the Rose & Young site. (The Planning Inspectorate has set 5 September as the new date for the public inquiry into the Council’s application to acquire the site using a compulsory purchase order.) 87% identified the Raglan Precinct in Caterham-on-the-Hill and 85% Waitrose and Quadrant House as other areas for improvement.

The results of the consultation and the key priorities and projects identified will be used to inform the preferred option which will be subject to further consultation in the autumn.

The Council also agreed to some critical next steps for the Caterham Masterplan which will help it deliver its ambitions. These include developing it as a Supplementary Planning Document, giving the Council the ability in appropriate circumstances to issue compulsory purchase orders and allocating funds so detailed plans for key sites can be worked on.

The Council has invested over £150,000 in the creation of the masterplan which is being delivered by planning and regeneration specialists, Nexus Planning, working with the Caterham Town Working Group. Property and viability analysts, Colliers International and architects, Broadway Malyan have also been involved.

Councillor Simon Ainsworth, Chairman of the Resources Committee, said: “Thank you to everyone who took part in the Caterham Masterplan Consultation by filling in a feedback form, visiting the consultation website or attending one of the three exhibition events. Work will now begin on the creation of the next stage of the masterplan’s creation and we will be engaging with landowners and businesses to explore all options to help shape the future of the town before the next round of consultation.”

Councillor Michael Cooper, Chairman of the Caterham Town Working Group and Caterham’s, Harestone Ward councillor, said: "I am sure Caterham residents will appreciate the extra funding allocated is specifically to progress the masterplan initiative and enable work to be carried out with local landowners to get on and deliver the real improvements Caterham deserves." 

Full results are available www.caterham-masterplan.org.uk.