Premier Inns Ltd submitted a proposal to Reigate and Banstead Planning Committee for the demolition of the Heathside Hotel, Brighton Road, Burgh Heath, restaurant and its replacement with a new extension providing additional hotel bedrooms and a new hotel restaurant, together with alterations to the car park and all associated works.
The application was refused after Cllr Sam Walsh moved a refusal, despite the officer’s recommendation for approval. The key reason for refusal was that the scale, bulk, and massing of the proposed development were considered contrary to the local plan. The committee concluded that the enlarged building would be too dominant for its setting and would not sit comfortably with the surrounding area.
The site is on the eastern side of Brighton Road, near the junction with Reigate Road, in a mixed edge-of-settlement location with housing, commercial uses, open countryside, and protected land nearby. Although the officer’s report identified planning benefits, including reusing previously developed land, supporting tourism, and an improved, more efficient hotel and restaurant, members were not persuaded that these benefits outweighed the visual harm caused by the enlarged built form.
In particular, concern was raised that the proposed extension would appear excessive in relation to the existing hotel and the local character of the area. The refusal, therefore, centred on design impact, with the committee finding that the development’s bulk and massing failed to accord with the development plan.
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