Surrey Property Search

22^nd March 2024

Finding a property in the Surrey Private Estates

It goes without saying that the private estates of Cobham, Oxshott and the highly exclusive St George’s Hill in Weybridge, Surrey are very desirable addresses.

Originally built in the 1910s and 1920s by Walter George Tarrant, St George’s Hill has long been a Mecca for the stars - with notable former residents including John Lennon, Ringo Star, Elton John and Kate Winslett to name a few.

Most roads in the Surrey Estate have an average house price of over £5,500,000, with many properties selling for in excess of £15m and a handful selling for over £20m, meaning it is one of the most expensive and exclusive places to live in the UK and worldwide.

Property developers and buyers alike are always on the lookout for plots within these private estate roads to develop. The big property developers will pounce on opportunities to knock down smaller dwellings and replace with larger properties to maximise their profit.

While building a new dwelling is possible, and St George’s Hill Residents Association (SGHRA) are supportive of the evolution of the estate, buyers must be aware of the restrictions put in place by SGHRA to prevent over development.

Buyers should be mindful that even if planning permission from Elmbridge Borough Council looks possible, SGHRA has the final say - meaning that if a new dwelling/development doesn’t meet the SGHRA criteria it will not be allowed. Buyers looking to purchase in St George’s Hill should be aware of the SGHRA guidelines and should always seek professional planning advice prior to purchasing land. We list some of the SGHRA restrictions below (but this is by no means an exhaustive list!):

• Houses are usually required to be central in their plot with a similar road-facing appearance to other properties nearby, though there is a great deal of lenience for the appearance of the shielded elevations.
• To ensure Neighbourhood Privacy, all structures should be heavily shielded by the planting of mature trees matching existing species on the Estate.
• Adjustments to driveways on the site must also be approved by the SGHRA and new access points are normally not permitted unless there are exceptional accessibility requirements.
• Two storeys is the standard permitted height of homes in the estate (excluding basements), and any structures – including outbuildings, garages and sheds – must be more than 6 metres from the plot’s boundary.
• The Gross External Floor Area, based upon the external dimensions of the house, must not add up to more than 20% of the Plot Area. Buyers should note that SGHRA has restrictions on plots being divided and guidelines in place outlining that new dwellings can only built on plots of one acre or more and only occupy up to 20% of the total plot.

Over the years, as Property Search Agents who work with buyers looking to find their perfect Surrey home, we have seen numerous plots of land within the Surrey Private Estates come on to the open market via auction or estate agents. Marketing information for the plot can suggest that planning would be considered - and some property brochures even contain mock-up drawings or floorplans for a possible “new dwelling”. Eager buyers might be duped into thinking that this is their chance to building their perfect home on the exclusive St George’s Hill Estate, when in reality it could be one of the most expensive mistakes they have ever made! A little research would reveal that planning would never be permitted as the plot has been recently sub-divided, sits on less than an acre, and is essentially land-locked with no obligation by the SGHRA to grant access via the estate’s roads.

It may be a useful reminder for buyers to remember that property marketing could lure you in to assuming that planning is a shoe-in, when really it is far from it. With planning there is always a risk - our advice is: Make sure that you do your homework, check the restrictions, and remember...if it looks too good to be true...it probably is!

For a confidential chat about your property search, please call Surrey HomeSearch on 01483 905160 or email info@surreyhomesearch.co.uk