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# Two planning applications for waste facility at Epsom chalkpit site recommended for approval
- URL: https://elmbridgerecord.co.uk/two-planning-applications-for-waste-facility-at-epsom-chalkpit-site-recommended-for-approval/
- Published: 2026-07-30T17:32:49.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-01T15:00:29.000Z
- Author: The Record
- Tags: Minutes

- Surrey's Planning and Regulatory Committee considered two part-retrospective planning applications relating to a waste facility at Land at the Chalkpit, College Road, Epsom.
- The first application (EP26/00471/CMA) sought permission for an alternative surface water drainage system after the previously approved scheme was not installed in accordance with approved details.
- A Section 73 application to resolve the drainage issue was refused in December 2025, making a new full planning application necessary.
- The Lead Local Flood Authority found the proposed drainage scheme acceptable subject to conditions; the Environment Agency raised no objection.
- The second application (EP26/00139/CMA) sought to regularise changes to building configurations, relocate EV charging points, and approve a revised drainage system, among other works; both applications were recommended for approval.

Surrey County Council's Planning and Regulatory Committee was due to consider two planning applications relating to a waste and recycling facility at Land at the Chalkpit, College Road, Epsom, Surrey, at its meeting on Wednesday 22 July 2026.

Both applications concern a site that has been the subject of planning activity since at least 2021, when permission was granted for the change of use of the land from a Waste Transfer Station (WTS) to a Materials Recycling Facility (MRF), along with the construction of new buildings for processing, sorting and transferring waste materials.

The first application (ref: EP26/00471/CMA) sought permission for an alternative surface water drainage system to serve the development previously approved under reference EP21/00223/CMA. Officers recommended that the committee permit the application, subject to conditions.

The background to the drainage application is protracted. The 2023 permission required the submission of further details of an approved drainage system under Condition 4\. It subsequently emerged during the assessment of a later Section 73 application — submitted in December 2023 to vary several conditions — that the drainage scheme had not been installed in accordance with the approved details. Officers further identified that a larger soakaway would be required, and that its partial position outside the application site boundary meant an alternative drainage system could not be addressed within the Section 73 process. A new full planning application was therefore required.

As an acceptable drainage scheme and its long-term maintenance could not be secured through the Section 73 route, that application — EP24/00217/CMA — was refused in December 2025\. The current application (EP26/00471/CMA) represents the fresh submission to resolve the outstanding drainage matter.

The Lead Local Flood Authority confirmed the proposed scheme is acceptable, subject to a condition requiring installation and maintenance in accordance with the drainage design document submitted with the application. The Environment Agency raised no objection.

The second application (ref: EP26/00139/CMA), also part retrospective, was more wide-ranging. It sought approval without compliance with Conditions 1, 4, 5, 6 and 19 of the 2023 permission in order to regularise changes to building configurations, the use of a picking station in Building 1, the relocation of electric vehicle charging points, and a revised surface water drainage system. The application also covered the extension of the site to incorporate a new Waste Transfer Station, and included demolition of an existing building, reinforcement of a retaining wall, new site surfacing and drainage, construction of buildings for bulking and processing of mixed skip waste and skip storage, use of an office, retention of an existing workshop, installation of a weighbridge, retention of entrance gates and fencing, and provision of car parking.

Officers recommended that the committee approve this application, also subject to conditions.

The committee's next meeting is scheduled for 23 September 2026.

Section 73 Application (Town and Country Planning Act 1990) A type of planning application that allows a developer to seek permission to carry out development without complying with conditions attached to an earlier planning permission. It is commonly used to vary or amend existing approved plans rather than submitting an entirely new application, which matters here as it was the route first attempted to resolve the drainage problems at the Chalkpit site.

Part Retrospective Planning Permission Permission granted for development that has already been partially or fully carried out without prior approval. This means the council is being asked to formally approve works that were completed before permission was sought, which is relevant to residents because it can indicate a site has not been developed in full compliance with the rules.

Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) A specialised facility where mixed waste materials are sorted and separated for recycling rather than being sent to landfill. The change of use from a Waste Transfer Station to an MRF at Epsom Chalkpit is central to both planning applications on this agenda.

Waste Transfer Station (WTS) A site where waste is collected, temporarily stored, and consolidated before being transported elsewhere for processing or disposal. The Chalkpit site originally operated as a WTS, and the applications concern its conversion to a different type of waste facility.

Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) The statutory body responsible for managing the risk of flooding from surface water, groundwater, and ordinary watercourses in a local area. In Surrey, this role is held by Surrey County Council, and its sign-off on drainage schemes is a legal requirement before permission can be granted.

Soakaway An underground structure designed to disperse surface water drainage into the surrounding ground. The need for a larger soakaway than originally planned is a key reason the earlier application was refused and a fresh application has been submitted for the Chalkpit site.