Police headquarters redevelopment at Surrey County Constabulary Police Headquarters Mount Browne, Sandy Lane

“The proposal is for the redevelopment of Mount Browne headquarters including demolition of existing dog school and operational policing buildings and development of replacement dog school with associated staff accommodation, replacement core operational police buildings, ground maintenance compound and refurbishment of core operational building including courtyard wing, old building and sports building.”

“The proposed dog school accommodation building would be set over two storeys with twenty bedrooms for visiting staff. It would be located with the south of the dog school, and measure 20.3m in length and 13.9m in width. The dog school accommodation would be 7.5m in height above the ground floor entrance level.”

“In terms of designations, a large part of the site has been removed from the Green Belt in light of the fact that it has been allocated in the Local Plan. This will be discussed in greater detail later in the report. The remainder of the site, which is outside the allocation, is within the Green Belt. The entire site is within the Surrey Hills National Landscape (SHNL) (formerly Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and Area of Great Landscape Value (AGLV).”

“The campus contains a large number of buildings which have been constructed mainly over the last 70 years since the site has been occupied by Surrey Police. These range from single to three storey structures which house the operational buildings used by staff. There is no longer any residential accommodation on the site. There are also a number of formal and informal car parking areas spread access the campus to accommodate the large vehicle presence on the site.”

“However, the benefits of the scheme are substantial and wide ranging. The scheme would deliver high quality facilities to meet the ongoing operational needs of the Police as well as for staff retention and well-being. The proposal would enable the ongoing operation of a world-renowned dog school. Combined these two benefits would enable easier access to communities to ensure they are kept safe and maintain community confidence in the Policing service.”

“Notwithstanding certain identified conflicts with relevant development plan policies above, overall the proposal accords with the development plan read as a whole. It is considered that other material considerations include harms and benefits resulting from the proposal scheme. Overall, the benefits clearly outweigh the harms, and in particular the benefit of improved police response times.”

“An updated flood risk assessment had been submitted, confirming that the original drainage strategy remained effective and would mitigate the identified risks. The sequential test previously carried out also remained valid, as there were no other reasonably suitable alternative sites for the proposed development. Officers further confirmed that the introduction of the concept of “grey belt” in the revised NPPF did not alter the Green Belt assessment already undertaken.”

“Members sought clarification on whether the higher flood risk posed any practical threat to the development. Officers confirmed that the drainage strategy was sufficient to address the additional risk, and therefore the proposals remained acceptable.”

“The Chair moved the officer recommendation, seconded by Councillor Williams, which was carried.”

“RESOLVED: That; i. Delegated authority be granted to the Assistant Director of Planning to grant permission and make minor amendments to the wording of conditions subject to the applicant entering into a Section 106 Agreement to secure: • Monitoring of onsite Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) • Implementation of the proposed landscaping ii.”