Newsletter - Saturday 13 June, 2026

By David Grantham

In this issue

A new SEN building has been approved at Reigate College; the conversion of a former beauty salon in Nutley Lane has got the green light; the last mayor of Reigate & Banstead has taken office; tributes have been paid to borough councillor Mus Tary who has sadly passed away; and a landlord in Horley has lost an appeal against a £9,000 fine. That’s all after news in brief.

News in brief

Douglas House: a revised application to create 37 flats at the former Kimberly-Clark offices, at London Road / Rushworth Road, is now on Reigate & Banstead’s website (Si apre in una nuova finestra). As reported in the last issue, earlier plans were refused on 27 May solely because two of the flats had bedrooms that were too small under national space standards. Not much of a fix seems to have been needed: the updated plans increase the width of those rooms by 11 cm. As before, the proposals would see the lower ground floor remain offices.

Murder in the Library: St Mark’s Players are staging this interactive murder mystery, “where the audience becomes part of the story”, at the St Mark’s Church Centre in Alma Road on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 June (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

Reigate-based Crumbs Brewing, who turn unused artisan bread into beer, have unveiled an improved version of their sourdough IPA, one of the four beers in their range (Si apre in una nuova finestra). It follows customer feedback wanting “our sourdough brew to lean a bit more into the hop styles that define more modern IPAs”.

Outdoor theatre returns to Reigate’s Castle Grounds on Thursday 2 July, with The Great Gatsby (Si apre in una nuova finestra) from This Is My Theatre.

A vacancy for a Reigate-based cafe assistant which recently appeared on the Marks & Spencer website, generating social media speculation about a possible new store, turned out to be an error. The company told me on 1 June that the listing had been taken down and the vacancy was in fact for the in-house bakery at the existing High Street (Simply Food) store.

Surrey County Council want to hear people’s views on changes they’ve made to their guidance for Blue Heart verges, which are pieces of land that are cut less often each year to help biodiversity. Under the changes, only community groups, or groups of residents, can apply for Blue Heart verges, rather than individual residents. Also, verges must meet new minimum size standards. The survey (Si apre in una nuova finestra) runs until 3 August.

Surrey Police have begun operating as two divisions, east and west, from 10 May, to reflect the future structure of Surrey. Previously there were three divisions: northern, eastern and western. Police say (Si apre in una nuova finestra) the service the public receives won’t be affected.

Residents can apply for up to £10,000 of funding for community projects, as Surrey County Council’s Your Community Fund is again open for applications (Si apre in una nuova finestra). In 2025 the fund supported over 350 projects across the county for a total of £398k, with schemes including nature reserve improvements, interactive school workshops, Christmas parties for disadvantaged residents, and Parkinson’s speech therapy programmes. The fund will close at the end of January.

Eversfield Care Home, off Ringley Park Road, recently held a Blue Light Breakfast Club. The theme of the event was “Nourishing the heroes who nurture our community”. Guests from the local support sector were served coffee and refreshments, with residents, families and staff greeting the visitors and learning more about their work. Eversfield intends to repeat the event in the future. The home (Si apre in una nuova finestra) provides residential and nursing care on a respite or long-term basis, with 52 ensuite rooms, and is part of the Elizabeth Finn Homes group.

New SEN building approved at Reigate College

Plans for a new special educational needs (SEN) building at Reigate College were approved by Reigate & Banstead’s planning committee on 3 June despite concerns over the loss of on-site tennis courts.

The single-storey building will be constructed on the site of two tennis courts near the college's Rushworth Road entrance. It will provide classrooms, learning support areas, meeting rooms and one-to-one teaching spaces for students with additional needs.

In its application papers (Si apre in una nuova finestra), the college said the number of students requiring SEN support has risen significantly in recent years and is expected to continue increasing.

The loss of the tennis courts was a key issue for councillors and planning officers. The college had argued that the courts are rarely used for tennis, as the season coincides with exams and summer holidays, and that netball could be accommodated in the sports hall.

However, officers noted that there was still a net loss of sports space, and that national planning policy seeks to protect sports facilities. The point featured in the committee’s discussion, but councillors agreed with officers that the need for improved SEN provision outweighed the loss.

The college said in its papers that it intends to provide replacement courts at its sports fields off Green Lane, but this was not made a planning condition. Instead, the council’s formal decision stated that the college “is encouraged to consider the provision of replacement/alternative sporting facilities”.

The proposal would not increase overall student numbers, planning officers noted.

(Si apre in una nuova finestra)

Conversion plan approved in Nutley Lane

A former beauty salon in Reigate can be converted into a home after Reigate & Banstead Borough Council planning officers approved the scheme, subject to conditions, for Lincoln House, 37A Nutley Lane.

The application (Si apre in una nuova finestra) was submitted under national permitted development rules that allow some commercial buildings to switch to residential use without a full planning application, provided certain criteria are met.

The proposal will convert the vacant two-storey Victorian building into a single three-bedroom home.

Planning officers found the scheme satisfied criteria such as traffic, noise, natural light and minimum space, and said that the plans would not harm the character of the Reigate Town Centre Conservation Area, noting that the surrounding area is mostly residential.

Last borough mayor takes office

The last mayor of Reigate & Banstead, Cllr Nick Harrison, was appointed at full council on 21 May.

Cllr Harrison, a residents’ association councillor, worked as a chartered accountant in the City for over 35 years before he was elected as a borough councillor in 2003 for what is now known as Tatteham Corner and Preston ward. He also served as a county councillor for 20 years. His wife, Pamela, will be Mayoress.

The mayor’s charities for the year are Age Concern Merstham, Redhill & Reigate (Si apre in una nuova finestra), and MYTI Youth Club (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

Deputy mayor is Jed Dwight, a Conservative councillor for Chipstead, Kinsgswood and Woodmansterne.

More about the role of the mayor and how to invite him to events is here (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

Reigate & Banstead will be abolished as part of local government reform on 1 April next year.

Tributes paid to borough councillor

Serving borough councillor Mus Tary has died, Reigate & Banstead Borough Council announced on 9 June (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

Cllr Richard Biggs, leader of the council, said the loss would be “deeply felt across this council and our community”.

He added: “As councillor for Hooley, Merstham and Netherne, he was an incredibly positive, friendly and approachable man.  He was committed to his role as executive member for housing & support, championing schemes to help residents access affordable housing.

“Mus was interested in people and community, passionate about his football and a powerful advocate for the improvements to Merstham Recreation Ground.

“We hold Mus’s wife Claire, his family and friends in our thoughts during this incredibly difficult time – as well as all those people who had the privilege of working with him.”

Mayor of Reigate & Banstead, Cllr Nick Harrison, said: “Mus was a lovely man who made a great contribution to the council and its residents in a short period of time. He was dedicated to his portfolio of housing & support, which was so important as we dealt with the aftermath of the covid pandemic. He will be sadly missed by colleagues and staff.”

Cllr Tary was a Conservative councillor, elected for Hooley, Merstham & Netherne in 2021. As required by law, notice of the ward vacancy has been published (Si apre in una nuova finestra).

Landlord fine upheld

A Horley landlord has been ordered to pay a £9,000 fine after losing an appeal against enforcement action taken by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council.

The council says (Si apre in una nuova finestra) its environmental health team found the landlord had been renting a flat to mostly unrelated elderly tenants without putting appropriate fire safety measures in place, and that tenants who complained were evicted without a possession order being obtained.

The authority issued a civil penalty under housing legislation for breaches of regulations covering houses in multiple occupation. The landlord appealed to the Residential Property Tribunal but the fine was upheld at a hearing on 24 March.

Executive member Cllr Kate Fairhurst said the case demonstrated the council’s “robust approach to enforcement”. She also said the council welcomed the Renters’ Rights Act (Si apre in una nuova finestra) (which came into force on 1 May).

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