HUNDREDS of homes could be built in new suburbs to the east of Redhill and Merstham, and to the south and south-west of Reigate, under the latest blueprint for development in the borough.
Reigate and Banstead Borough Council has said "urban extensions" into the green belt of between 500 and 700 homes in each area will help provide for a growing population.
The plans are enshrined in the council's latest version of its core strategy, which outlines where new homes and businesses should be built over the next 15 years.
The initial core strategy document was submitted to the Government's planning Inspectorate in April for approval, but sent back for more work to be done, including identifying where the town extensions should be.
Councillor Mike Miller, executive member for development and planning, said the areas beyond Woodhatch, and to the east of Redhill and Merstham, were not areas of high-quality green belt.
"What we are saying, to satisfy the inspector's request, is that if we do need extra land these will be areas we will be considering for development," he told the Mirror.
"We have done a full study of the whole borough, and these areas that we have chosen are areas that most people wouldn't recognise as good agricultural green belt land.
"A lot of it, to be quite honest, you wouldn't even realise is green belt land."
The wording of the document has been changed to make the new edge-of-town estates more likely. It previously stated that greenfield development "may be required", but that has been amended to "will be required" in the new draft.
Other changes to the latest version include the provision for 200 homes to the east of Horley, on non-green belt land, and "the potential for development east of Salfords".
The town centres of Redhill and Horley, the new north-west and north-east sector developments in Horley, and the regeneration areas of Preston and Merstham, will be priority areas for new housing.
Other urban areas will then be used up before development of greenfield sites is allowed.
The plan makes provision for at least 6,900 new homes across the borough up to 2027, plus 38,500 square metres of employment space and 37,500 square metres of retail floor space.
The council's cabinet will be asked to approve the document for consultation at its meeting tonight (Thursday).
