SEALE and Sands Parish Council has applied to Guildford Borough Council to designate the parish near Farnham as a neighbourhood area.

Under the Localism Act 2011, designating a neighbourhood area allows parish or town councils to prepare neighbourhood plans setting out planning policies for the local area.

They must take account of national policy and help meet the strategic needs of the wider local area.

Guildford Borough Council will consult the public on the proposal for a neighbourhood area covering Seale and The Sands between now and May 15.

Comments can be made online through the planning policy consultation website at getinvolved.guildford.gov.uk or by emailing plan

Alternatively write to: Planning Services (Neighbourhood Planning), Guildford Borough Council, Millmead House, Millmead, Guildford, GU2 4BB.

Farnham Town Council published its draft neighbourhood plan last July and is currently preparing the final document for independent examination.

Elstead Parish Council and Peper Harow Parish is also developing a neighbourhood plan to define the future of Elstead and the Weyburn and Tanshire areas.