Newsletter - Sunday 28 June, 2026

By David Grantham

In this issue

News on the former TA site on Chart Lane, and that Sound Bites Reigate, due to take place in Priory Park, is off. That’s after news in brief.

News in brief

Reigate Summer Festival organisers have thanked those who supported last weekend’s event. On Thursday they said on their Facebook page (Opens in a new window) and Instagram feed (Opens in a new window) that they have “an abundance of official pictures and video” on the way but in the meantime wanted to say a “huge thank you” to Reigate. “You showed up, supported, and the town was buzzing.”

West Street: change of use and signage applications have now been approved for a Mathnasium learning centre at 9-11 West Street (previously a cafe and sportswear shop, and before that Geek Retreat). As previously reported (Opens in a new window), Mathnasium has around 40 sites in the UK offering tailored maths learning to children aged 4-16 in 1-hour sessions.

The annual Gatton Country Fair takes place on Sunday 5 July at Gatton Park, Reigate. “Enjoy animal displays including falconry, water rescue dogs and reptiles, a fun dog show, live music, tractor rides, country crafts, circus skills, Punch and Judy, hobby horse racing and small children’s fairground rides. A wide range of market stalls and food and drink concessions – including BBQ and Pilgrim beer tent.” Details here (Opens in a new window).

EV charging at home: Surrey residents without off-street parking can now install a cable gully allowing them to charge an electric vehicle without trailing a cable across the pavement. After charging, the cable can be removed with the gully closing like a zip until next time. The scheme (Opens in a new window), launched by Surrey County Council with Kerbo Charge, costs households £499 instead of the usual installation cost of over £1,000, thanks to Government funding.

Hot weather increases wildfire and water safety risks, Surrey Fire & Rescue are reminding people. Among the advice, the fire service warns that water can be more dangerous than it looks, with a risk of cold water shock. In a series of tips to stay safe (Opens in a new window), which people are encouraged to pass onto youngsters, the fire service is reminding people of the RNLI’s float to live advice (Opens in a new window).

There’s a Surrey Fire Museum open day today at Surrey County Council’s HQ in Woodhatch Place. “Immerse yourself in over two hundred years of Surrey’s firefighting history on Sunday 28 June. Discover fire engines from the 18th and 19th centuries, medals, brass helmets, uniforms, photographs and much more.” The event runs 10am - 4pm with free entry: details here (Opens in a new window).

Ride Reigate takes place in a fortnight (Opens in a new window), on Sunday 12 July, with 100K, 50K and 25K routes, along with junior races for younger riders, starting from Reigate College. Organisers RunThrough says riders are encouraged to enter and “be part of an inspiring summer sportive in support of The Brain Tumour Charity”. “Participants can expect a friendly team of marshals, a welcoming event village and free goodies from event partners at the finish line.”

Drill Hall plans published

Plans have been submitted to convert and extend the drill hall on the former Territorial Army site on Chart Lane to create eight flats.

TA Chart Lane Ltd, which bought the site in May last year, has already obtained planning permission to extend the caretaker's house to make it a larger home, and to demolish the rifle range and garage on the Albion Road side of the site to create two 4-bedroom houses.

The company has now applied (Opens in a new window) to convert the site's largest building, the drill hall, into eight flats. The original drill hall structure would be retained, with new first and second floor extensions.

This would create five 2-bedroom flats and three 3-bedroom flats, together with parking, cycle storage and communal landscaping.

Nine parking spaces would be created for the eight flats. Initially, the planning documents weren’t quite clear on this, but documents will be updated to confirm that it is nine spaces.

Behind the drill hall sits the smaller mess hall which is the remaining building on the site to be addressed. TA Chart Lane Ltd has told me that it is still working on plans for that building.

Food and music festival is off

Sound Bites Reigate, the food and music festival due to take place in Priory Park 10 -12 July, will not be taking place, according to the borough council (which owns the park) and reports posted on social media by ticket-holders.

The council said in a statement: “Reigate & Banstead Borough Council was left with no choice but to withdraw the licence for Sound Bites Events Ltd to occupy its land, due to public safety concerns.

“The Council is keen to support successful events in the borough and we are disappointed that the Sound Bites Festival will not go ahead in Priory Park between 10 and 12 July 2026. However, where there are concerns regarding public safety, the council must take appropriate action. 

“An outdoor event the size of Sound Bites Festival on council-owned land requires important licensing conditions to be met around security, traffic management, environmental health, and more, so we can prioritise public safety and ensure the event operates safely and within the law.

 “Unfortunately, Sound Bites Events Ltd did not meet any of these conditions and the multi-agency Safety Advisory Group for the borough (which includes the South East Coast Ambulance Service, Surrey Police, Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, and Surrey County Council) concluded it did not have confidence that the event could be delivered safely.

 “Anyone who has purchased tickets in advance should contact Sound Bites Events Ltd directly.”

Ticket-holders have reported receiving a message from organisers earlier this month saying: "It is with regret that we write to inform you that Sound Bites Reigate will no longer be taking place due to unforeseen circumstances".

The message continued: “We will be in touch next week with information on what your options are, including transferring your tickets to alternative events and how to request a refund.

“We apologise for the disappointment and thank you for your patience.”

I’ve contacted the organisers for comment. At the time of writing, the Reigate event is still displayed on the festival’s website (Opens in a new window), with no statement that it’s not going ahead. However, all ticket types are listed as “sold out”.

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