Major update for Surrey homes left without promised community centre and playgrounds for seven years

Horley development (image Claire Minter)
-Credit: (Image: Claire Minter)


Play areas, allotments, green spaces and a community hall from a major Surrey regeneration project are finally being handed over to a council after neighbours were forced to wait more than seven years. Work to get the community facilities finished has progressed but only after the developers were banned from building or selling new houses for nine months.

Building began at Westvale Park, in Horley in 2015 and within seven years 1,130 homes had been built and occupied but families were left without parks, a promised GP surgery, pub or community centre. Reigate and Banstead Borough Council issued a stop notice in October 2023 to developers Crest Nicholson, Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey and A2Dominion for "failing to deliver important community facilities to support the development and its residents in a timely manner".

But this week council bosses agreed details for the new green spaces and community hall to be transferred to council-ownership, meaning families living at Westvale Park will soon be able to access them.

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The stop notice was lifted in July 2024 and new timeframes for the delivery of the community contributions have been set out. Since the issuing of the notice, “demonstrable progress” has been to deliver the community infrastructure promised, council documents note.

Once the developers have completed the infrastructure (eg allotments and the community hall) to a good standard, it will be transferred to the council. This also includes a forecast £7m S106 money from the developers to cover the future upkeep of the parks and other community assets.

The community hall is not yet finished- but once completed it will be transferred to the ownership of RBBC. It was originally due to be completed in February. The council is looking to find an organisation to run the hall at a peppercorn rent to deliver the services residents need. Documents state RBBC has been in “active discussions” with a local GP practice which has said it is potentially “keen” to take the first floor space for an outreach practice.

Horley development (image Claire Minter)
Unfinished areas at Westvale Park -Credit:Claire Minter

Of the 16 local play areas, 13 of them are complete with the remainder predicted to be finished by September 2024. Eight of the play areas are ready to be transferred into the council’s hands so families can enjoy them at last.

Once the two allotment sites are completed, they will also be transferred to RBBC and will be designated as statutory allotments- meaning they cannot be sold. The council’s Greenspaces team will look after the new sites as part of the current 24 allotments they currently manage. The Greenspace team will also be responsible for the management and maintenance of the Riverside Green Chain public open space once it is complete.

Additionally, the developers are obliged to financially contribute to RBBC for provision and maintenance of CCTV to manage the safety of the environment. They have also agreed to pay RBBC £354,000 to fund the creation and maintenance of public art in Westvale Park. Developers have also been asked to install solar panels to help reduce long-term running costs and to reduce the carbon footprint.

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