The annual Horley Carnival took place on Saturday which was a well-received event.

As well as the parade there was live entertainment, community stalls and food and drink outlets.

Carnival Chairman Andrew Baird said, “Everybody’s had a great day, we’ve been very lucky with the weather and received great feedback with people saying they were pleased we’ve moved to a music event and I hope that we’ll decide to carry on with that next year”.

The MET office has issued a red weather warning for extreme heat in parts of South east England for Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th June 2026.

It’s estimated that temperatures could reach as high as thirty-eight degrees Celsius.

East Surrey Hospital has declared a critical incident due to high levels of demand by the heat.

While Southeast Water company are asking residents to conserve water whilst they tackle problems caused by a burst main in Crawley.

At Tandridge District Council’s Planning Policy Committee, councillors confirmed the Article 4 Direction that came into force in February 2026 and was due to expire in July. The Direction will now be made permanent and will continue to apply with immediate effect. It covers Caterham Valley, Caterham on the Hill and Whyteleafe.

The Direction means landlords must obtain planning permission before creating new Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in these areas. Landlords who wish to create a new HMO will need to submit a planning application to the Council and receive approval before proceeding. A six-week consultation showed significant public support for making the Direction permanent.

The Direction has been introduced to help manage the number and distribution of HMOs. In recent years, there has been an increase in HMOs locally. The Council has received a number of complaints through planning enforcement and licensing, alongside growing concerns from residents about the impact on their communities.

Leader of the Council, Councillor Catherine Sayer, said: “The consultation on whether to confirm the Article 4 Direction received overwhelming support from local residents.

It was originally brought in following numerous complaints and consideration of evidence showing a large increase in small HMOs in these areas. There was growing concern locally about the resulting impacts including poor housing quality, parking congestion, pressure on residential amenities, loss of family housing and increased noise and anti-social behaviour.” 

Crawley Borough Council has completed refurbishment of the Loppets Road play area in Tilgate and Ifield Green play area.

These refurbishments form part of the council’s wider playground investment programme, fully funded by developers through Section 106 and Community Infrastructure Levy payments. Each scheme has been designed by contractor Proludic Ltd to create a strong first impression and reflect the local character, with bespoke features tailored to the area. All schemes are anticipated to be completed by the summer holidays.

At Loppets Road play area, the design was inspired by a ‘shapes, space and movement’ theme linking to the nearby daycare nursery, creating a bright, colourful and inclusive space where children of all ages and abilities can play together.

The new play equipment includes toddler and junior multi-play units, a face-to-face springer, a climbing hut, a wheelchair accessible roundabout, combination swings suitable for all ages and abilities, a Ninja trail transitional zone, and a bespoke sensory area.

At Ifield Green play area, the chosen ‘jungle adventure’ theme is brought to life through the Amazonia multi-play unit, a monkey springer, and imaginative play opportunities created by the ‘jungle-gym’ agility course.

The new play equipment includes a bespoke Kanope multi-play unit, a Hip-Hop spinning seesaw, a Ninja trail, a bespoke sensory area featuring play panels designed to provide visual and tactile stimulation, and combination swings suitable for all ages and abilities.

The refurbishments also included the installation of new safer surfacing throughout the play areas, along with improvements to access routes and footpaths to support safer and more inclusive use of the facilities.

Councillor Michael Jones, Leader of Crawley Borough Council, Councillor Chris Mullins, Cabinet member for Leisure and Wellbeing, and local ward councillors Olu Adeniyi (Tilgate), Emma Whiteoak (Tilgate), Julian Charatan (Ifield), Grainne Conway (Ifield) and Beni Yianni (Ifield) visited the Loppets Road and Ifield Green play areas yesterday to mark the reopening. They were joined in Ifield Green by teachers and pupils from Our Lady Queen of Heaven Primary School.

It was fantastic to see the newly refurbished Loppets Road and Ifield Green play areas open for local families. The new equipment at each play area provides inclusive, accessible and imaginative play opportunities for children of all ages and abilities. It demonstrates our ongoing commitment to improving play facilities across Crawley’s neighbourhoods.

Councillor Chris Mullins

Crawley Borough Council

We’re really pleased to be continuing our partnership with Crawley Borough Council as the play area improvement programme progresses. It’s great to see Loppets Road and Ifield Green now complete and already benefiting local families, with each space designed to reflect the character of the local area and the community it serves. As we move towards the final stages, we remain committed to delivering high-quality play environments that will be enjoyed for years to come.

Tim Bird

Senior Area Manager, South East

Proludic Ltd

As part of the delivery of the investment programme, Proludic Ltd has committed to a number of environmental measures across all six sites. These include the use of Nike Grind Safety Surfacing which incorporates recycled Nike Grind material, re-purposing the rubber equivalent of more than 53,000 worn out Nike shoes across the six sites.

Tandridge District Council is inviting residents and businesses to have their say on a proposal to introduce a High Street Rental Auction in part of Caterham Valley town centre.

High Street Rental Auctions are a new government initiative which allows councils to take action where commercial properties that have been left empty for long periods and landlords have not taken steps to rent them out.

The aim is to bring vacant buildings back into use, supporting local businesses, improving the look of Caterham Valley town centre and boosting the local economy.

The proposed area of Caterham Valley town centre includes Station Avenue, the southern end of Croydon Road and the northern end of Godstone Road.

If approved, the proposal would allow the Council to step in and run an auction process to identify a tenant for suitable vacant properties following engagement with landlords and a formal notice period.

The six week consultation closes at 11.59pm on Monday 27 July 2026 and residents and businesses can take part online at www.tandridge.gov.uk/consult.

Councillor Deb Shiner, Chair of the Community Services, said: “Vacant shops can have a real impact on our town centres. This new power could help bring empty buildings back into use, supporting local businesses and making Caterham Valley a more attractive place to live, work and visit. 

We want to hear from residents and businesses before making any decisions, so I encourage people to take part in the consultation and share their views.”