One of Surrey's largest parishes
Abinger's civil parish is among the largest in Surrey by area, taking in the dependent settlements of Abinger Hammer, Sutton Abinger, Forest Green and part of Holmbury St Mary as well as the hamlet of Abinger Common itself. More than half the parish sits on the Greensand Ridge, and the whole of it falls within the Surrey Hills National Landscape.
A long history on the ridge
Abinger appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, and archaeological finds in the parish include evidence of a Mesolithic burial and the remains of a Romano-British villa. St James's Church at Abinger Common has an eleventh-century nave, and the nearby Abinger Hatch inn takes its name from the same hamlet.
Council
Mole Valley District Council covers the whole of Abinger parish, a different authority from Waverley Borough Council, which is responsible for Cranleigh itself.
Frequently asked questions
Is Abinger a village or a parish?+
Both, in a sense — Abinger Common is the small hamlet at the centre, while Abinger is also the name of one of Surrey's largest civil parishes, which stretches out to include Abinger Hammer and several other settlements.
Which council covers Abinger?+
Mole Valley District Council covers the whole parish, a different authority from the Waverley Borough Council area that covers Cranleigh.
Nearby areas
Services
Useful local links
- Waverley Borough Council – Do I need planning permission? — The planning authority covering Cranleigh and most of the surrounding villages, including Ewhurst, Alfold, Dunsfold, Bramley and Wonersh.
- Guildford Borough Council – Do I need planning permission? — The planning authority covering Guildford, Shere, Peaslake and Chilworth, a separate borough from Waverley.
- Mole Valley District Council – Do I need Planning Permission? — The planning authority covering Ockley, Walliswood, Okewood Hill and part of Holmbury St Mary, a separate district from Waverley.
- GOV.UK – Planning permission: when you need it — Government guidance on when planning permission is required in England and Wales.
- GOV.UK – Party Wall etc. Act 1996 guidance — Government guidance on notifying neighbours and resolving disputes over shared or boundary walls, relevant to attached garage conversions.
- Planning Portal – Garage conversion — National guidance on when planning permission is needed for a garage conversion in England.
- Planning Portal – Outbuildings — National guidance on permitted development rules for garden buildings and outbuildings, including height and coverage limits.
- Surrey Hills National Landscape — The designated landscape covering many of the villages around Cranleigh, including Ewhurst, Peaslake, Hascombe and Shere.