I have worked on projects in Reigate and Banstead, including a certificate of lawfulness for a nail salon, which confirmed the lawful planning use of an existing business so the owner could renew her lease with confidence.
Reigate and Banstead is heavily shaped by the Green Belt, the Surrey Hills National Landscape and a number of conservation areas, so knowing how the council approaches a proposal is part of getting a project onto the right footing.
- Council planning pages
- Reigate and Banstead Borough Council
- Local Plan
- The adopted development plan for Reigate and Banstead has two main parts: the Local Plan Core Strategy (adopted 2014 and reviewed in 2019 and 2024) and the Development Management Plan (adopted 2019), which together with the Policies Map set the framework to 2027 (adopted (Core Strategy 2014, Development Management Plan 2019, both reviewed 2024); a new Local Plan is in preparation at the evidence-gathering stage). Local Plan page. A new Local Plan is being prepared.
- What to submit with an application
- Local validation requirements.
- Article 4 directions
- Article 4 directions are in place across the borough. The council has served directions on most of its conservation areas, removing certain permitted development rights so that planning permission is generally needed for external changes to houses there, such as replacing windows. A further direction brought forward in 2025 removes permitted development rights for change of use from commercial to residential in the Banstead, Horley, Redhill and Reigate centres. It is worth checking the exact extent for a specific property. Article 4 directions.
- Community Infrastructure Levy
- Reigate and Banstead operates a Community Infrastructure Levy, charged since April 2016 on additional floorspace from new development. It applies to residential and convenience retail development, with the rate depending on the type and charging zone. CIL is separate from any Section 106 planning obligations. Community Infrastructure Levy page.
- Conservation areas and heritage
- The borough has a number of conservation areas, where conservation area consent is needed to demolish most buildings, written notice is required before works to trees, and Article 4 directions further control external alterations to houses. Conservation areas often contain listed buildings, which need listed building consent for alteration or demolition. Part of the borough lies within the Surrey Hills National Landscape (formerly an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty), and a large part is Metropolitan Green Belt, both significant constraints. Conservation pages.
- Local guidance
- The council has adopted supplementary planning documents that give detailed guidance behind the Local Plan, including the Local Character and Distinctiveness Design Guide, a Climate Change and Sustainable Construction SPD, a Barn and Farm Conversions SPD and householder extensions guidance. It is worth checking which guidance applies to a particular site. Supplementary planning documents.
What this means for your project
In Reigate and Banstead, the work I do is shaped by the borough’s two-part development plan and by significant constraints: the Metropolitan Green Belt, the Surrey Hills National Landscape and the conservation areas, most of which carry Article 4 directions. If your property is in a conservation area, expect to need an application for external work that might be permitted development elsewhere, and expect the council to look closely at materials and detailing. There is a Community Infrastructure Levy on residential and convenience retail development, so larger schemes may carry a CIL liability alongside any Section 106 obligations. Not every project is new design either: where the planning status of an existing use is unclear, a certificate of lawfulness can put it beyond doubt. I check the current position for your specific address before any drawings are prepared.
Last checked: 27 June 2026. page reviewed Planning policy, charges and local designations change over time, so please confirm the current position with the council before relying on this summary.