Gatton Manor holiday park approved by Mole Valley

Mole Valley Development Committee approved the application for the redevelopment of Gatton Manor Hotel and Country Club, Ockley, into a Hermitage Farm Hotel and Spa.

The scheme covers a 166-acre rural estate and includes demolition of existing buildings, new hotel accommodation with lodges, a health club, spa, indoor pool, restaurant, tennis and padel courts, upgraded landscaping, refurbishment of the existing swimming lake, and biodiversity net gain measures. The wider golf course would be rewilded to create a stronger landscape and wildlife habitat, while maintaining and improving public access.

The committee report described the site as previously developed countryside land beyond the Green Belt, within the Area of Great Landscape Value and close to the Surrey Hills National Landscape. Officers concluded that the principle of replacing the existing closed hotel with a new hotel complex was acceptable in policy terms and supported the district’s economic, rural business, and tourism objectives. The proposal was expected to attract significant investment, support construction and operational jobs, and spur broader spending in the local economy.

Landscape and design impacts were found to be acceptable. Officers considered the site capable of accommodating the scale and massing of development without undue harm. Although some temporary construction impacts on views were acknowledged, the long-term outcome was judged positive due to planting, habitat enhancement, and the regeneration of the former golf course. The Design Review Panel and the Surrey Hills National Landscape Planning Advisor were supportive or raised no objection.

The most significant recommendations were tied to a Section 106 agreement. These include a zero-emission minibus service for staff, a travel plan audit fee and sustainable travel vouchers, temporary highway widening and verge restoration, a delivery routing agreement, restrictions on New Barn Lane to emergency and livestock access only, and a ban on helicopters. The agreement must also secure a community access package for nearby residents, including discounted dining, gym membership, spa discounts, and cinema evenings; a rights-of-way improvement plan with new permissive paths; a biodiversity net gain monitoring fee; and planning administration fees.

If the S106 agreement is not completed by 31 July 2026, the committee resolved to refuse permission on the grounds that these mitigation and community benefits would not be secured.