Pie and mash shop in Surrey Hills approved

A decision on the pie and mash shop had previously been deferred over traffic concerns

A pie and mash shop in the Surrey Hills has been given the green light at the second time of asking.

Porsha's Pie and Mash Shop, in the rural Box Hill Road, Tadworth, applied to formally change its use from a former dog grooming parlour after operating as the food outlet since 2023.

Surrey Highways said in January the shop should be refused permission due to concerns over cars reversing on to the main road and the application was deferred to allow the owners to make the necessary changes.

The new plan got rid of on-site parking but Surrey Highways raised concerns that cars would now park in the nearby streets, clogging roads and pavements.

Councillor Paul Potter said the parking and traffic issues were overstated given the general low levels of cars using the road, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

He added: "For a lot of residents in the mobile homes they walk there, they don't drive. There are hundreds of mobile homes up there.

"It's a vital thing for the community."

The application was approved by Mole Valley District councillors on Wednesday.

The site has been used as a pie and mash takeaway with seating area since August 2023.

One speaker told the meeting Porsha's advertised on social media, which they believed would draw in people from outside Box Hill.

She said: "Cars park up on the pavement outside our house which is the only pavement by the pie and mash.

"Indiscriminate parking narrows the road and interferes with the free flow of the traffic and prohibits pedestrians use of the pavement.

"We also have a lot of teenagers who do their Duke of Edinburgh awards and walk along where the cars are parked with two wheels on the pavement.

"It is dangerous."

The plans were ultimately passed with the unanimous backing of the committee.