Newsletter - Tue 25 Jun, 2024
By David Grantham
After a round-up of news in brief, there’s an update on an application for padel tennis courts that has become something of a planning saga, with another attempt at a decision due this week.
Outdoor entertainment: this summer’s Harlequin Outdoors programme at Reigate Castle Grounds gets under way this week with Romeo & Juliet on Wednesday evening and Comedy Cottage on Thursday evening. More details are here (Opens in a new window).
Hustings: St John’s Church in Redhill is hosting a hustings this evening (Tuesday 25 June) with all five of the parliamentary candidates for the General Election - details here (Opens in a new window).
Woodhatch Road: There’s an appeal for information after a pedestrian was reportedly assaulted by a cyclist on Monday 27 May. Surrey Police said (Opens in a new window): “The victim was walking along Woodhatch Road at around 8.30pm when a cyclist approached him, aggressively yelling for him to move out of the way. A few seconds later, the victim was grabbed by the shoulder from behind, spun around and punched causing him to fall to the floor. The victim sustained a broken arm and received treatment in hospital.” Anyone with information is asked to contact Surrey Police (Opens in a new window) quoting PR/45240059919, or there’s independent charity Crimestoppers (Opens in a new window).
M25 weekend closure 12-15 July: the A3 junction upgrade work will see the M25 closed in both directions between junctions 10 (Cobham) and 11 (Chertsey interchange) from 9pm Friday 12 July to 6am Monday 15 July, to allow a bridge to be installed on a roundabout. National Highways has an information page (Opens in a new window) including diversion details.
Fifty things to do to mark fifty years: On 1 April this year the borough of Reigate & Banstead turned 50, and to mark the anniversary the council has made a list (Opens in a new window) of 50 low-cost or free activities for people to enjoy. It’s broken down into categories, including history and culture, sport and physical, family-friendly, and community and back to nature. The Narnia trail in Banstead Woods is among the items (image credit: RBBC).
Drug success: Surrey Police have highlighted two recent cases which have put dealers behind bars.
In November a car was stopped by officers (Opens in a new window) in Ladbroke Grove, Redhill (near the station). They saw a “large quantity of cash” in the car and detained a man: in his trousers there was a package that turned out to be 20 bags of cocaine. The 21-year old Ealing man was sentenced in May to 25 months in prison after pleading guilty at Winchester Crown Court to possession with intent to supply class A drugs.
And in December officers spotted (Opens in a new window) a man sitting in a smashed-up Hyundai in Sainsburys car park in Redhill. When asked if everything was ok, he claimed the car wasn’t his and someone had said he could use it to charge his phone. Due to his behaviour, officers decided to search him, and that proved worthwhile as it turned up 32 wraps of heroin. He said he thought they were just sweets, and didn’t know what drugs looked like, but he was charged and in May at Guildford Crown Court the 21-year-old Croydon man was found guilty of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.
Anyone who’s concerned about drug use or dealing in their area is advised to get in touch with Surrey Police (Opens in a new window), or contact independent charity Crimestoppers (Opens in a new window) anonymously.
Overnight resurfacing work until Saturday 29 June means that sections of Cockshot Hill, Bell Street, Woodhatch Road, Dovers Green Road and Prices Lane are closed 8pm - 6am on various nights. There’s a letter from Surrey Highways (Opens in a new window) setting out which bits they are doing and when, and there’s also the county roadworks map (Opens in a new window).
Hatchlands Road: at around 9.20pm on Thursday 6 June police found a man lying in the A25, being helped by members of the public, at the junction of Shrewsbury Road and Hatchlands Road, Redhill. He was reported to have been assaulted by a group of people at around 9pm. Surrey Police said (Opens in a new window): “A man in his 60s was taken to hospital in a serious condition. He has since been released.” Anyone with information or dashcam footage is asked to contact Surrey Police (Opens in a new window), reference PR/45240064093.
Padel decision expected this week
Manor Road runs along the top of this plan and the diesel train line at the bottom. The two padel courts are shown in blue. (Credit: WS Planning & Architecture)
A planning application for two padel courts at Reigate Lawn Tennis Club is expected to finally be resolved this week, in a saga that has seen an earlier approval quashed at the High Court, and a decision by Reigate & Banstead’s planning committee earlier this month that still more time was needed to consider the noise of bat, ball and wall.
The story began in November 2022 when the club, in Manor Road, submitted its original application to convert two junior courts to padel, a fast-growing new form of tennis that many clubs are taking up.
Padel is generally considered to be louder than normal tennis, because of the type of ball and racket, and because the ball is allowed to strike the walls of the court.
But in November 2023 the council granted permission, saying that “noise nuisance would not be significantly harmful”, subject to “conditions relating to hours of use, a management plan and details of the proposed wall fixings”. The council drew on a noise report commissioned by the club and the views of its own consultants.
The club went on to build the courts at a cost of £150,000. However, they now sit idle because of a blunder in which the council failed to attach the conditions to the planning approval. That led to a resident challenging the decision in the High Court, where the approval was quashed by consent order and the council reimbursed the resident £7,500 for legal costs.
As a result, the application had to be considered afresh by the council. And while the original process had only generated 10 letters of objection and 25 in support, the new process garnered 204 objections and 433 letters in support.
This time the residents also commissioned their own noise report, which said the noise would in fact be significant, and called for acoustic fencing.
Ward councillor Victor Lewanski referred the plans to the full planning committee for decision, telling its meeting on 5 June that he hoped a solution could be found that worked for both residents and the club.
An hour was spent on the item, hearing views from two resident objectors, the club chairman, the planning agent and councillors. Planning officers recommended approval subject to conditions including hours, management arrangements, and wall fixings.
Councillors heard that residents were content for the padel courts to go ahead, but only if acoustic fencing recommended in their noise report was installed (and which was not among the conditions proposed by officers).
While the club’s and the residents’ expert reports agreed on the level of noise likely to be generated by the new courts, they differed on their assessment of impact to residents, compared to current noise levels which include the existing courts and the nearby diesel train line.
The club’s report was also compiled through a desk-based assessment, unlike the residents’ report where measurements of sound had been taken at the site.
Councillors remained uncertain on a number of points, including the effectiveness of acoustic fencing and what it would look like. Suggestions were made on how to move forward, including monitoring for a trial period, but councillors voted to defer the matter to allow further consideration.
The matter comes before the committee again this Wednesday.
Video of the 5 June discussion is here (Opens in a new window), the minutes here (Opens in a new window), the application here (Opens in a new window).
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