New dates announced to help shape Leatherhead’s future

New dates announced to help shape Leatherhead’s future following the success of Swan Centre and Bull Hill consultations. 

Following the success of the first public exhibitions and webinar concerning initial proposals for a new mixed-use development at the Swan Centre and Bull Hill, The Leret Partnership is inviting the residents to upcoming events in Fetcham, Ashtead, and Bookham to continue the feedback process to help shape the plans further.

The Leret Partnership, a joint venture between Kier Property and Mole Valley District Council, held events in Leatherhead over two weeks between 11th and 20th July 2024 to listen to the public’s views on its emerging proposals to develop new high-quality homes alongside a range of new commercial facilities, local shops and green spaces, as part of the wider Transform Leatherhead programme.

In total there were 584 visits to the public exhibitions, with 399 feedback forms completed in person or online to date. There were 46 individual registrations to attend the webinar, with a total of 30 viewers watching live.

Demographic data among responders showed a healthy balance of age groups and genders, and the vast majority of those filling out surveys were local residents of Leatherhead. The information contained within the responses has given The Leret Partnership’s project team an important steer as they adapt the proposals to better reflect the needs and desires of local residents. This feedback will be taken into consideration as the plans continue to evolve, before a further round of pre-application consultation in due course.

The upcoming drop-in events in Fetcham, Ashtead, and Bookham will be taking place between 5:30pm and 7:30pm at the following dates and locations:

These events offer local residents in these villages an opportunity to find out more about the proposals and have their say. The project team wants to hear what these nearby communities think about these initial proposals.

The proposals aim to:

• • • Develop high-quality new housing that is multi-generational and accessible to all.
    • Bring new multi-use buildings and places to Leatherhead, better serving the local community and reinforcing connections across the town through high quality design and redesigned public open space.
    • Enhance the retail offer and increase footfall to Leatherhead town centre, improving the public realm.

The consultation process will close at midnight on Monday 16th September 2024.

Leigh Thomas, Group managing director, Kier Property said:

“We’re proud of our ambitions to revitalise Leatherhead’s town centre, and the events so far have given us much food for thought as we adapt our plans according to the needs of the local community. It was important to us to ensure turnout was as high as possible, and reflected the demographic profile of the community, which was a success on both counts.

“We look forward to further understanding what people want to see from the new developments in the next set of events.”

Cllr Keira Vyvyan-Robinson, Cabinet Member for Property and Projects, Mole Valley District Council, said:

“It’s great to see so many people engaging with our consultation. We’ve been actively seeking views from residents, businesses and key stakeholders who will be directly affected by the development. Additionally, we would like to hear from people in the surrounding areas to understand if our proposals appeal to them and whether they might visit Leatherhead more often or even consider moving here.

“To further involve the wider community, we’ve decided to add three additional sessions to our public engagement on The Leret Partnership consultation. Two of these events are scheduled for September, ensuring that everyone with an interest has an opportunity to find a suitable date.”

For anyone unable to attend the events, the project website theleretpartnership.co.uk has information about the project, including a recording of the webinar, and consultation along with a range of options for submitting feedback.

The deadline for submission of comments to this consultation is 23:59 on Monday 16 September 2024. Any feedback submitted after this date may not be considered.

For more information about this consultation, how to reach the event venues, or for any further questions people can contact the project team directly by calling 0800 915 3598 or send an email to [email protected].

www.transformleatherhead.com