The Epsom and Ewell Council Planning Committee was scheduled to meet on Thursday 4 September 2025 to discuss a number of planning and licensing issues. The committee was expected to review an application to change the use of a vacant care home, and to note a report summarising likely upcoming applications.

Here's a breakdown of the key items from the agenda:

The Elders, Epsom Road

The committee was scheduled to consider an application for a full planning permission relating to The Elders, Epsom Road, Ewell, Surrey, KT17 1JT. The proposal was for a change of use of the vacant care home to a mixed-use development comprising an 8-bedroom house in multiple occupation (HMO) and 12 bedrooms associated with bed and breakfast accommodation. The proposal also included a one-bedroom manager's flat. Councillor Clive Woodbridge, Chair of Community and Wellbeing Committee; Vice-Chair of Planning Committee, called in the application due to concerns about the loss of care home capacity and housing supply, and car parking implications.

According to the report pack, a similar planning application was refused in July 2024 due to insufficient justification for the loss of the care home, the depletion of the council's housing stock, and failure to demonstrate that existing parking levels would not have a harmful impact. The report pack stated that the current application sought to address the previous reasons for refusal. It noted that the applicant had undertaken a marketing campaign to demonstrate that the existing building was no longer suitable for use as a care home, and that there was no need for the existing Class C2¹ care home use.

The report pack stated that while the proposal would result in the loss of council housing stock, there were exceptional circumstances to justify the loss, and that the proposal would provide a type of accommodation that meets an identified need in the borough. It also noted that no external changes were proposed, so the proposal would not cause harm to the significance of the Ewell Village Conservation Area.

The report pack noted that the council does not have a 5-year housing land supply, meaning that there is a presumption in favour of sustainable development, and that planning permission should be granted unless any adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits. The report stated that while there were adverse effects, these would not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits, and recommended approval subject to conditions and informatives.

The conditions included:

• A timescale for commencement of the development
• Adherence to approved plans
• A car parking management plan
• Provision of parking and turning areas
• Cycle store details
• Electric vehicle charging points
• Outdoor event restrictions for the hotel use
• No outdoor music or amplification for the hotel use

Upcoming Applications

The committee was also scheduled to receive a report providing a summary of likely applications to be heard at future Planning Committee meetings. The report, summarised in the document Upcoming Applications, included the following applications:

• Swail House, Ashley Road, Epsom: Flat buildings for 48 dwellings.
• Bottom Farm, North of Langley, Epsom: 110 dwellings (outline).

The report pack stated that Councillor Steven McCormick, Chair of Audit and Scrutiny Committee; Chair of Planning Committee; Chair of Epsom and Walton Downs Conservators; Chair of Epsom and Walton Downs Consultative Committee, confirmed that there would be a site visit for the upcoming application for Swail House.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The committee was asked to confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 10 July 2025 as a true record, and to authorise Councillor Steven McCormick to sign them. During the previous meeting, the committee discussed an application for the demolition of a residential dwelling at 6A Bucknills Close and an office building at 13 Whitehorse Drive, and the construction of nine residential units. The committee voted to grant planning permission subject to a Section 106 legal agreement² and a number of conditions and informatives.