Newsletter - Wed 26 Jul, 2023

In this issue..

• Tenants have been identified for the borough's three park cafes, but there's no opening date yet

• The Conservatives have selected county councillor Rebecca Paul as their candidate for the next general election

• Surrey has been ordered to pay compensation in the case of an autistic girl who missed her GCSEs because of a lack of alternative education provision

Still no date on park cafes, but tenants have been selected

• The empty interior of the Priory Park pavilion

Preliminary agreements have been signed with tenants for the three vacant cafes in Reigate's Priory Park, Redhill's Memorial Park, and Banstead's Lady Neville Recreation Ground.

However, it looks like it'll be a while yet before they are up and running, judging by information given at a Reigate & Banstead Borough Council meeting (S'ouvre dans une nouvelle fenêtre) on Thursday (20 July).

Cllr Sue Sinden (Green) asked for a progress update on the cafes and their accompanying toilets.

Cllr Andrew King (Conservative), executive member for commercial and community assets, responded: "All three cafes now have heads of terms agreed with the new prospective tenants and all parties are beginning the legal process to determine the new leases.  

"The reopening of the park cafes will be led by the tenant fit requirements, which we are currently engaging with the tenants’ respective design teams on, to agree the works required.  Once agreed, a project programme will be formulated with an estimated date for each.

"Temporary toilet provision will remain in situ at Priory Park and Redhill Memorial Park until the new tenants start trading.  Lady Neville Park will continue to be serviced by the public facilities locally."

In a follow-up question, Cllr Sinden pressed for more information on dates, and also asked whether the council could run the cafes itself, saying she was thinking particularly of Memorial Park (where the council says it has been unable to find a temporary kiosk operator, unlike Priory Park).

"All of our residents are wanting [the cafe], they're missing their coffee, they're missing their ice cream, and they'd like to have permanent toilets rather than portaloos", she said.

Cllr King did not address the suggestion that the council run the sites, but said again that the reopening date was dependent on agreeing the lease and the tenants' programme of works.

The Priory Park cafe has been vacant since the end of February, and the ones in Redhill and Banstead since late last year.

• Priory Park temporary WCs