2,000 Homes on Surrey Border Proposed for ‘Grey Belt’ Site

Published on: 24 Jul, 2025
Updated on: 29 Jul, 2025

Aerial view of the Hook Park site outlined in red. Poppymill Ltd

By Emily Dalton

local democracy reporter

Over 2,000 new homes could be built on the Surrey border, to the right of Claygate and Esher, and above Epsom and Ewell.

Plans for 2,003 new homes and a 104-bed care home are in the pipeline at Hook Park in Chessington, to the east of the A3 Esher Bypass and south of the A309 Kingston Bypass. If approved, residents say it could bring at least another 5,000 people into the area.

CGI vision of Hook Park development. Poppymill Ltd

Developers Poppymill Ltd envisions transforming the so-called derelict site into “a new family-friendly neighbourhood that centres around a huge public park and community spaces”.

Around 50 per cent of the new builds could be affordable housing, of mixed tenures and with more than 600 homes for families.

The proposed development site covers approximately 50 hectares of land and includes Chessington Equestrian Centre, “The Dell” building and former scaffolding yards.

But residents pointed out the land has green belt status, preventing the urban sprawl of Chessington into neighbouring Surrey and providing an important green space. While the site is green belt, Poppymill argued the land is “compromised and inaccessible to the public” rendering it “grey-belt”.

Details on the proposal are scarce, but initial planning documents indicated new terrace houses could be between two-four storeys tall, and apartment blocks could range from four-eight storeys high.

No concrete plans have been announced, but Poppymill Ltd. has submitted a screening request which outlines the potential scheme.

The developer has asked the Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames Council for a formal opinion on what information it should supply for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) – this is called “scoping”- ahead of a planning application.

But Elmbridge Borough Council has also been asked for their view on the application, given the massive potential development is close to the authority’s patch.

The prospective plans also hint at community space including room for retail or leisure uses, employment space, a public house, community centre and an active travel hub. Plans also include highway improvements such as a new vehicle access road from the Kingston Bypass and Clayton Road, pedestrian and cycle access and car and bike parking.