A church in the woods
St John the Baptist's Church at Okewood sits alone among trees away from any real cluster of houses, its parish originally drawn from parts of the neighbouring Abinger, Wotton and Ockley parishes when it was formally constituted in the nineteenth century.
One of the WOOF villages
Along with Walliswood, Ockley and Forest Green, Okewood Hill is one of the small, closely linked settlements near the Sussex border sometimes grouped together locally under the acronym WOOF.
Council
Planning matters at Okewood Hill are handled by Mole Valley District Council rather than Waverley, in keeping with its neighbours Walliswood and Ockley.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a village centre at Okewood Hill?+
Not in the usual sense. The main landmark is the isolated woodland church of St John the Baptist rather than a green or high street.
Which council covers Okewood Hill?+
Planning and building control here fall to Mole Valley District Council.
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.