There's been a lot of moaning about Dorking recently, so to reverse this I would like to point out that there is a lot of scaffolding in town at the moment. This must mean that people are repairing and redecorating lots of the properties. This has to be a good sign, surely. I think the kitchen shop re-painted recently, and Astronamia had scaffolding up. There are loads of buildings on West street redecorating, and the Lemon Tree seem to be re-branding with white paint.
Anyone with any positive comments?
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I agree, most businesses in the town appear to take great care to ensure that their premises are maintained to the credit of themselves and the town. It is only those projects and properties that are the responsibility of the Council that are pear-shaped and neglected.
ReplyDeleteShame the same cannot be said for some of the units down in St. Martins Walk, Boots, Edinburgh Woolen Mill etc. These shop units have been woefully neglected for years and are getting worse. I am sorry but I do not share your enthusiasm as more and more shops disappear each month and all that has opened up in the last couple of months is a Carpetright and an Allsorts!!! x
ReplyDeleteThe money spent by Boots supporting Town Centre Management could be better spent on decorating there shop fronts and making there windows more attractive on our high street
ReplyDeleteDear Postive about Dorking
ReplyDeleteare you a councillor? Probably because you cannot see things the way things really are. The Lemon Tree is painted yellow and not white...
ShrewdSonja
Sonja. Hi. No I'm not a councillor I promise. And I wasn't trying to congratulate anyone. I just thought this blog could do with some positives to rally around.
ReplyDeleteAs for the lemon tree, I swear it was being painted white when I walked past but I admit it's now yellow again. Maybe it was undercoat or something.
Anyway I'm glad that they are making the effort and I appreciate that you have gone even further by repairing or maintaining council facilities that aren't your responsibilities. Didn't mean to provoke you. ;)
Hello everyone, especially Sonja who I know a bit.
ReplyDeleteWe have been redecorating this week. If the shop went white at any point it must have been undercoat.
We also will be putting up scaffolding later this week, in order to repaint the upper floors. I wish this was a sign of something positive, but we have to do it under the terms of our lease.
Like everyone else, our sales are well down in Dorking this year, mainly through lack of customers and you have to put this down to the bizarre decision to increase parking charges.
By contrast, our other branch in Reigate is well over 10% up on last year month after month, so I don't think we are doing anything wrong. I think if the council were forced to raise part of their funds by operating a shop in Dorking, parking charges would soon be scrapped. Just a thought...
Jim - The Lemon Tree
Newsflash - more painting news! The old bookshop next to Carphone Warehouse are changing from green to red and it is being painted right now!!!
ReplyDeleteHave we done enough painting news now?
Who cares?
Does that mean that 'Bookends' is no longer on the market and under new ownership? The Martin Brown 'to let' sign has gone from above the shop although it still states it is closing down in the window. Don't think the council would ever scrap the parking charges and will not step down either on the ridiculous evening charges either. Just a quick note to the shopkeepers in Dorking - has the guy who (used) to walk around the town picking up litter still doing the rounds in the town? I haven't seen him for weeks and as I walked around it this afternoon - the high street around Starbucks, by the White Horse etc. had mounds of litter blowing everywhere. Welcome to Dorking courtesy of Mole Valley District Council. Another depressing sight is the Lincoln Arms Hotel by the train station. This pub/hotel looks increasingly rundown and paints (haha) a very gloomy image of Dorking, when you come into the town via the train. Finally does anyone else find the Big Issue lady to be a real nuisance? I often find myself crossing over to the other side of the street just to avoid her.
ReplyDeleteCricketers Chris
I believe that in order to be able to sell the Big Issue you have to agree to be gracious if people decline to buy one. So if she makes you unconfortable, she is risking her permit or whatever they have.
ReplyDeleteWhat surprises me is how often she is there. When does she get her housework done?
I thought the big issue was supposed to be used to help you while you were looking for full time employment.
ReplyDeleteNot 6 months or more so u can drive a 4X4 Toyota
??????????
Yes I get annoyed by the Big Issue woman, I have enough to do to support my own family! I am surprised she is still there. If we all agree to not buy her magazines maybe she will go away! I don't venture past her and I think her patch prevents some people from venturing into St Martins walk. Surely the management of St Martins walk don't agree to her being there?
ReplyDeleteTSK - you can't boycott a Big Issue seller!!
ReplyDeleteAs for St Martin's walk, I think it has bigger problems than her!
I have just read a report of a traffic/pedestrian accident in the High Street at 10.30am yesterday (Saturday). The police state that the High Street was 'packed' with shoppers so that is obviously the time to be there and see Dorking at its best and not a rainy Wednesday afternoon when every town looks grim...
ReplyDeleteSorry wrong
ReplyDeleteRegrettably someone was very seriously injured.
It was packed with 9 police cars and a motor bike and plenty of policemen for over 3 hours, you would have thought that world war three had happened.
That would be about right..
ReplyDeleteBack in March a man was ejected from a pub. THREE police car (6 men?) plus a police van (another man - with dog?)arrived to deal with that.
I hope there was room for the ambulance ....
Seriously, I very much hope this gentleman is recovering. is there any further news of him?
Why should people talk up Dorking.
ReplyDeleteWhen we pay councillors to look after the town and our interests and all they can do is talk nonsense and achieve nothing themselves for the good town.
Neglect is the only word you can use for MVDC and the friends they have in SCC.
Well I have just read in the Surrey Downs Mag a quote from Cllr Hunt that "Dorking's Independents Day was an astounding success.We had a huge rise in visitors..." I would like to know from him how he comes to this conclusion and how he measures the increase in visitors.
ReplyDeleteShrewdSonja
Is MVDC going to decimate Dorking like its done with Leatherhead over the years.
ReplyDeleteReported not long ago in the Dorking Advertiser that MVDC were was looking at the idea of selling Pippbrook Council Office.
Could this be a fact!!
Be a way of getting a supermarket in Dorking by way of planning again as they so often talk about.
Supermarket builds store with new council offices as the planning gain plus some cash in the bank.
This would then enable Sainbury's to release there site right in the centre of town for another retailer to move in to.
If this is the scenario it would move the centre of the town to an area very close to its edge and the traffic could move easily on the to A24/A25.
Pippbrook is the only site left close to the town were this is possible and move the traffic out from.
People should think about this idea and the untold long term damage it would do to Dorking.
It would kill off the High Street and forget South Street all together.
While writing is there any truth that Next wanted to open a store in St.Markin's Walk ??
Just returned from a great day out in my home town of Dorking and environs. Wonderful sunshine which burnt my forehead whilst having lunch in the garden of my host at Abinger before returning to Dorking for a stroll through West Street and High Street in superb weather. Spotted Shrewd and Lemon Tree but did not enter either for a chat as both had what looked like potential customers browsing. Do realise that eastern end of High Street has more empty shops. So pleased to see Woodcocks chemist still there with its red/green vials of liquid in the window and which I remember seeing when passing each day on the way to school over 60! years ago. Woodcocks must be one of the very oldest businesses in the town, along with SC Fuller of South Street. I realise a rainy Wednesday afternoon may seem more depressing but I thought the High Street looked interesting today (Monday). As I approached Wathen Road around 4pm THREE police cars with siren/blue lights went tearing along the high street towards Pump Corner - bank robbery or similar? Does anybody know what had happened? I know that last March they sent 3 cars, 6 policemen plus a van (with dog?) to eject an unwelcome customer from a pub but.... what was it today?
ReplyDeleteDavid N
...and does any one know what is planned for the Mays garage? It's recently been emptied and there is currently a full skip sitting outside..
ReplyDeleteSouthStreetResident
Rumour has it that it will be Majestic Wines. Not really something we need here in Dorking as we have the fantastic shop The Vineyard in South Street. It is a pity that Harley Davidson didnt move up there but apparently the Council screwed that up
ReplyDeleteShrewdSonja
Harley Davidson looks as if its going to be 2 restaurants & flats above and its before the council at the moment.
ReplyDeleteTelephone your councillors and ask the questions.
Do we needs anymore eatings places in Dorking yes or no..
How will you vote in support or against.
Leslie Gilbert
FOOD FOR THOUGHT!
ReplyDeleteJust read a Dorking Ad on-line report about the 52 eating units in Dorking..
It says that Reigate has 170 commercial units of which 125 are retail shops and 29 restaurants/food serving pubs. Dorking has 214 retails shop unitls and 52 eating establishments so presumably, Dorking is a marginally larger town than Reigate although much more food is being eaten in the former. Does this not indicate that quite a few restaurant customers must be visitors? A positive step..
How many empty shops are there in Reigate? Dorking seems to have approximately 25% more retail shops to fill so I think that means for every 4 empty units in Reigate,Dorking should be 'allowed' 5 before it is considered any more run-down than Reigate during the present difficult trading period. And for every 29 Reigate eating establishments, Dorking should have 37 - but it has 52! Or put another way, Reigate should have 41 but has only 29.. Are they going hungry over there or are Dorking restaurants nicer?