Anyway, if anyone wishes to view the plan it is available on www.molevalley.gov.uk/idf and suggestions can be emailed to: idf@molevalley.gov.uk
Corner House Girls
Monday, 6 July 2009
Town Centre Action Plan
Just wondered what thoughts (if any) people have on the Town Centre Action Plan? Or did anybody even realise there was a drop in event at the end of last week in St. Martins walk to gather peoples' views? We went along but were very disappointed to see that although this is the beginning of the consultation no action will actually take place until 2011 and this will be the start of a 15 year plan! The action plan looks good but we are really concerned that there is no interim action policy as we feel that work on improving the town centre needs to start NOW!
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I am afraid I was very, very underwhelmed by the gathering of Mole Valley planners inside the former Nightingales unit in St Martin's Walk. We have had many forums, gatherings and groups put together to push the town into the 21st Century and make the town into a success. There have had lots of suggestions from the residents and traders over the years and they have all fallen on deaf ears in the council, town centre management and the Dorking Needs Action group! The overwheming feeling from the people is that the parking charges are far too high, the evening charges needs to be scrapped, the town looks really rundown, there are loads of empty shop units, the landlords are too greedy and the council does not give a damn about the town!! In other words, this meeting that took place late last week will be as useless as all the others. Another question, why did the councillors who have screwed the town over the years (ie. the Conservatives) failed to make an appearance to promote the action plan for the town?? As for the town, the news gets worse day by day, the Hair Design Centre (HDC) has bitten the dust in South Street, Farbers in the High Street is closing shortly and the Quilt Room in West Street lease is up for assignment. Apparently, there is many more shops to close in the very near future. So if the council is serious in saving Dorking from oblivion....it has to act NOW...rather than having more pointless meetings at Pippbrook and with the public and thus wasting more valuable time.
ReplyDeleteNewsworthy Neill
The action plan so called was a total waste of time.
ReplyDeleteCouncellors pretending to understand, planners having to play games for there political masters, what a sham.
How much money had been spend on consultants for those plans for South Street and the little piece of land by Sharpes Bedrooms(Which by the way the council doesn't own)£50000.00 or mybe £100000.00.
Short term,simple projects could be undertaken now to the town centre without massive sums of money being thrown at it
How many councillors have businesses,lets have a full list and see what they actively do in thwe real world of employment?
The question has to be asked "are the 2 political parties playing games with our town and the community as a whole"
I understand that I was lucky to talk to a coucillor(Capel).
2 years madam is to late you can't blame everything on central government.
Ask me if you dare for some low cost ideas to get the Market back on our High Street,try get the officers to make sure our town centre street are cleaned properly.
Get your fellow councillors in County Hall to meet the people they represent.
How about a public meeting in Dorking Halls?
They would probably like a public meeting at Dorking Halls. Think of the revenue from parking if the whole town came for a public meeting?!
ReplyDeleteI did not know this presentation was taking place until Friday evening, I think it can fairly be described as low key.
ReplyDeleteThe proposal for South Street "Gardens" is an expensive pointless exercise, there is an existing garden which is seldom maintained so why spend in the region of £200K on a new garden that can be neglected? Also, where's the research that shows that if this money were spent it would bring one extra shopper into the town? Last week's exercise, hopefully, has come about because (again, hopefully) the penny is starting to drop that a lot of people in Dorking and its surrounding villages are becoming fed-up with the constant pouring of money in the direction of almost anywhere except Dorking.
They need to get real and bring down the cost of parking, get the Friday market out into the High Street to at least add a bit of buzz to the town.
They also need to backpedal a bit on the way A1 planning consents (coffee bars, etc) are handed out - Dorking must have become the coffee centre of Britain.
There is nothing rocket science about these proposals - and they would cost virtually nothing to implement.
Pepin
When is someone going to talk about J.Sainbury's holding the town 2 ransom by keeping St.Martin's Walk rents HIGH so businesses can't afford the outrageous sums they want for short term leases.
ReplyDeleteMVDC prepared plans which we paid for so J.Sainburys could develop the site where they are in the high treet.
MVDC let the public see those plans to show that J.Sainburys are trying every ruse to destroy our town by building an ugly superstore.
When they could have had the same size store in the high street.
SELL ST.MARTIN'S WALK Sainsbury's to someone who is interested in our town.
Yes, there are lots of conspiracy theories on this. I reckon if it's true, it would be better to let Sainsbury's knock down St Martin's Walk and build a massive superstore there with lots of free parking.
ReplyDeleteI'm no genius, but mates of mine from college at Reigate reckon that Morrisons at Reigate keeps the whole town buzzing.
Alex
BTW, the girl I wanted to take to a nice restaurant dumped me before I could go anywhere :(
What is the point of these pointless consultations???? It does not take a genius that Dorking desperately needs something worthwhile to move into the old Woolies. In Sutton, Peacocks the discount clothing retailer opened up, in Epsom it is a 99p store and in Godalming, the old Woolies is in the process of being converted to a M&Co and in Dorking, you guessed there has been precious little interest. Just got back from Reigate and out of the five empty units, three are under offer. In Dorking, there must be at least twenty+ empty units with two or three at the most under offer. It really upsets me to see Dorking falling further behind year after year with a council and town centre management which has not got a clue and any clout to encourage new businesses into the town! It is high time that they got off their arses to promote the town and see why places like Godalming, Farnham and Reigate continue to do well in these uncertain times. Jo
ReplyDeleteEactly Jo, but they have all been patting their own backs in the Dorking Ad saying what a fantastic day Independents Day was. I have yet to find a retailer who agrees...
ReplyDeleteShrewdSonja
Agree with you there Sonja!!
ReplyDeleteI also visited Reigate today and find it very depressing to compare the two towns at the moment.
Corner House Girls
Simon,Dorking as you appeared in todays Advetiser.
ReplyDeleteEX town centre manager.
The Independence day in Dorking last Saturday was CRAP
Its now time to close down the TOWN CENTRE MANAGEMENT
MVDC councillors who said that the day was wonderful should get into the real world of business.
Talking to a number of traders to-day all said it was a total waste of time and a calander should have been looked at before the date was chosen.
ANOTHER SAD DAY 4 DORKING
Some of the advice/comment above is very appropriate specifically that which compares Dorking to surrounding towns because in the end that's the only comparison that matters; because that is what shoppers do in the real world - they ask themselves where am I most likely to enjoy/find beneficial my shopping experience?
ReplyDeleteYesterday (Thursday) I had to visit Banstead High Street which I have never been to before. What a revelation, shops occupied, busy, lots of people shopping, bustle everywhere. Although it's probably not more than ten miles from Dorking you could believe that it's hundreds of miles away from our town that seems to slide deeper and deeper into the mire as every month slides past.
Is it beyond the wit of our councillors to get on a coach and make a little tour round Horsham, Reigate, Cobham, even Redhill (and I never thought I would ever say that) to see how it's done?
Their total inaction and lack of positive thinking baffles me.
Pepin
Is anybody on here involved with DNA (Dorking Needs Action) group which has, apparantly, recently prepared a report and sent its findings to Mole Valley/Surrey councillors?.
ReplyDeleteDavid N
Independent's Day - Saturday July 4 - was a real embarrassment to Dorking. The town on the whole still looked very miserable and highlights the need for a change of town centre manager. Having made it to the Ashtead Village fair a few weeks before that, where there was helicopter rides, farm animals, a plethora of wonderful rides for the kids, community stalls, bands and a wonderful array of food - it really puts Dorking to shame. I am ashamed to say that both the Italian themed day and the Independents Day were laughable and offered very little in the way to keep the kids and the
ReplyDeleteadults amused. Some of the shops made some effort and the Kings Arms looked very well apart from that I will be steering well clear of Dorking when another (non)-event takes place. I visited Reigate at the weekend and the town was buzzing. The town is awash with beautiful flowers in hanging baskets, the town looks well looked after and 95% of the shops are trading. Dorking, on the other hand, has no hanging baskets, litter blows around the town day and night and it looks like a town which is close to the end of its shelf life! Bryan Gould
Hi Bryan, I hope you will send a copy of this to the Dorking Ad. It would be a great contrast to Mr. Hunt's statement that these days are such a success. The councillors, the chamber of commerce and the town center management seem to be living on a different star.
ReplyDeleteShrewdSonja
how can we get people at the paper aware of this blog?
ReplyDeleteIts looks as if someone from the council has found this site and seen the comments and are trying to talk up the problems which they have created.
ReplyDeleteIf they have found it, GOOD as they can now see the views of the public.
Use some of the money that is being wasted by you, MVDC on over expensive councillors who have not one clue about business.
I've paid to have my shop front painted.
How about cleaning the streets correctly, painting the lamp posts, sign posts,railings and putting the road signs straight about the town.
Getting the officers in 30 days to come up real solutions to the traffic light problems at Pump Corner and Vincent Lane instead of trying to cover up the problems which they created with excusses and saying health and safety or some other piece of jargon.
Come and talk to the businesses direct I don't think we will bite your heads off.
Leslie Gilbert
Leslie, you've neatly highlighted the problem -the gulf between you and our councillors. In a nutshell you are an experienced businessman who understands how imporant it is to present an appealing face to the world; this is something that most (not all) of our councillors simply do not understand. Their attitude appears to be: so we've got lots of empty shops, what are we supposed to do about it? The town looks scruffy, it's not our fault. The traffic hold-ups in and around the town are nothing to do with us, it's SCC's fault, etc., etc. I could go on but what's the point.
ReplyDeleteHopefully, if they are reading this blog, they will get the message that there are an awful ot of very unhappy council taxpayers around who are disenchanted with them.
I responded to the Dorking Advertiser's letters page this week about letters that had been written about my original letter to them.
ReplyDeleteI am lead to believe that my letter will not be published this week in the paper as they have had complaints from organisations within the town.
We now have censorship by the Dorking Advertiser.
I will in 24 hours publish the letter that was sent by email to the editor of the Dorking Advertiser on this site.
Leslie Gilbert
I attended the Town Centre Forum and sat on several sub-committee's for almost 9 years.
ReplyDeleteThen MVDC would no longer support it and created a new forum but with a new narrower brief which i felt was not as good as the original.
The last 12 years,I and my fellow director have worked tirelessly managing the christmas lights and 2 years ago we advised MVDC,Town Centre Management and the Chamber of Commerce that we would like to retire, we are still running the lights and no-one has come forward( We will continue at present).
Lets return to my original letter.
I believe that Town Centre Management is not needed in a town the size of Dorking and the monies saved could be used to abolish the first hours parking charge.
PEOPLE OBJECT TO PAYING PUNITIVE PARKING CHARGES and will travel not to pay them.
Looking at MVDC money reserves there was no reason to increase those charges(As they are cash rich).
Councillors should listen to the people and have the courage to admit they were wrong and make the first hour free.
Mole Valley and Surrey County Council councillors should stop their political infighting and move quickly to deal with the major problems which are facing Dorking.
An Action Plan which is going to take 2 to 15 years will be to late by then you will have killed off our Town.
Leslie Gilbert
If, as you suggest Leslie, the Dorking Advertiser is not publishing your letter because external pressure has been brought to bear upon the paper then it is a complete disgrace and the paper should no longer describe itself as a "newspaper."
ReplyDeleteSo much for freedom of speech!
ReplyDeleteAs I have said before Simon Matthews threatened me with legal action if I carried on questioning the work of the towncentre management. So we had better all sit down and shut up...
ShrewdSonja
Well, Leslie's letter is not in the ad today - what is going on?
ReplyDeleteLeslie, as the paper carried letters that were certainly critical of you and your involvement in the town, may I make a suggestion? Formally ask for a right to reply, if this is refused advise the paper that you intend to lodge a complaint with their regulatory body the newspaper complaints people - I can give you their correct name, address and telephone number if you want it.
ReplyDeleteProvided your response is reasoned and does not contain any libel content it is quite wrong for them to deny you the opportunity to respond.
Pepin
Pepin
Talking of libel, this can be the only reason that Simon Matthews would be able to launch legal action against ShrewdSonja. He cannot use legal action against simple criticism.
ReplyDeleteI went to the Box Hill village fair at the weekend and it was glorious. Can we not appoint the lady who organised it to the post of town centre manager. I am sure things would get better. Also Independants day was Rubbish. I felt sorry for the shops that tried so hard and must have spent money on their decorations. Why would an English Market town want to link in with an American 4th July theme anyway. Better to go for St Georges Day like Ashtead.
ReplyDeleteI have always fancied a car free day where the road is shut off for the day so people can walk or bike in the high street freely. Families could amble around the shops with out having to concentrate so deeply on keeping their children out of the road. In saying this I don't mean parents can let their children loose with gay abandon leaving them to carve up grannys' ankles with their tricycle pedals but I hope you get my gist!