The National Trust is compromised at Box Hill

A proposal for a restaurant, a bigger car park and further development at the summit of Box Hill was allowed this week in spite of the felling of 85 trees that will be required.

The National Trust, which owns and manages 1,500 acres of land at the beauty spot, said its development would lead to improved facilities for the 830,000 people who visit Box Hill each year. Councillors at Mole Valley District Council approved the plans on Wednesday 5th August 2009. 

Concerns have been raised, however, at the loss of the trees, the enlarged car park, which will lead to more people driving to the site, and the suitability of a restaurant.

Box Hill is heavily protected by planning regulations, lying within the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is currently served by a visitor centre with a shop, servery, toilets, information point and picnic area.

The existing car park has around 200 spaces, while a smaller one provides room for a further 40 vehicles for disabled visitors and staff. Saying that the car park was heavily used and a grass overspill area was needed in the summer, the National Trust plans to alter it to provide 240 spaces, at the same time improving access and safety for users.

The new layout will lead to the loss of dozens of trees, which has led to criticism from Bookham’s John Dwyer, who opposed the plans. He also said the new car park would mean more people driving to Box Hill. “The National Trust is supposed to be preserving the landscape,” he said. “And I don’t think it’s any part of the National Trust’s function to develop a restaurant at a beauty spot like Box Hill.”

The restaurant at Fort Cottage, near the visitor facilities, will provide seating for 44 people indoors, with an additional outdoor terrace, while a single-storey extension will be built on a store at the site.

In support of its application, a National Trust statement said: “Box Hill is an internationally important site and is of the highest landscape, nature conservation, historic, cultural and recreation value.” It added: “It is important to ensure visitor facilities are of a high standard. At present, the facilities are inadequate and there are a number of operational problems, particularly within the main car park.”

The statement added that the development would lead to better use being made of the site, saying it would have no “significant adverse impacts”. “Any minor impact resulting from the proposed reconfiguration of the car park will be outweighed by the major benefits,” it read.

Posted By Deryck Svensson

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