One of Surrey's oldest golf clubs is set to be demolished after plans were given the go-ahead to build homes on the site. The club was established in 1887 but has stood abandoned since 2019.
Historic Club to Be Replaced
First opened in 1887, the club was one of Surrey's longest standing greens, only behind the Guildford Golf Club in the nearby Merrow Downs, which opened a year prior in 1886. This month, planning officers at Reigate and Banstead Borough Council (RBBC) approved proposals to demolish Redhill and Reigate Golf Club and construct ten properties on the grounds.
Financial Struggles Led to Closure
Despite being one of the county's longest-standing clubs, Redhill and Reigate Golf Club shut its gates seven years ago. The then-chairman stated at the time that it was "no longer financially viable." The 18-hole course has lain dormant ever since, though the clubhouse continued to be hired out for events until around 2022. Following its closure, the land was returned to common land status and placed under the management of the borough council, prompting a series of redevelopment proposals for the site.
Planning History
A planning application for ten homes submitted in March 2022 was initially rejected by RBBC, before being subsequently approved after an appeal, though the project never appeared to progress beyond the planning stage. Then, in January 2026, developers Aquinna Homes lodged fresh proposals based on the previously sanctioned application. The scheme was rubber-stamped by RBBC in May 2026 and will see the historic golf club razed to the ground, replaced by ten new homes complete with parking and gardens.
Housing Proposals
The proposals comprise six detached four-bedroom houses, two semi-detached three-bedroom properties and two semi-detached two-bedroom homes. All feature their own heat pumps and parking facilities. The 2026 proposals appear less controversial amongst locals than earlier schemes for the former golf club.
Local Reactions
The application attracted seven objection comments, many of which supported demolishing the now-empty golf club but opposed the character of the housing proposals. One local resident used the planning portal to say: "I don't in principle have any objection to a residential development on this site, it would be an improvement on the current semi-derelict site. However, the development as proposed is completely unsuitable. There are too many properties for this sized plot. I live in on the other side of The Havering Patch which is adjacent to this proposed development. There are no other developments in the immediate area with such a density of housing. A number of the buildings are three level developments which would undoubtably be taller than adjacent houses. Therefore, as a whole, the development as proposed would be completely out of character with the surrounding neighbourhood."
Another local resident pointed out that the 2022 planning application, which was subsequently granted on appeal, proved deeply unpopular with residents at the time, attracting as many as 200 objections. The resident argued that Aquinna Home's application represented an "even more dense, incongruous and cramped over-development" than previous proposals. They also voiced concerns about the noise pollution the heat pumps would generate for the neighbourhood.
Club History
Initially set up as a 9-hole course on Earlswood Common, it was later extended to 18 holes before being redesigned in 1910. In 2013, the club, which had operated under member ownership for 126 years, was sold to private owners. It continued under this arrangement until 2019, when owners declared the club would shut down. The then-chairman Tony Hallett said at the time that it was "no longer financially viable" to maintain the course, suggesting that despite backing from the community and council, "adverse trading conditions" forced them to call it a day.
