Continuum Sport & Leisure will survey Epsom sports clubs this autumn on Hook Road Arena. Options are due in January 2027; residents are not being asked yet.

Epsom and Ewell Borough Council has named the consultancy that will decide what sport could go on Hook Road Arena. Continuum Sport & Leisure will survey the borough’s sports clubs this autumn, through workshops and an online questionnaire.

The council announced the appointment on Friday 2 October. Continuum was appointed through the Sport England framework to carry out the Best Value Feasibility Study. (Council news release, 2 October 2026)

The study is testing whether the council-owned arena could take a community sports hub and housing. We reported in August that the council set aside up to £250,000 for it, and that the land carries a 1975 covenant limiting what can be built. (Our earlier report)

What the council has now said

The council’s new Hook Road Arena sports consultation page answers twelve questions. The main points:

  • the focus is outdoor sport: courts and pitches, possibly an artificial grass pitch, with changing rooms and a pavilion
  • a swimming pool is ruled out
  • the car boot sales, the fireworks and the open green space will be “considered as part of any review”
  • housing is included because it “would provide important funding” for the sports facilities, as well as homes, including affordable homes
  • transport and traffic will be looked at in detail only at later design and planning stages
  • the council aims to agree which options go forward in January 2027
  • the final report goes to the Strategy and Resources Committee before 31 March 2027

On the covenant, the page says it “allows for outdoor sport and recreation and any buildings that support this use”. It does not explain how housing would fit within that. The July committee report said building anything else needs Surrey County Council’s written consent. (Our August report)

Any decision to build would need a business case. It would be made by the new East Surrey Council, which replaces the borough council on 1 April 2027.

Who is being asked

Only sports clubs, at this stage. The council says this round is about the borough’s sporting needs, and that residents will get a formal consultation if a planning application is made.

Clubs will receive the survey from their sport’s national governing body or from Active Surrey. A club that has not had one can email Continuum at lucy@continuumleisure.co.uk, saying which club it represents. The governing body then checks the request before a survey is sent.

Council leader Hannah Dalton said the borough “needs more local sports and leisure provision”. She added that the council also recognises “the need to deliver much-needed housing, including affordable homes”. (Council news release)

What it means for you

If you run or play for a club, this is the moment to be heard. The options agreed in January will shape what any planning application contains. Ask your club secretary whether the survey has arrived.

If you go to the fireworks, this year’s display is unaffected. It is on Saturday 7 November at the arena; see our Epsom fireworks page for times and tickets.

If you live nearby, you have no formal say yet. The council says updates will appear on its website and its Facebook, Instagram and Nextdoor accounts. We will report the January options when they are published.