Woodcote (Epsom) Residents Society

We are delighted that the Planning Inspector agreed with our concerns about inappropriate development in the Green Belt and dismissed the scheme.

You can find the detail here

25/00093/FUL

Woodcote(Epsom) Residents’ Society decided to submit comments on this application because of the traffic/parking implications if not addressed.

Woodcote (Epsom) Residents’ Society (W(E)RS) welcomes the proposal to renovate and re-use the Grade 2 Listed former Lava Lounge premises as a local convenience retail store. This will provide improved facilities for nearby residents and also serve the adjacent hospital staff and visitors. 

However, W(E)RS endorses nearby resident concerns about the impact of the proposal upon local highway conditions, car parking management arrangements and increased pedestrian/vehicular conflict at the Dorking Rd/Hyland Mews junction. To that extent we fully support the reservations and request for further improvements set out in Surrey County Council Highways response. 

W(E)RS would especially urge that specific measures be put in place to:
– Regulate the times of goods deliveries to minimise the times when only 9 customer car parking spaces would be available. 

– Further modifications are also required at the road junction to enhance pedestrian safety from the increased number of cars turning into the car park. This is especially important with the large number of pupils who use this footway. 

– Car park management measures are also required to prevent the car park being used by Rosebery School parents dropping off or collecting pupils which is a clear risk from this proposal given the existing pressures on Hyland Mews from this activity.

Epsom & Ewell Borough Council (EEBC) has submitted the borough’s Local Plan to Government for Public Examination by the Planning Inspectorate.

Submission at this time ensures that the Local Plan will be inspected in accordance with the December 2023 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

Public examination of the Local Plan by an independent Planning Inspector will take place later this year, once an Inspector has been appointed. It is anticipated this will take place this summer.

The Council’s Local Plan Examination Webpage contains more information on the Local Plan Examination, including the documents submitted and copies of responses to the Proposed Submission Local Plan.

John Mumford, Chair of Woodcote ( Epsom) Residents’ Society (WERS) and of the Standing Committee of Residents Associations ( SCoRA) has raised concerns with Charlotte Glancy, the Local Plan Programme Officer, about inaccuracies and omissions in the Regulation 19 Representations document and failure to consult on some background documents.

The Programme Officer has emphasised that the Local Plan Inspector will look carefully at all submitted representations and there will be a further opportunity to raise material concerns during the Local Plan examination.

WERS and SCoRA will be scrutinising all the proceedings at the Inquiry on behalf of local residents and if necessary will appear at the Inquiry.

We are delighted that WERS objections to this scheme on behalf of local residents has been completely vindicated with the Inspector’s decision to dismiss the appeal. The appeal decision can be found here.

A further application has now been received for a 9 unit scheme which now incorporates the adjacent builders yard. WERS will be responding to this shortly. You can submit comments/objections until Thursday 10 April 2025.