Council rejects plan for 200 homes on Surrey golf course

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 14 Oct, 17:33 · Archive

Councillors have rejected proposals to build 206 homes on a disused Surrey golf course after more than 1,000 public objections.

Elmbridge Borough Council has rejected an application to build 206 homes on the former Moore Place Golf Course, a disused site on the edge of Esher. The developers, Charterhouse Strategic Land and Moore Place Holdings, had sought outline planning permission for the scheme, which would have provided 206 homes with half designated as affordable housing.

The application faced significant opposition from residents, with more than 1,000 public objections filed. Concerns centred on the scheme's potential impact on Elmbridge's green belt. The developers argued the golf course, unused since 2019, qualified as 'grey belt' – areas of poor quality land within the green belt where planning restrictions can be loosened – and that the site represented a sustainable location with a 'critical undersupply of homes' in the borough.

Councillors on Elmbridge's planning committee debated whether the land met the grey belt definition. Councillor Simon Waugh said: 'For me, it comes down to whether it is a grey belt site or not, and my view is it's not.' The council ultimately declined to designate the site as grey belt, leading to the scheme's rejection.

How it is being reported

• Plans for 206 homes on former golf course rejectedMore than 1,000 objections have been lodged against plans for the former Moore Place Golf Club site.BBC Surrey · 14 Oct, 16:52
• 'Running around in circles': Scheme to build 200 homes on Surrey golf course refused after series of knife-edge votesMore than 1,000 public objections had been filed against plans for the former Moore Place Golf CourseSurrey Live · 14 Oct, 13:23

In this story: Elmbridge Borough Council · Charterhouse Strategic Land · Moore Place Holdings · Esher · Surrey

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