Banstead news
Banstead news, newest first, from Reigate News: planning, roads, schools, business and what's on in Banstead, with every story linked to its source.
Top story
Christmas Dinner in Reigate 2026: 9 Menus With Prices
Christmas Day from £74.95 at the Beehive to £135 at the Grumpy Mole: nine Reigate, Redhill, Horley and Banstead menus with 2026 prices and deposits.
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Children
Reigate Playgrounds and Parks for Children
Priory Park's pirate ship and zip wire, Lady Neville's inclusive play area, the new Merstham Rec: 15 Reigate playgrounds with postcodes, cafes and toilets.
Food & Drink
Reigate Cafes and Coffee Shops: Where to Go
Canakin makes everything on site, Handley's takes no bookings: 11 cafes in Reigate, Redhill and Banstead with hours and hygiene ratings, checked October 2026.
Walks
Walks Near Reigate: Circular Routes, Parks and Riversides
Six circular walks near Reigate of 3 to 6 miles, with start postcodes, parking and stiles, plus Box Hill, Headley Heath and Earlswood. Checked October 2026.
Food & Drink
Brunch in Reigate: The Best Breakfast and Brunch Spots
Nisou's Full Cypriot is £15, Handley's eggs benedict £10.95: eight brunch spots in Reigate, Redhill and Banstead, with hours and hygiene ratings.
Banstead
Banstead Roadworks: Road Closures and Traffic Orders Near Banstead
Banstead roadworks: Various locations across the Borough of Reigate (notice of 22 Oct) and every other traffic order within 3 km, checked each morning...
Banstead
Banstead Weather: 7-Day Forecast and Today's Hourly Outlook
Banstead weather today: light drizzle, 11°C by day and 8°C overnight, with a 73% chance of rain and winds up to 12 mph.
Council
Reigate & Banstead Grants: Up to £20,000, Apply by 2 Nov
Local charities, clubs and parish councils can bid for £3,000 to £20,000 to improve halls, huts and pavilions. £200,000 is on offer; the deadline is 2 November.
Bonfire Night
Reigate Fireworks 2026: Banstead and Brockham, Sat 7 Nov
Banstead Cricket Club fires at 7.30pm and Brockham at 8.15pm, both Saturday 7 November. Salfords is Friday 6 November; Epsom Downs is also on the 7th.
Planning
Merstham 35 Homes Deferred, Banstead Care Home Approved
Councillors put off a decision on 35 homes off Woodlands Close, Merstham, over access worries, and approved a 64-bed dementia care home in Garratts Lane, Banstead.
Reigate Hill
1,000 Ash Trees to Be Felled on Reigate Hill, Banstead Downs
About 1,000 diseased ash trees will be felled on Reigate Hill, Banstead Downs and three other commons from October, at a cost of £295,000. Expect path closures.
Reigate
Reigate Christmas Lights 2026: Fayre Day Is 28 November
The Reigate Business Guild has dated the 2026 Christmas Fayre: Saturday 28 November from 11:30 in Church Street, with the lights switch-on inside it.
Remembrance
Reigate Remembrance Sunday 2026: 8 November Parade Times
Sunday 8 November: Redhill parades form at 10.30am at Shaw's Corner, Banstead's at 10.15am, Horley's at 10.20am on Albert Road. Road closures and wreaths.
Reigate
Reigate MP asks East Surrey to pause new town councils
Rebecca Paul has asked East Surrey's leader to hold off signing the Orders for the Redhill, Reigate and Banstead councils, over a £15 to £30 Band D precept.
Reigate
Reigate & Banstead house prices down £1,705 to £480,824
The borough average fell 0.4% in the year to July, and Tandridge has overtaken it again. Flats are down 2.7%; the first-time buyer average is £366,453.
Council
Reigate, Redhill and Banstead Get Town Councils in 2027
Three new councils for Reigate, Redhill and Banstead were approved on 14 September. They start on 1 April 2027 and could add £15 to £30 a year to Band D bills.
Schools
Beacon School Banstead Meets Ofsted Standard in 5 Areas
The Beacon School, Banstead, Ofsted report card 2026: expected standard in five of six areas, attendance needs attention, safeguarding met. Full grades.
Food hygiene
Reigate & Banstead food hygiene: all 9 August checks got 5
All nine borough venues inspected in August scored 5, from East Surrey Hospital to Waitrose Horley. It was also the lightest inspection month in 20 months.
Planning
Banstead Betting Shop: Plan for an Education Centre
The former William Hill at 88 High Street would become an education centre under plans lodged this week. Comments close on 24 September, decision by 27 October.
Banstead
Banstead Speed Limits: 1964 and 1965 Orders Set to Go
Surrey would scrap Banstead's 1960s 40mph limits and add 20mph streets there and around Dovers Green in Reigate. Comments close 24 and 25 September.
Reigate
Reigate & Banstead Polling Stations: 2,743 Could Move
Six polling places would change under council proposals, moving 2,743 voters. One Reigate street's walk goes from 5 minutes to 18. Comments close 7 September.
Housing
Reigate House Prices Up 0.4% While Surrey's Fell 1.2%
The average Reigate & Banstead home sold for £480,481 in June. It was one of only five Surrey districts out of 11 where prices rose over the year. Next-door Tandridge fell 5.6%.
Redhill
Reigate & Banstead HMO Article 4: Say by 24 September
Small house shares would need planning permission from 30 July 2027. Licensed 5 to 6 person HMOs here are up 400% since 2019. Comments close 24 September.
Schools
Reigate & Banstead Ofsted 2026: Every School's Grades
Eight borough schools now have Ofsted report cards. All met safeguarding; Oakwood in Horley needs attention in five of six areas. Every grade in one grid.
Jobs
Unemployment benefit claims in Reigate & Banstead hit 2,190 in June, the highest in over a year
2,190 people in Reigate & Banstead were claiming unemployment-related benefits in June 2026, the ONS claimant count shows. That is 2.2% of working-age residents, up 165 on a year earlier and the highest monthly figure in the past 13 months.
Food hygiene
Reigate & Banstead food hygiene ratings, July 2026: 14 top scores, with two restaurants rated 'good'
16 Reigate & Banstead food businesses were rated in July 2026. 14 scored the top mark of 5, from Priory Park's cafe to the Gatwick Cambridge Hotel. Parkside in Reigate and the Firehouse at the Blue Ball in Walton on the Hill each took a 4.
Bins
Reigate Christmas Bin Collections 2026: Dates Due Early Dec
Reigate & Banstead has not yet published its Christmas 2026 bin dates. Last year every collection moved one to three days, with Saturday catch-up rounds.
Schools
Reigate Term Dates 2026/27: Schools Break Up 18 December
Reigate schools break up for Christmas on Friday 18 December and most return Monday 4 January; February half term is 15 to 19 February. All 2026/27 dates by school.
Tip
Reigate Tip Opening Times: Earlswood Open 7 Days, 8am-4pm
Earlswood tip, the Reigate and Banstead recycling centre, opens seven days with no booking. Weekday and weekend hours, Christmas closures and van permits.
Half term
Reigate October Half Term: Two Weeks, 19 to 30 October
Surrey's October half term runs two weeks, 19 to 30 October 2026. Gatton Park, Priory Farm and Redhill Library events, with dates, times and prices.