Newsletter - Tuesday 14 July, 2026

By David Grantham

In this issue

Recent problems with Reigate & Banstead’s planning website have thrown a bit of a spanner in my story process. Since the start of June I’ve had to request several documents from the council that I couldn’t download, and in one case even had to ask an applicant for a copy - but last week the site wouldn’t allow me to see pretty much any document. Hopefully it’s all sorted now, as mentioned below. In the meantime, the main story is the Harlequin and a campaign to get a clearer timetable on reopening. That’s after news in brief.

News in brief

“I Do Not” opens at the Archway Theatre, Horley (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), tomorrow (Wednesday 15 July), and runs until Saturday 25 July. The theatre says: “'I Do Not' is a snappy yet curiously thoughtful comedy, taking a modern look at what it means to be in love, and if marriage is really worth more than the paper it’s written on. Ridiculous in places, and touching in others, 'I Do Not' offers an updated view on what commitment really means.”

Financial decisions by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council and Surrey County Council must now be approved by the shadow East Surrey authority, for contracts or land sales of more than £100,000, or in the case of capital contracts £1 million. This follows a s.24 notice from the Government (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) coming into force as expected. East Surrey takes over the work of Reigate & Banstead and Surrey from 1 April next year.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service has shown continued improvement at its latest inspection (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), with “good” ratings in six areas, and “adequate” in the remaining four. That compares favourably with 2023’s result of one “good”, three “adequate” and seven “requires improvement” (eleven rather than ten areas were assessed back then).

Reigate & Banstead’s planning website had problems most of last week and through the weekend. Applications could be seen, but most documents couldn’t be viewed, generating either an error or simply a frozen screen. The council said on Friday it was working with its IT supplier to fix the problem, and that documents were available at the Town Hall “although we appreciate the inconvenience this might cause”. It looks as though things are fixed now.

Surrey’s annual Summer Reading Challenge has launched (Öffnet in neuem Fenster): primary school children can sign up at any Surrey library or online, while older children and young people can sign up for the Surrey Library Quest.

Tennis courts have been upgraded at parks across the borough, including Reigate’s Priory Park and Memorial Park. Reigate & Banstead Borough Council says the makeover (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) includes new fencing, court surfacing, posts, nets and line marking. Pickleball lines have also been marked out on some courts, including at Priory and Memorial. Funding came from the Community Infrastructure Levy, the pot of money that developers have to pay into. Courts are free to use and don’t have a booking requirement. More information on parks here (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).

Woodhatch Road: surface dressing work that was due to close this road (the A2044 which runs down to Earlswood Lakes) earlier this month, before apparently being rescheduled for this week, now appears to have been limited to a closure this Sunday just gone. The Surrey roadworks map (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) lists no closures on the road for at least the next two weeks.

Campaigners call for clarity on Harlequin timetable

An open letter written by the Green and Independent Group on Reigate & Banstead Borough Council, and signed by Dame Judi Dench and local arts, business and community figures, has called on the council to publish a timetable for reopening the Harlequin theatre.

It’s now been more than 1,000 days since the Redhill venue closed in September 2023 after RAAC material was discovered.

The letter (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) says the town has lost not just a theatre, but also an estimated £2.5 million of lost revenue for local businesses since the closure.

The letter calls on the council to set out the remaining work, milestones and target dates, and reasons for the delay, saying that a previous commitment to open in time for the Christmas panto this year has been broken.

One of the signatories to the letter, Cllr Mark Smith (Ind), said (Öffnet in neuem Fenster): “The people of Redhill are still waiting for a clear plan. This isn't just about a theatre; it's about confidence in our town centre, support for local businesses, and keeping promises made to residents. We are simply asking the council leader to publish a detailed timetable for reopening by July 22 so everyone can see exactly where the project stands and when this vital community asset will return".

The Christmas opening date was most clearly set out last July by executive member Cllr Ben Green (Con) when he told a council meeting: “We are targeting reopening the Harlequin by Christmas 2026, and I invite you to hold us to that deadline”.

However in March this year another executive member, Cllr Shelly Newton (Con), told a meeting that a full pantomime would not go ahead this year because of long lead-in times for such productions, and that specific work dates were still being worked out with contractors.

Asked for comment on the open letter, the council said last week that reopening the theatre remains one of its highest priorities, adding that “substantial progress continues to be made behind the scenes but it is a very complex project with many interdependencies”.

The council added: “We have been working with the Bailey Partnership (since Autumn 2025) and Apex Contractors (since April 2026), to progress detailed design and preparatory work for the removal of RAAC, the replacement roof structure and associated essential works. These works will now include replacing the air handling system and two large windows, both of which have become necessary to bring the building back into operation. The increased design work to incorporate these additional essential works have impacted on the project timeline”.

Work is now estimated to start this November, the council said, subject to Apex’s tender price being agreed and “a number of factors which are not easy to control”.

Council leader Cllr Richard Biggs (Con) said: “We understand and empathise with the frustration around timescales. Our priority is ensuring the work is completed safely, lawfully and in a way that secures the long-term future of the theatre, including continued access for local community groups.

“In parallel, we are in negotiations with our preferred operator to run the venue, which should lead to an exciting announcement once all the contracts have been signed.”

Up to £7.5 million has been budgeted for the work, including £3 million for jobs classified as maintenance such as the air handling units and windows.

Flats conversion plan at Shaw’s Corner

Plans have been submitted to turn a mixed-use Victorian building at 55 Hatchlands Road (Shaw’s Corner) into four flats.

The building, which contains an existing flat, office and garage space, would be converted to provide two 1-bed and two 2-bed flats.

A design statement submitted with the plans (Öffnet in neuem Fenster) says the building dates from 1893 and was formerly used as a fire station and that its tall ground floor includes the former fire engine hall.

The plans include extensions at the rear, while the frontage would remain largely the same. The large former fire station doors would be replaced with a similar-looking insulated version.

No car parking spaces are proposed, with the design statement citing “the location of the proposed development and the availability of public transport”. Each flat would have secure cycle storage.

Reigate & Banstead Borough Council is due to decide the application by 24 August.

Previous newsletters are here (Öffnet in neuem Fenster), and any feedback can be emailed here (Öffnet in neuem Fenster). Please feel free to forward this newsletter to friends and family. If you're receiving this newsletter from someone outside your household, please consider signing up for a free trial (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).

Reigate.uk is regulated by Impress, the independent monitor of the press. Details of our corrections and complaints procedure are here (Öffnet in neuem Fenster).