Meet your Independent Councillors
Your County and District ​Councillors HERE
Ashtead Independent councillors are restarting monthly
surgeries at which residents can meet their County and District
Councillors to discuss any issue of concern.
The surgeries will be at Ashtead Library (Woodfield Lane) from
14.00-16.00 on the first Saturday of each month, starting on 7 June.
At least two Councillors will be present each time, and the Library Service is making an office available so any discussions can be in confidence. No booking is necessary and there is on-site parking, just drop in anytime during the two-hour slots.
We are grateful to Surrey County Council and the Ashtead Library for making this venue available to us.
British Landscapes and biodiversity –
in a nutshell – some thoughts
Patricia Wiltshire
21st October 2025
The word ‘ecosystem’ has crept into many areas of endeavour and is usually used very inappropriately.
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An ecosystem consists of the biological community (all plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and other microbes) living and interacting in a physical place which is termed the habitat. The habitat is the physical and chemical surroundings in which the community lives and operates.
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Thus, Community + Habitat = Ecosystem
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Virtually every major ecosystem of which you are aware in Britain has been created by man’s activities, and the only truly natural and native ecosystems that have developed and existed since the end of the last glacial period less than 12,000 years ago are:
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(a) the woodlands of the New Forest (some of it anyway), the Caledonian Pine Forest, and the upland oak woodlands in Wales,
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(b) the vegetation above the tree line on mountains.
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(c) coastal and estuarine systems.
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Continue reading HERE
Developers lose
housing appeals​
Two major housing schemes proposed for Ashtead have been rejected by planning inspectors. Appeals by developers against Mole Valley Council’s refusal to allow developments at the Marsden Nursery site in Ashtead Park ward and at Murreys Court in the Lanes and Common Ward have both been rejected following appeal hearings. Ashtead Independent councillor Andy Smith said: “Local residents will be relieved at these two appeal decisions by the Planning Inspectorate.”
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1. Marsden Nursery
The Inspector considered the question of Marsden Nursery in light of the Mole Valley Local Plan adopted last October, the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published in December, and new Planning Policy Guidance issued in February. The land is “brownfield” (previously developed land) within the Green Belt. It was not allocated for housing in the Local Plan but developers argued that under the new NPPF it should be redesignated as “Grey Belt”, meaning that it might be suitable for housing. However, the Inspector rejected this argument on the grounds that the site plays an important role in contributing to the openness of the Green Belt between Ashtead and Epsom. Preventing neighbouring towns from merging is a key statutory objective of the Green Belt. Note the word “town”; if the Inspector had considered Ashtead to be a village, this point about merging would not have applied and the land could have been reclassified as “grey”.
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Thankfully the Inspector concluded that Ashtead is actually a small town, and therefore the Green Belt countryside between the two towns of Ashtead and Epsom is meeting the core aims of the Green Belt. The same should apply to Green Belt land between Ashtead and Leatherhead (but too late to apply to Ermyn Way, which sadly had already been removed from the Green Belt by the Local Plan).
The Inspector also said that as Mole Valley is meeting its housing targets and has a 5-year housing supply, there is no demonstrable need for this particular development that would outweigh other factors such as Green Belt protection (the NPPF’s so-called “Golden Rules”).
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2. Murreys Court
Following an appeal hearing held at MVDC in Dorking in April, an Inspector has thrown out an appeal by developers against refusal of permission for a housing and care home development at Murreys Court between The Murreys and Agates Lane, in Ashtead Lanes and Common ward. Developers wanted to demolish the Murreys Court farmhouse and build on a substantial part of the orchard and surrounding farmland. Ashtead Independents and local residents had strongly opposed this scheme which they believed represented a massive over-development of this part of the Lanes area. There were also concerns about traffic generation, threats to biodiversity, loss of heritage assets, and problems with flooding and water supplies. The Inspector agreed with us and rejected the appeal.
Ermyn Way Development Rammed Through by LibDems Amid Public Outcry
Liberal Democrat councillors have pushed through a controversial housing scheme for 270 homes and a traveller site on former Green Belt land at Ermyn Way — a development larger than the entire existing neighbourhood it borders.
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At the Mole Valley Council Development Management Committee meeting on 2nd July, LibDem councillors ignored fierce objections from Ashtead Independent councillors and local residents, brushing aside concerns about loss of open space, gridlocked traffic, and overstretched public services.
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No school places. No real transport. No answers.
Shockingly, the approved plan includes zero provision for additional school places and proposes a laughable “car club” with just two shared vehicles for over 500 new residents — despite the site being 1.7 miles from the nearest railway station and lacking evening bus services. One LibDem councillor appeared to suggest that new residents would be happy not to use cars — a comment that left many in the chamber stunned.
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​Residents ejected from Council Chamber
In a dramatic and unprecedented move, the LibDem committee chair ordered the public gallery cleared, ejecting around 50 Ashtead and Leatherhead residents from the chamber. The reason? Councillors allegedly felt “intimidated” by applause — not insults, not shouting, just clapping.
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When Ashtead Independent Cllr Chris Hunt asked if any councillor had been unable to hear proceedings, not a single one said yes. Yet the chair refused to reconsider, even ejecting residents who had come for unrelated agenda items. “One resident who tried to speak to the chair was bluntly brushed aside; she didn't want to talk about it.”
Ashtead Independents: “This is not democracy”
Cllr Gerry Sevenoaks condemned the decision: “This was a major development with huge local impact. Residents behaved respectfully — no booing, no insults, just some clapping. To eject them was a disgrace. We ask people to engage in local democracy, then punish them when they do.”
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“Given the scale of the Ermyn Way development, its impact on the local area and the extensive public consultation, it is not surprising that a large number of residents, approximately 50, attended the meeting in the public gallery. Council members and officers must have known that this would be a contentious item and should have prepared accordingly.
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“For most of the residents attending, this was their first time at a Council meeting. They kept quiet during the speeches and not unnaturally clapped those who supported their views. Some leeway should have been given. After all, there was no booing, hissing, name calling, and there were no insults – just some clapping from the gallery. It was not a threatening environment and certainly not intimidating.
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“We continually ask the public to get involved with local matters but, when they do, they are treated with contempt and dismissed from the Public Gallery by the LibDems. This is not how local democracy should work!”
Changes to local councils​
In 2027, Surrey County Council and Mole Valley District Council will cease to exist. The Government has an agenda for “Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation”, which for us in Surrey means that our County and District authorities will be replaced in 2027 with either two or three new “Unitary” Councils and a directly elected Regional Mayor.
We should know by mid-October whether there will be two or three Unitaries, as there are different options on which the Government is now consulting. Mole Valley and Elmbridge councils have both endorsed a Surrey County Council proposal to divide Surrey in two, with Mole Valley district coming under a new East Surrey Council, grouped together with our next-door neighbours the boroughs of Elmbridge and Epsom & Ewell, plus Reigate & Banstead borough and Tandridge district.
This brings to an end the system of local government we have had in Surrey for more than 50 years. Ashtead Independent Councillors have expressed concerns about the reorganisation, especially about the speed of the changes, but this has come about because of an agenda by the Labour Government to “simplify” local administration in England. With Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Deputy PM Angela Rayner determined to impose this new system on us, it’s vital that Ashtead Independents do all we can to shape the reorganisation to meet the needs of people in Ashtead.
SCC argues that Unitary Councils for East and West Surrey can offer greater efficiencies and better value for money in the provision of local services. However, as an East Surrey Unitary will have to cover a much larger area than just Mole Valley we have serious concerns about local democracy and representation for Ashtead, as well as protection of our precious Green Belt and local countryside, and the future of community assets such as Ashtead Recreation Ground which are currently owned by MVDC.
In the coming months there will be a public consultation to ascertain whether we should establish new Parish Councils to provide a more localised form of representation for people in areas like Ashtead and Leatherhead which currently do not have this level of representation. This is an important issue and we urge local residents to take part in this consultation. [web link here]
ERMYN WAY DEVELOPMENT
13 February 2025
Mole Valley District Council has received the long-awaited planning application for development of land South of Ermyn Way, Ashtead. The planning application (ref. MO/2025/0033) is for up to 270 dwellings, a community building and three Travellers’ pitches.
Ashtead Independents have delivered leaflets to households in the vicinity of Ermyn Way and surrounding streets, and all properties that physically adjoin the site should have already received a letter from MVDC. Also, anyone who has signed up for planning alerts from the Council should receive an automated email about the application. You can view the full planning application at the Council Offices, Dorking, on the MVDC website www.molevalley.gov.uk and at Ashtead Library. This application particularly concerns the access using Ermyn Way.
If you do have concerns and want your views considered then we would urge you to make formal representations to MVDC. Individual representations are essential, rather than signed petitions or social media posts. The deadline for representations is 20 February 2025.​
A proposal from Waites the builders showing the possible development of the Ermyn Way site - tucked up against the M25 orbital motorway
​We can assure you that your Ashtead Independent Councillors will be doing everything possible to mitigate the impact of any development. If you need any further advice or assistance on this, or any other local matter, please do not hesitate to contact one or more of us.​
You can also contact us at www.ashteadindependents.org
Representing the two Ashtead Wards on Mole Valley District Council and Surrey County Council ... ... and with good reason!
Ashtead Independents
Ashtead Independents are registered with the Electoral Commission to enable them to be identified and use a logo. Our Constitution and Rules make clear each vote independently with no whip.
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We, the majority of Ashtead residents and the Ashtead Residents’ Association, consider that National party politics has no place in local councils. It creates unnecessary antagonisms and divisiveness, and tends to prevent a proportion of members of the Council from being able to exercise full influence on behalf of their constituents.
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In this site we introduce ourselves and try to keep you up to date with current issues affecting Ashtead. Please use it to contact us to ask questions, to ask for help, to offer assistance in our campaigns, or especially if you would like to join us!