Frequently Asked Questions

 

 

"A new cinema will kill the Theatre"

"The Theatre is one of the things that sets Leatherhead apart, everyone wants it to do well, but it does not deliver the kind of entertainment experience young people say they want. The Theatre's business model is of course a matter for the Theatre Trustees but MVDC will provide what support it can within its powers."

"There is nothing for young people to do in Leatherhead"

"The current offer for young people is widely seen as being poor. We spoke to a large number of young people throughout the consultation and the #1 thing they would like is a new cinema. An expanded retail offer is also important to this group."

"What is being done about the High Street? It is slowly dying"

"It is essential to the whole project that the High Street flourishes and offers the improved retail offer everybody wants. Mole Valley does not own any property in the High Street or control the businesses operating there, or control national shopping trends (e.g. internet shopping). The success of the High Street depends on a three way partnership: the businesses operating there providing an attractive offering, the willingness of people (and having sufficient people in the catchment area) to use those businesses and the infrastructure in place to make the High Street accessible and attractive. MVDC's main High Street contribution is towards the latter while working with the business and wider community to support the former. MVDC will provide what support it can within its powers to help the High Street flourish"

"With all these new homes what is being done about the road network?"

"We are commissioning a transport assessment which will look at existing traffic movements and enable us to build a traffic model. This model will be used to assess the impact of more cars on the network and what changes can be made to improve traffic flow."

"There is not enough parking as it is, with all these new homes it will only be worse"

"We commissioned a consumer parking survey in the autumn of 2016 - there is a report of the findings in the downloads section of this website - the data has given us a clear idea of what needs to be done. In summary there needs to be a net increase in parking - particularly long term spaces. The work that we will be doing next year in the Swan Centre car park will improve accessibility and we expect it to be used by more people."

"Putting retail units on Bull Hill will kill off the High Street"

"Mole Valley's purchase of the Swan Centre and the enhancements works we are planning are a clear demonstration that the Swan Centre/ High Street will continue to be the retail core of Leatherhead. Any retail units on Bull Hill will be of a scale that will be designed to attract new retailers to the town which cannot be accommodated in the Swan Centre/ High Street."

"How high will the buildings be on Bull Hill?"

"At this stage we do not know, the artists' impressions on the website are purely indicative of likely 'key features' e.g. new residential and retail units combined with amenity land and play areas. Work is currently being carried out on a new Local Plan and whatever happens on Bull Hill will have to comply with Planning Policy. Alongside the traffic assessment we will be carrying out an infrastructure needs assessment to understand what improvements to the infrastructure will be needed to support the new development on Bull Hill."

"What type of new shops does the town need?"

"We would like to see an expanded retail offer that is a mix of well known high street brands and local independent businesses. There are clear gaps in the current offer such as men's fashion, a shoe shop, a butcher. What we will actually see will depend on retailers perception of Leatherhead as a town that has potential (sufficient catchment area population, an attractive place to do business in) and shoppers then using those shops."

"Flooding is a real concern particularly given the plans for the riverside"

"We are working closely with the Environment Agency on a flood alleviation scheme our objective is to have a plan in place by autumn 2018. In the short term we have access to a temporary flood barrier which will be deployed to protect property between the two bridges if there is a serious flood alert."