A new set of proposed development policies for the borough will be examined by an architect appointed by the Government next month.

The public hearings, to be held at Epsom town hall, will start at 10am on Wednesday, February 11, and are expected to last for two or three days.

Following public consultation, Epsom Council has prepared a set of new development management policies that will form an important part of its new local plan - which ensures new buildings and developments respect the heritage of the area and statutory requirements from the Government are met.

These policies were submitted to the Secretary of State for last year and the Government’s planning inspectorate has appointed architect Jacqueline Wilkinson to examine the new policies next month.

The inspector will assess the council’s proposed policies against the formal tests of soundness that are set out in national planning policy and consider any representations made by individuals or organisations during the consultation stages.

Once Ms Wilkinson has made her assessment, she will prepare and publish a report that will set out whether the policies pass the tests of soundness, and if necessary, what changes need to be made to them.

The Council can then formally adopt them.

Councillor Humphrey Reynolds, chairman of the council’s planning committee, said: "These development management policies seek to achieve a greater focus on sustainable and higher-quality development and to deliver greater community benefit than before".

A council spokesman said the new development management policies started to be prepared in 2012 and have been through a series of informal and formal consultation stages, during which stakeholder and community involvement has taken place.

He said only those who have made a formal request to appear and be heard at the next month’s hearings will be allowed to speak, but this is ultimately at the inspector’s discretion.