Leatherhead AHEAD - Parking in Leatherhead - We need parking spaces now 23 Feb 2005

Leatherhead Advertiser 23 Feb 2005

We need parking spaces now
[BULL HOTEL SITE - LAST CHANCE FOR PARKING NEAR THE CENTRE OF LEATHERHEAD]

The Leatherhead Advertiser (edition January 20, 2005) asked readers what they would like to see on the Bull Hotel site.

Colin Langley made a presentation to the Town Centre Forum on behalf of the Parking Working Group. His closing point was that the Bull Hotel site was the last chance to provide parking, particularly short-term, near the centre of Leatherhead.

Parking spaces have been continually eroded in the town over the years, and replacement spaces could be included in the development of the site. The access for this site must be improved, whatever it is to be used for, and it would be an opportunity to change the annoying one-way road system.

Despite the fact that there has been a huge and welcome increase in the office population, there has been a steady reduction in the number of parking places in the town.

Bridge Street. The long-term car park at the bottom of Bridge Street has long gone - it is now offices.

Upper Fairfield Road. Some of the short-term spaces have gone from the Upper Fairfield Road car park and are reserved for the nearby offices.

Behind the Theatre. Longterm and short-term spaces have gone from behind the Theatre where Cannons has been built.

The Station Road car park used to be for long-term parkers, but last year 50 per cent of these spaces (35) changed from long-term to short-term. There is a plan to extend the car park, but when will it actually happen?

The Cornhill car park has gone to make way for the lravelodge and about 80 flats. It used to provide 80-100 long-term spaces.

Swan Centre car park. When the parking bays on levels 1 and 2 were made wider, some parking spaces were lost.

When the Travelodge hotel opened without its own parking, it put added pressure on the already poor parking situation. There could be as many as 80 extra cars needing to use the Swan Centre car park or the other town car parks.

A few free on-street places have been created. They are very welcome but they do not begin to make up for what has been lost and what is needed now.

We understand that consultants hired by Mole Valley District Council will begin a parking survey of the whole of Mole Valley in April this year. We wonder when they will finish.

Leatherhead needs parking and access now.

Leatherhead AHEAD PO Box 240,
Leatherhead Surrey. KT22 8YQ
Phone: 01372 378604
e-mail: leatherheadahead@aol.com