A proposed residential-led masterplan in Surrey has hit its first key regulatory milestone after local planning officers ruled that a formal Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be required before full applications can proceed.
Developer Wates Developments is currently shaping early-stage proposals for up to 400 new homes and a primary school on Green Belt land in Beare Green, situated near Dorking on the edge of the Surrey Hills National Landscape.
The site under consideration lies east of the A24 (Horsham Road) and south of Holmwood railway station.
Key Scheme & Site Details
- Developer: Wates Developments
- Proposed Scope: Up to 400 residential units and a new primary school
- Location: Land east of Horsham Road (A24), Beare Green, Mole Valley
- Designations Involved: Green Belt, adjacent to Surrey Hills National Landscape, containing Ancient Woodland and Sites of Nature Conservation Importance (SNCI)
Why an Environmental Impact Assessment Was Mandated
Following an EIA Scoping/Screening request submitted to Mole Valley District Council, planning officers confirmed that the scale and sensitivity of the location require comprehensive environmental evaluations before formal submission.
Council assessment documentation highlights three main areas of focus:
- Transport & Access: Officers noted that adding up to 400 homes alongside an educational facility in a semi-rural location with limited non-car travel infrastructure presents potential transport and traffic network impacts that require rigorous modeling.
- Landscape Sensitivity: The development boundary sits near an Area of Great Landscape Value and the Surrey Hills National Landscape. Officers determined that proposed mitigation strategies require further detail to prove no significant visual or landscape harm.
- Ecological Assets: The site encompasses parcels of Ancient Woodland and priority habitats, necessitating a detailed ecological mitigation and biodiversity net gain strategy.
Local Planning Context
The current pre-application framework comes six years after an earlier 2020 proposal for nearly 500 homes on the site failed to gain traction.
While formal consultation will open when Wates submits a full planning application, early representations lodged on Mole Valley’s planning portal already highlight local debate around infrastructure capacity, existing school enrolment levels, and Green Belt preservation.
The pre-application opinion and associated scoping papers are available to view via the Mole Valley District Council planning portal under the Beare Green reference files.