The Leader of Mole Valley District Council, Stephen Cooksey, requested last week (following discussion with Dorking Wanderers FC) that the freehold sale of Meadowbank Stadium be deferred from the Scrutiny Committee meeting agenda on January 24th to enable Mole Valley District Council time for further consultation. As a result, the club would like to update our supporters and followers on the status of this exciting project.
The club fully supports and respects the decision by Council Members to operate with due diligence and process, given that Meadowbank Stadium is a key community facility of significant local interest. Our support also extends to consideration of all other proposals, including those connected with Surrey County FA.
We have been advised that the subject matter will be back on the agenda for the Scrutiny and Cabinet meetings in March, and we are positive that there will be a successful outcome following these meetings.
As way of a reminder, Dorking Wanderers expressed an interest in purchasing the stadium in March 2022, and an offer for the freehold was subsequently made to Mole Valley District Council. If successful with the purchase the club remains committed to ensuring that leases are both honoured and upheld for both Surrey FA and Soft Play. It’s important to note that even if Dorking Wanderers do own the Meadowbank freehold, Surrey FA retain all rights to their existing lease which crucially includes the management of site bookings. On this note, the club looks forward to working closely with Surrey FA to further enhance community use and the success of the site, whilst also ensuring that bookings are more sociable to support the surrounding residents.
Securing the freehold of the stadium would enable Dorking Wanderers to become more sustainable which is crucial to the club’s long-term objectives. Currently, the club pays in excess of £150,000 a year to Surrey FA for its entire operation, with limited means to maximise on income, which is clearly not a viable or sustainable model. The club currently relies on the help of several local businesses, along with a huge amount of volunteers, who work around the clock to raise funds.
Freehold ownership would significantly increase revenue opportunities, including income from the existing site tenants.
In addition to the above, the club is entirely committed to ensuring that Meadowbank remains at the hub of the community, enabling maximum participation from local schools and youth clubs.
The new headquarters for one of Leatherhead’s major employers is nearing completion at Mole Business Park near the railway station.
Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust who are a specialist mental health organisation will return to the site after a major two year long rebuild .
Our crisis helpline offers telephone support to children, young people and their families. It is open all day and night, 365 days per year, and free of charge. Call 0800 915 4644.
Joe Wicks will NOT be leading a spontaneous 5km run on Epsom Downs early on Saturday (28 January 2023) as despite his local roots he had overlooked the safety issues with racehorse training.
The Borough Council has advised him he can use Nonsuch Park instead
🙌🏽 Location change for this weekends 5km run. Unfortunately I can’t do epsom downs now as the horses are in training & it would be unsafe. Instead I’ll be here at Nonsuch park Saturday morning at 10am 😀🏃♂️🏃♂️ Hope you can join me 🏃♂️ pic.twitter.com/WPbjzu0YtR
Hi this is bang in the middle of race horse training time on the Downs. Suggest you check with EEBC, Conservators and Jockey Club. Please please check.
Local independent County and Borough councillor Steven McCormick was among those reminding that events on the Downs cannot be spontaneous because of the clash and safety issues with racehorse training at the time of day proposed.
Councillors on Mole Valley’s all party scrutiny committee have been briefed on possible use of land at Leatherhead for a replacement depot for household waste teams and vehicles, which could be shared with neighbouring Elmbridge, as a partner in the joint waste contract with Amey. MVDC’s Cabinet on 7 February is recommended to agree exploratory work, and will receive feedback from Scrutiny as part of the usual process where the majority party forming the administration take the decision. Elmbridge would be likely to follow a similar process, however for land use / planning consent and any compulsory purchase purposes the entire site is within MVDC’s area about a mile from Elmbridge boundary.
detailed plan of the land to the north of the Randalls Road site access road. It is proposed [to Cabinet] that the project proceed on the following basis:
the area identified with a green boundary (circa 0.8ha) currently owned by FDT is the most credible option for delivery of the project, which together with part of the MVDC ownership (purple) would provide a site of circa 1.4ha with direct access to the northern end of the existing access road
consider the case for making improvements to the junction with Randalls Road into the site to reduce traffic builds up at the current junction and improve turnaround times for the contractors delivering to the waste transfer station and the MRF
consider the case for upgrading the existing access road within the site to improve turnaround times for the contractors delivering to the waste transfer station and the MRF, and reduce traffic conflicts for those using the Community Recycling Centre
“The proposition is to pursue the provision of a joint depot on the private land and adjacent MVDC land at Randalls Road. The land to be acquired only includes the private land and does not include any residential properties. The proposal is to split this work into several stages to provide the Councils with the ability to ‘step-off’ should it wish to do so.”
However the Green Belt nature of the site at Randalls Road Leatherhead is an identified issue, although next to it it is already a County Council Community Recycling Centre and used by the public and commercial users to dispose of and recycle household waste.
The land use appropriateness issue would be considered as part of the planning permission process should the project proceed to that stage. Green Belt in the locality is already used for golf, equestrian, commercial and storage, youth soccer and traveller housing, plus some existing housing including the QEF campus development which was on the footprint of previous buildings. Presumably any increase in vehicle movements would be assessed, the dustcarts already go to the site after making collections
As the majority of Mole Valley households are in the north of the district, the suggestion is the carbon footprint would be lower as vehicles would not need to leave and return to Dorking depot.
The reports sets out that the existing depots at Lower Green Esher and Curtis Road Dorking have their disadvantages and are located where they are for pre 1974 historical local government reasons when Esher and Dorking had their own Councils.
4 Surrey districts and boroughs entered into a Joint Waste Contract several years ago, with encouragement from the county council. The current contractor using both existing depots is Amey.
All of the Leatherhead councillors are involved in the process, either as members of Scrutiny or as Cabinet members, so will no doubt be happy to receive comments, although they would need to avoid prejudging any planning application.
The annual review of local on street parking restrictions has been advertised and will be signed off by SCC officers and the local county councillor after any feedback.
QR codes on posters in the impacted streets can be scanned for details such as that pictured in North Street Leatherhead which may have some extra restrictions – possibly to assist buses to pass more easily.
Another poster can be found near B&Q and also near St John’s. also Highlands Road, Cressall Mead link to pdf maps and details:
Fifith Schedule Electric Vehicle Parking Places Monday – Saturday 8am – 6pm. Limited to 4 hours. Curtis Road, Dorking;
On street enforcement by SCC will be under a new contractor from April 2023.
Surrey County Council have agreed a new seven year parking and traffic enforcement contract with Marston Holdings Ltd. The contract will mean that parking and traffic enforcement will be operated in partnership between the council and Marston, helping to achieve the council’s transport objectives.
Cabinet Member for Highways and Community Resilience, Kevin Deanus said: “The new contract will mean that Surrey County Council can more directly and consistently manage on street parking enforcement across the county, helping to tackle inconsiderate parking and make parking restrictions more effective. In addition the contract will allow the installation of traffic enforcement cameras on Surrey’s roads that can be used to help reduce congestion and improve road safety.
“Through the procurement process, Marstons demonstrated an excellent understanding of our requirements and what is needed to operate a successful and cost effective enforcement service to benefit Surrey residents.”
Pic by Kingston Road resident on Facebook earlier this week . The missing width restriction at the other end has been reported to SCC without acknowledgment or follow up as yet but is all too easily removed. HGVs should always use the Randalls Road route to the business park
Latest from MVDC- no discussion by Scrutiny committee 24 January.
Councillor Stephen Cooksey, Leader of Mole Valley District Council, (MVDC) said: ‘The offer by Dorking Wanderers to buy the freehold of the Meadowbank Stadium continues to be the subject of discussion involving local communities and stakeholders. This week has seen a new range of in-depth questions raised by residents and organisations which require more time to research fully and comprehensively.
Surrey FA has also indicated that it is working to finalise its vision for the future of the stadium which could lead to a new offer to the Council.
Considering the above, it is clear to me, that we need more time to decide next steps for the Meadowbank Stadium.
Mole Valley District Council is determined to ensure the best way forward for community football in the District and consequently, with the support of Dorking Wanderers Football Club (DWFC), I have withdrawn the proposal that was to be considered by Scrutiny Committee tonight to provide time for further consideration prior to our final report being submitted to Scrutiny Committee and Cabinet.’
Scrutiny committee on other MVDC business goes ahead Tuesday evening chaired by Leatherhead South councillor Jo Slater. On a virtual basis.
Update: 24/1/23 – Please note: AgendaItem 10 Meadowbank Stadium has been deferred. A statement from the Leader of the Council can be viewed here.
Please note this meeting will be taking place virtually and will be streamed to the Council’s youtube channel. Please click here to view the meeting.
Statement from the Tanners board on Monday evening (23 January 2023):
Mick Sullivan has decided to step down as Chairman of Leatherhead Football Club Ltd.
The Board would like to place on record its thanks to Mick for the great work he has done on building up our community club, and we are delighted that he is staying on the Board, concentrating on his work as Director of Football Operations.
The Board has appointed David Pope as its new Chairman. David will be known to many supporters having been a supporter for over 30 years, he has previously served on the club committee for over 10 years and is former Chairman of the Tanners Supporters Club.
New listings include a revised application for Polesden Farm (National Trust) in Bookham. Amended description and amended plans and additional details received. Demolition of 4 No. barns. Construction of biomass plant building, park ranger station, farmers building and one x 4 bedroom dwelling. Conversion of tithe barn to one x 5 bedroom dwelling and conversion of former stables/workshop buildings to 3 No. 2 bedroom dwellings. Retention of original farmhouse. Creation of new hard and soft landscaping, car parking, turning and driveway areas.
And a brownfield application, for permission in principle, by NHS Property for 6 new dwellings at Edenside House Bookham
Also progress on agreeing the landscaping and tree planting at the Royal Oak site in north Leatherhead if it is redeveloped under the 2018 permission granted on appeal – this is being dealt with under compliance with conditions:
Leatherhead RA still comment on applications and can be contacted via website. At its most recent meeting October 2022 the Chairman repeated that she still intends to retire sometime next summer. There are definitely three, possibly four, people prepared to carry on. But the following tasks need some fresh eyes and brains: Looking at the Planning Applications each week (they are emailed out), a secretary to receive and send letters. Next meeting may be February 2023.
Development Management Committee – applications to be decided by councillors with recommendations from officers:
Item 6, MO/2022/1602 – 69, Highlands Road, Leatherhead, KT22 8NW Erection of three detached houses with integral garaging following demolition of the existing garage block, relocation of the vehicular access on to Highlands Road. Recommended for approval subject to conditions.
The recommended way to keep informed of any applications that may affect you is to sign up to e-alerts
Only a relatively narrow group of very immediate neighbours are otherwise notified.
For some major applications the applicant will hold pre-application engagement with the community, often on a virtual basis under recent restrictions.
Comments on applications can be made by either attaching a file on the MVDC website or by an email to planning@molevalley.gov.uk giving your name, address/postcode and the application reference eg MO/2022/xxxx
Comments on social media, facebook etc are not valid and unlikely to be read by the Council or applicant, and hold no value in the process at all.
It is best to comment on issues that are ‘planning considerations’ eg. design, layout, height, density, scale of development, loss of amenity, privacy, trees etc. For larger scale applications issues around drainage, parking, EV charging, proportion of ‘affordable’ housing, cycle facilities, infrastructure contributions are the kind of comments likely to be given some weight in the decision.
Many applications are now ‘permitted development’ eg office and shop conversions to residential and will not normally be refused unless there are flaws or restrictions. The Government is increasingly deregulating aspects of the system to make it easier for housing to be created to meet its targets. Extra floors on buildings are increasingly easy to add. There are no rules on the number of types of business in a town centre, the street can be full of cafes or hairdressers if the landlords and business operators agree.
Currently MVDC is assessing new applications against its Local Plan 2000 and Core Strategy a few years later. But it is required to update this plan as outlined above and this may be adopted with Government approval by 2023. The draft Local Plan includes major brownfield redevelopment sites in Leatherhead town centre in MVDC ownership eg. Swan Centre, Bull Hill, Claire & James House which are subject to commercial arrangements between MVDC and development partners currently being concluded. MVDC is also required by Government to have a 5 year supply of approved applications for new housing. So applications can be difficult to refuse if they otherwise tick the boxes the Government has set.
Local councillors are available to be contacted if you have concerns about a planning application. Two of the Leatherhead councillors sit on the Development Management Committee which considers some of the more significant applications, and those that have significant objections. They can also consider bringing an application to the committee which would otherwise be decided by the expert planning officers.
The councillors on the committee have to keep an open mind on an application until the committee has considered it. They must avoid being predetermined. But they can listen to views to help them make a decision.
Those councillors who are not on the committee can ask to speak at it and generally can take a more active view against or for an application at an earlier stage.
Councillors work on planning tends to be less political than other activities and they do not vote on party lines in the same way as other business, usually. It is not the case that the party forming the administration (currently Lib Dem) or the professional planning officers support the applications being listed, or promote them. They have to consider what landowners and developers put forward. In much the same way it is not straightforward for the council to make landowners use their land for new development if they don’t want to.
New build major projects Leatherhead under construction:
Demolition commenced this week at Kingston House Gardens, Leatherhead. The scheme for Clarion Housing Association comprises the removal of the existing buildings & construction of 20 new houses & 16 flats, providing affordable housing for the local area @Clarion_Group#Demolitionpic.twitter.com/HRBRfZ3cop
— Sunninghill Construction Co. Limited (@SunninghillCCL) January 20, 2023
We were delighted that our plans to build an affordable housing scheme in Leatherhead, Surrey, were unanimously approved last week. We'll deliver 36 new homes to help meet the local housing need. https://t.co/l1MthgMy4k
— Clarion Housing Group (@Clarion_Group) March 7, 2022
Plans approved between 2018 outline / 2022 final details due to be built out 2023Upper Fairfield- Clarion site Randalls Way 214 homes already being built out for rent by Watkin Jones on a brownfield site. Since this was taken the building is taking shape
This headline is inaccurate and misleading. We welcome scrutiny of our force and our service to the public, but data must be understood and reported with context.
One of the questions posed in the article is – what is going on in Surrey Police? This thread helps to answer that question with facts and clear explanation. We welcome all feedback on our service to help us improve. https://t.co/XsiBg3D7Xk
Recent reporting states that Surrey Police has more misconduct complaints than officers in the force. This is completely inaccurate.
Crucial context has been provided to the media but has not been reflected in coverage. Policing is rightly under significant scrutiny, but inaccurate reporting can and will cause additional community concern. Therefore, we want to clarify some facts.
The Home Office figures quoted by some outlets are for overall public complaints to the force. These capture dissatisfaction with the service provided by police. The figures do not reflect misconduct investigations. This is a really important distinction to make.
When reviewing any public complaint an assessment of whether the conduct of the officer breached the standards of professional behaviour is carried out. In only 10 out of 2,494 public complaints recorded by the force did the case meet the threshold for a misconduct investigation.
Misconduct refers to actions by an officer which breach the standards of professional behaviour set for policing, and warrants anything from a written warning to dismissal. This is dealt with through a very specific and nationally set process.
Almost three quarters of public complaints to us fell under a wide-ranging definition of “service delivery”. This includes anything from a delay in responding to a member of the public or a lack of update on a case to slow response times or dissatisfaction with a case outcome. Of these complaints, it was deemed that in more than a third the level of service provided to the public was acceptable. A further 45% have been resolved to a level deemed satisfactory by the complainant.
Some articles have misleadingly conflated several issues and used national figures which inadvertently suggest the national picture is the reality in Surrey. These figures state almost half the British public have little or no faith in the police’s ability to tackle crime. In fact, Surrey has the fourth highest public confidence levels in the country and has maintained these through some of the most challenging periods over the past three years.
Our public have high confidence in us, so rightly hold us to a high standard. Recent changes to legislation and routes of reporting have had the expected impact of increasing the number of complaints made to us. We welcome the broadening of the complaint definition which is allowing our public to hold us further to account.
We are not naïve to the serious and warranted concern about policing’s culture and effectiveness. But it is more important than ever that the facts are clear and we will continue to challenge when they aren’t.
We know there are crucial questions being asked about how all forces ensure horrific and appalling criminality such as that carried out by former PC Carrick is never able to happen again. It is critical we counteract the ability of officers to abuse their position of power. We continue to root out those not fit to serve and make our force a hostile place for anyone who compromises our integrity.
We support and continue to engage with the scrutiny and spotlight on our force and we welcome the additional measures announced by the Government this week.
In only 10 out of 2,494 public complaints made to us did the officer’s actions reach the threshold for a misconduct investigation to be launched.
The reporting today is misleading and tells a very different story. Our full response is here: https://t.co/a0FhaQ4ISM
Update on the long-standing plans to make alterations to parts of the riverside in Leatherhead to form a riverside park, with more public and stakeholder engagement by landscape architects today (19 January 2023)
“Today we are holding a workshop for key stakeholders, to gather information on the riverside area in #Leatherhead. Their knowledge will feed into early-stage design concepts, which will be presented at a public consultation later in the year. “
Tweet from MVDC Transform Leatherhead project team
Local groups concerned with the riverside are also set to receive grants from Government funds allocated by MVDC as our earlier article described this week:
Today we are holding a workshop for key stakeholders, to gather information on the riverside area in #Leatherhead. Their knowledge will feed into early-stage design concepts, which will be presented at a public consultation later in the year.#TransformLeatherhead#Riversidepic.twitter.com/2ik94OjaWq
Media release by MVDC 21 October 2022 with some additional points clarified below.
Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) and award-winning landscape architects Allen Scott Ltd have begun work on plans for the Riverside Park, a key project of the Transform Leatherhead regeneration programme.
The first stage of the development process focusses on feasibility and involves a number of ground surveys (topographical and arboricultural surveys, plus an ecological assessment) that have been commissioned to take place around the riverside site.
MVDC and Allen Scott are currently finalising the engagement strategy that will outline opportunities for stakeholders to participate in consultation activities.
The consultation process will begin shortly with a range of community groups, organisations and businesses, before opening up to a wider public consultation in early 2023.
Councillor Keira Vyvyan-Robinson, MVDC Cabinet Member for Projects, said: “We are really excited to begin work on this project with Allen Scott. We look forward to hearing the views of local residents, organisations and businesses, and working together to create a park that showcases our beautiful riverside setting.”
Marc Tomes, Director of Allen Scott, further said: “We are delighted to be involved in this exciting project for Leatherhead. The project presents fantastic opportunities to re-imagine and transform this part of the river and its setting, making it better connected to the town and to the community.”
To keep up to date with consultation activities, please follow Transform Leatherhead on Facebook and Twitter.
“In terms of the project brief, the blue-edged area is in scope. Clearly there are other areas MVDC own which could be incorporated over and above (like Mansion Gardens and further towards Thorncroft) but this is the area of focus at this stage. “
…The islands near the [existing road] bridge are owned by MVDC – and we are liaising with one of the private owners in relation to the technical including ecological and arboricultural surveys that are being undertaken. The proposed [pedestrian] bridge is included in the brief for the consultants – whether or not it is deliverable will be assessed as part of the project – technically and financially (both in terms of capital cost and ongoing maintenance requirements) and with the input of a civil/structural engineering consultancy. The site is a Local Nature Reserve, contains a Site of Nature Conservation Importance and is located in a flood zone 1, 2 and 3 – there are no plans for an artificial pitch and the brief links to our other council strategies including our Climate Change Strategy and associated action plans… “
Comment : These ideas are not new – first mooted at least in the overall masterplan 2016 and subsequently by former Cllr Simon Edge in the previous MVDC administration prior to Cllr Vyvyan-Robinson becoming the responsible councillor. Very little of the 2016 masterplan proposals have changed over time. However there are a number of newer councillors less familiar with the history of the project and others who may even have forgotten what was first envisaged. We are assured that local groups including FoRML, LDCPS, LRA, LCA and others are on the stakeholders list. We have also suggested Cobham Heritage Trust as they undertook a similar project on the Mole several years ago.
Leatherhead Living 