Policy information sourced from Runnymede Local Plan
IE4: The visitor Economy
Planning applications which deliver a high quality visitor experience that increases the contribution that tourism, arts and cultural heritage make to quality of life, social and cultural well-being and economic growth will be supported where they accord with the following criteria:
- Provision of tourist and leisure attractions, including arts and cultural facilities, accommodation and conference facilities will be determined in accordance with the sequential approach outlined in the NPPF, except where they apply to applications for small scale rural development. Where proposals exceed 2,500sq.m and are located outside the centres, as designated on the Policies Map, an impact assessment must be submitted.
- All new and/or enhanced or replaced tourist and leisure attractions, accommodation, and conference facilities will be required to preserve the Borough’s special heritage and natural environment and accord with other relevant policies in this Local Plan including Green Belt policies where relevant.
- Proposals which promote greater use of the River Thames, Wey and Bourne as a leisure and recreational resource should not harm local biodiversity or water quality.
- The loss of existing tourist and leisure attractions, including arts, cultural and entertainment facilities and hotels will be strongly resisted unless replacement facilities are proposed in a location equally accessible to the facility’s current catchment area. Alternatively, robust evidence must be provided to demonstrate that:
- The facility causes significant detriment to the amenity of the locality, or that
- The existing use is unviable and its retention has been fully explored (including active and comprehensive marketing of the facility for its existing and alternative leisure or tourist use for a continued period of at least 6 months prior to the submission of a planning application).
For more information please see the Local Plan