The Chipstead Residents Association

The Chipstead Residents Association (CRA) is a non-political voluntary organisation whose aim is to represent the residents of Chipstead by having healthy relationships with policymakers and ensuring we protect our village and its residents.

Acting as a resource for residents to discover the latest news, traffic, village events, major planning applications, local groups, and societies through a monthly newsletter.

Join the CRA

A widening membership of Chipstead residents on the CRA enables us to work together with one voice, and have greater impact on county and borough councils as well as the police and transport authorities for the benefit of the entire village.

We encourage Chipstead residents to join the CRA to support the work we do and contribute to future endeavours. If you would like to become a member, simply add your details using the following link. The membership subscription is a minimum of £10.00 p.a. which is paid via our payment partner, Go Cardless. When you sign up you will receive an email confirming the amount and frequency of the payments by direct debit.

If you need assistance with membership, please contact our General Secretary at secretarychipsteadra@gmail.com

CRA Mailing list

If you do not already, you may wish to receive CRA newsletters; please sign up to the mailing list using the link below. It is our policy to maintain strict confidentiality of email addresses. You do not have to be a paying member of the CRA to receive newsletters.

CRA AGM

The 2025 AGM was held on Tuesday 30th April 2025. The 2024 Chair's report can be read below.

You can read the full minutes of the 2025 AGM by following this link - 2025 CRA AGM Minutes

CHAIR’S REVIEW 2024/25

This year marks a significant milestone for the Chipstead Residents’ Association (CRA) and for our village. After more than two decades of dedicated tireless campaigning by a huge number of individuals, we have finally succeeded in securing the implementation of 20mph speed limits across some of the key roads of Chipstead. This achievement is a direct result of persistence, tenacity, hard work and most of all collaboration between the main stakeholders involved in driving it forward. This will help to make our roads safer, our village more peaceful and shows that with a will even Surrey Highway will acquiesce. I would like to personally express my gratitude to every committee member, resident, and councillor who has contributed their time, energy, and support to this effort, however Amanda Davies and Luke Bennett require special recognition for the effort they both put into making this a reality.

Changes within the Committee

Debbie Radcliffe who served for 3 years as membership secretary has sadly decided to step down from her role. She was instrumental in creating the Welcome postcards that all new residents receive when they move into the village and also in looking after the Electronic Road Stewards WhatsApp group that is now a key communication tool in disseminating information to the village. I would like to thank her for her efforts and commitment over the past 3 years. Debbie will hand over her membership responsibilities to Robin Kennedy who will manage this alongside his existing responsibilities of the newsletter and website.

I would like to thank the joint secretariat of James and Lauren Tarbit who have decided that Chipstead is not quite sunny enough and have moved to Dubai and so have had to step down from this role. My thanks to both of them for their energy, vitality and all the new words that James has taught me.

Shelagh Pope, our wonderful treasurer who has been on the committee for many years has finally hung up her calculator - Our thanks to her for all of her work over the time she has spent on the committee.

I would like to welcome a new face to the committee - Mr Chris Taylor who is going to take up the mantle of Treasurer. He comes with many qualifications and I very much look forward to working alongside him.

With Shelagh laying down her calculator she has very kindly offered to pick up the pen from James and Lauren and take on the role of secretary. This means we are keeping her knowledge, expertise and her extensive network of contacts within the CRA.

Mina George has also recently joined the CRA back in January and is a great addition to the team. He has lived in the village for a significant amount of time and brings a multitude of skills to the committee. More about Mina a little later.

Thankfully Robin Kennedy ( Editor & Membership) Graham Garbis ( Police Liaison) Amanda Davies (Traffic) and Chris Hayman (CVPS) are not going anywhere and are continuing on the committee. Thank you to you all for your diligence, determination and hard work over the past year. Long may it continue.

You may have seen or read that I have decided to step down from the role of Chair of the CRA. After 5 years of being at the helm it is time for someone else to take over. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the CRA - from Zoom meetings through COVID Lockdown, Platinum Jubilee party on the Meads, Village BBQ’s some in the sun and some in the RAIN, AGM’s, planting trees, building benches, fixing benches, Father Christmas in the PA hall and a bonfire party for Chipstead Little Ones to name a few - so much so that I am not leaving the committee but will remain on it for at least 1 year to act as a resource for the new chair and committee members. This is a vibrant, beautiful village with fabulous people that care about it and the many many entities within it. Please do your bit to keep it this way. If we all do a little then much can be achieved. We are still looking for volunteers to join and we have the following portfolios available

Planning
Environment
Events

Please talk to any of the committee about joining.

Key Areas of Activity

Governance and Committee Development

Regular committee meetings have been held throughout the year with strong attendance and engagement from members and also attendance from our local councillors.

Finance

CRA finances remain in a healthy and robust position. Shelagh will give a treasurer's report shortly. January continues to be the peak month for membership renewals, although subscriptions remain active year-round. We are exploring the possibility of switching to a community bank account to avoid fees, a process led by SP with support from committee contacts.

Traffic and Environment

A Historic Success for Chipstead: 20mph Speed Limits This year saw the culmination of over 20 years of relentless campaigning by the CRA for road safety in Chipstead. The introduction of 20mph speed zones across key parts of the village is a major victory for our community. This achievement is the result of tireless effort and partnership with our borough councillors, particularly the outstanding support from Councillor Luke Bennett. The CRA will continue to monitor the effectiveness of these new limits to ensure they are maintained. There may not be sufficient resources with Surrey budgets to police this 20mph limit but I must urge most strongly that EVERY resident of Chipstead adheres to this limit and ensures that rat runners through our village become increasingly fed up with us all and find other routes.

Other Traffic and Environmental Initiatives

Yellow Lines have been installed at the bottom of How lane to help with the very dangerous School run congestion there.

Plans for resurfacing the Meads car park are in progress, with a CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) application underway.

Early work on remodelling a tree stump at the Hazelwood Lane/Outwood Lane junction into a local artwork.

Police and Security

Our area of north Surrey thankfully remains a low crime area, however we border LB Croydon and our rural context does not make us immune to fly tipping, household burglary and electronic car thefts, in particular. Another development to be wary of is the steep rise in 'virtual' crime - scams which are perpetrated by telephone, e-mail, texts and unsolicited doorstep visits. Due to the discovery of aerated concrete at the regional Surrey Police HQ in Reigate, some functions have been transferred to Caterham. This has resulted in the transfer to another area of our local PC Geordie Logan and a restructure of the Neighbourhood Teams, the R&B Safer Neighbourhood Team (North) is now led by Police Sergeant Andy Prowse who is based at Guildford and PC Dan Heather is transferring in April 2025 to cover North Reigate and Banstead; he shall become the CRA's new contact. Last Autumn Graeme Garbis attended an event with presentations by Surrey's Chief Constable and by the Surrey Police and Crime Commissioner, at which the emerging 2025/28 Police and Crime Plan - and its five key priorities - was discussed. With the approved increase in budget for policing from our Council Tax, more visible policing was promised, inter alia and a focus on shoplifting which is plaguing Reigate and Banstead shops. The CRA's Police Liaison function receives Surrey Police's weekly crime reports and has noticed a 'movement' in residential burglary incidents (sheds, garages and house intrusions) and electronic car thefts from the Redhill area to Banstead, Kingswood and more recently, Hooley. We recommend that Chipstead residents visit the 'In The Know - Surrey' website https://www.intheknow.community/ where you can register and select to receive a variety of Surrey Police crime reports which give various notifications, topics of interest and advice including Surrey Police's monthly newsletter, which confirms the different ways for reporting crimes. Alerts relating to Trading Standards, Fraud, Cyber Crime and Doorstep Crime are regularly published which include helpful advice on how to deal with these unfortunate situations should you encounter them. The restructuring of Surrey Police Neighbourhood Teams has resulted in PC Dan Heather becoming CRA’s new point of contact from April 2025.

Local Government Developments

This year, a major focus has been the Government’s plans for reorganising Surrey into new unitary authorities. Councillor Shelly Newton has effectively represented Chipstead in these discussions, ensuring that local voices remain central to decision-making processes. Community Projects and Wins CRA in conjunction with our local councillors have been involved in several key community improvement projects this year, including:

The resurfacing of Chipstead Meads, Holly Lane, and Scout Hut car parks.

The installation of a new British Royal Legion memorial bench at St. Margaret’s Church.

Securing funding for vital repairs at Chipstead Theatre and the Bowls Club.

Ongoing community clean-up initiatives, supported by local volunteers and council teams.

Looking Ahead to 2025–2026

The CRA’s priorities for the coming year include: Recruiting new committee members to ensure strong leadership continuity. Continuing momentum on traffic safety initiatives. Completing environmental improvement projects. Representing Chipstead’s interests as the changes in local government unfold. Strengthening resident communications and community ties. Conclusion This year has demonstrated the power of sustained and continuous community action and joint working. The successful introduction of 20mph speed limits, after two decades of effort, is not only a policy victory but a defining step for Chipstead. It ensures the safety and character of our village is in our hands for future generations.

The CRA remains a committed and proud advocate for Chipstead, and we thank all our residents, volunteers, councillors, and partners for their continued trust and support.

Catherine Tulley – Chair

You can additionally view the minutes from the 2024 AGM here and the 2023 AGM here.

More about the CRA

The CRA is managed by a Committee of up to 15 members who attend monthly meetings. Three ward councillors from the Borough of Reigate and Banstead, and one councillor from the Surrey County Council regularly attend these meetings. The Committee includes a number of professionals from disciplines such as town and country planning, highway planning, financial services, architecture and engineering, who are able to offer expert opinion. The committee is thus well structured to provide an effective voice on behalf of Chipstead when making representations to local authorities, utilities, transport operators, service providers, property developers and other organisations which operate locally.

In order to keep abreast of local developments and opinion, the CRA regularly invites representatives from local organisations such as the Police, local businesses, sports clubs and churches to the monthly meetings. This provides an excellent opportunity for these organisations to present their opinions, hear the views of the committee and agree appropriate action. The CRA also works closely with the Chipstead Village Preservation Society (CVPS), a registered charity, whose distinct yet complementary objectives are:

To protect, preserve and enhance for the benefit of the public generally, and especially for the inhabitants of Chipstead, land and buildings of beauty or historic interest and amenities (including the Peter Aubertin Hall) in, or in the vicinity of, Chipstead, and to promote such protection, preservation and enhancement.

The village is fortunate to have the CVPS which does have substantial funds available for providing vital financial support to many village organisations and valuable funding to preserve village infrastructure, so long as the purposes to which they are put are consistent with the CVPS's charitable status and purposes.

Law and Order

The CRA maintains a close relationship with the Surrey Police force. The Surrey Police regularly exchange security information with the CRA about crime in the neighbourhood, and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) attend some of the monthly CRA meetings. Security information received is disseminated to members via the confidential Emailing system.

The CRA also support the national Neighbourhood Watch scheme, and Neighbourhood Watch officers receive security information from the Surrey Police via Email and bulletins. The Surrey Police also organise regular 'beat panel' meetings in the PA Hall where residents are invited to meet the police and discuss security issues.

Communications

CRA Noticeboard St Margaret's Church magazine

Good communication with Chipstead residents is an important part of village life. To achieve this aim, the CRA and CVPS have jointly developed this website to disseminate topical information and collect local opinion. The CRA has also set up a confidential Emailing system which is used to distribute monthly Newsletters to Chipstead residents. These Newsletters provide current news and information on village events, planning issues, security information, etc. Join the email distribution list for the newsletter here.

St Margaret's Church publishes a monthly magazine which includes many excellent articles of local interest. The 'Voice of Chipstead' is a quarterly magazine with topical articles and information on local businesses. The CVPS has erected notice boards at strategic points around the parish for use by village organisations.

A history of the CRA

The CRA was formed in 1945 as a non-political and non-sectarian organisation, with the following objectives stated in the published Rule Book:

To secure the good and economical government of the district
To support the policy of the Green Belt, and in particular to promote the preservation and development of local rural beauty, including roads and footpaths, open spaces, trees, buildings, etc.
To watch all questions coming before the local authorities and other bodies affecting the district or the residents.
To consider the public services affecting the district or the residents, such as railways, police, education, power, etc, and take such action as may be thought necessary.
To consider the road safety in the district.
To meet from time to time as necessary to consider matters of concern to the Association.
To act generally in the interests of the inhabitants of the district.

The above rules provide the CRA with a unique mandate to represent villagers' views, made possible by virtue of the fact that the overwhelming majority of residents are members of the Association. The CRA is funded entirely by residents' annual subscriptions.

Major developments on adjacent land can have a significant and permanent impact on the quality of life in the village, and one of the most important CRA activities has been a vigorous involvement in all major public enquires directly affecting the village. In this regard, it is essential that the CRA be truly representative of the aspirations of all Chipstead residents, and is in a position to submit evidence to enquiries that cannot be easily dismissed as minority interest. The CRA therefore strongly encourages all Chipstead residents to become members, and perhaps offer time and skills towards the committee's valuable work.