The Surrey Heath Borough Council Planning Applications Committee met on 18 September 2025, and approved the change of use of the Bagshot Community Recycling Centre to allow for the open storage of HGVs¹ and coaches. The committee also ratified the minutes of their previous meeting held on 21 August 2025, which included approvals for the redevelopment of Loen, St Catherines Road and Krooner Park, as well as the retrospective change of use of 20 Windsor Road from a post office to habitable accommodation.

Swift Lane, Bagshot - Application 25/0236/FFU

The committee approved application 25/0236/FFU for a change of use at the Refuse Disposal Compound, Swift Lane, Bagshot from a sui generis² domestic recycling centre to Class B8 (open storage for HGV and coach storage). The application was brought to the committee because the applicant is Surrey Heath Borough Council.

The planning officer, Melissa Turney, stated in her report that the Bagshot Community Recycling Centre (CRC) closed in March 2025, and there are no known plans to replace the facility. Surrey County Council Minerals and Waste Planning Authority did not object to the loss of the waste management facility, therefore the change of use was considered acceptable in principle.

The site is previously developed land within the green belt³. The planning officer's report stated that the proposal would not result in substantial harm to the openness of the Green Belt, either spatially or visually, and so would not be inappropriate development in the Green Belt, complying with paragraph 154(g) of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

The planning officer's report stated that the proposed development would not result in an intensification of trips generated to the site, nor any adverse safety implications to the highway network, and that the County Highway Authority had raised no objections. The report also noted that additional technical drawings had been submitted to show how HGVs and coaches could be stored on the site whilst still allowing sufficient manoeuvring space, and that the drawings identified the site would be suitable for the storage of seven HGVs/coaches.

The planning officer's report stated that the proposed development would result in no adverse harm to the character and appearance of the surrounding area or the amenity of neighbouring occupiers, and that the site lies within flood zone 2 (medium risk) and no objection has been raised from the Environment Agency.

The application was approved, subject to conditions.

Minutes from 21 August 2025

The committee approved the minutes from the previous meeting of 21 August 2025. These minutes included the following decisions:

Loen, St Catherines Road, Frimley - Application 24/0922/FFU

The committee approved application 24/0922/FFU for redevelopment of the site to provide 49 extra care units (Use Class C2⁴) as part of an Integrated Retirement Community, with extensions to Loen house to facilitate a change of use of the building from a dwelling to a communal facility together with associated landscaping, parking and access.

The application had been reported to the Planning Applications Committee because it was a major development (a development of ten dwellings or over). The item was deferred from the 17 July 2025 meeting to allow Surrey County Council Highway officers to attend and explain further its consultation response.

According to the minutes, David Dixon and Richard Nussey spoke in objection to the application, and Iain Warner spoke in favour.

Councillor Alan Ashbery, ward member for Frimley, also spoke.

The minutes record that members questioned a representative from Surrey County Council's Highways team on topics such as:

• Data entered into TRICS⁵ and TEMPro⁶ for this development
• How the results are weighed against the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the emerging Surrey Heath Local Plan
• How TRICS data is obtained and what information it is based on
• Whether the modelling takes into account real-life information such as bus services, trains, and pinch points in local roads
• How often TRICS data is updated
• Whether new applications are added into the data for future modelling
• How councillors can reconcile this data with local knowledge
• Why the proposed access to the Loen development is considered safe for all users, especially pedestrians, given the narrowness of St Catherines Road, lack of continuous footpaths on both sides and heavy use by Tomlinscote School students twice daily
• How they respond to the 200+ local residents who have stated granting permission will jeopardise safety, particularly for school children
• Whether removal of the proposed electric gate at the entrance would improve road safety at the site
• Whether the traffic data was collected in June, when Tomlinscote students' use of the road was reduced due to exams
• Whether two or three parking spaces for SANG⁷ visitors could be safely provided at the site entrance

The officer recommendation to approve the application, subject to conditions and a legal agreement was proposed by Councillor Jonathan Quin, seconded by Councillor Kevin Thompson, put to the vote and carried.

Krooner Park, Krooner Road, Camberley - Application 24/0738/FFU

The committee approved application 24/0738/FFU for redevelopment of Krooner Park to provide enhanced facilities for sports and leisure uses, including new artificial grass pitches, new floodlighting, refurbished clubhouse buildings including raised platform, and car parking together with ancillary structures.

The application was referred to the Planning Applications Committee because it related to a site owned by the council.

Councillor Bob Raikes spoke (virtually) as ward councillor for Heatherside. Councillor David Whitcroft read out a statement for the application from Councillors Kel and Lisa Finan-Cooke.

The minutes record that members questioned how the new floodlighting would benefit residents compared to the existing floodlighting, but at the same time how the lighting could affect them.

It was confirmed by the case officer that American football, rugby league and rugby union could be played on the new site but arrangements had not been confirmed to date, and that these details could be confirmed and agreed by condition.

The minutes also record that members questioned why a similar application did not get approved in 2015 and this was not declared.

The officer recommendation to approve the application, subject to conditions was proposed by Councillor Helen Whitcroft, seconded by Councillor Valerie White, put to the vote and carried.

20 Windsor Road, Chobham, Woking - Application 24/0673/FFU

The committee approved application 24/0673/FFU for change of use of 20 Windsor Road, Chobham from post office building (Class E⁸) to habitable accommodation (Class C3⁹) - retrospective.

This application would normally be determined under the Council's Scheme of Delegation, but was reported to the Planning Applications Committee at the request of Councillor Pat Tedder, because of insufficient amenity space and parking spaces which cannot be accessed.

The minutes record that a member questioned the classification of the class use and its description in the officer's report, the amount of floor space the application acquired and the statutory minimum amount of floor space that was expected, and also sought clarification on how the residential amenity space had been measured.

The planning team confirmed that it could not enforce a car free property or the number of people who would reside at this property, and that Surrey County Highways had raised no objections to the application.

The Head of Built Environment and Regulation confirmed that he would clarify how the amenity space was measured after the meeting, and also agreed to speak to Environmental Health about the concerns raised by some Members of possible overcrowding in the dwelling.

The officer recommendation to approve the application, subject to conditions was proposed by Councillor Jonathan Quin, seconded by Councillor Kevin Thompson, put to the vote and carried.