Leatherhead AHEAD - A RECENT HISTORY OF LEATHERHEAD
Please let us know of any other ‘historical event’ we should add to this

Please also view the links on the left of your screen

the 1990s

1994 Another major campaign by the Traders to show SCC and Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) that they need to re-think their strategy for Leatherhead.
TRADERS POINT THE WAY TO THE REVIVAL OF THE TOWN CENTRE
A BUSINESSMAN'S VIEW OF THE SNAGS FACED BY SHOPPERS
BRING BACK SHOPPING TO 'FORTRESS'

1995 Petition by the Leatherhead & District Chamber of Commerce entitled Revitalisation of Leatherhead. People were invited to sign this petition to Surrey County Council to signify their agreement to remove the gyratory system, open up a link between Church Street and North Street, and open up the High Street between 4.30 p.m. and 10.30 a.m. It was signed, among others, by six local councillors.

January 1997 The Civic Trust produced their report which had been commissioned by MVDC as part of the Leatherhead Town Centre Regeneration Strategy and Action Plan. Out of 10 key projects in their Vision of the Future, the first 3 were:

1. ATTACK FORTRESS LEATHERHEAD. Turning Leret Way into a shopfront for Leatherhead Town Centre
2. ATTACK FORTRESS LEATHERHEAD. Developing the Fairfield Site to create a new frontage to Leret Way
3. ATTACK FORTRESS LEATHERHEAD. Introducing new short stay customer parking spaces on Leret Way

Nothing has been done to attack Fortress Leatherhead

September 1997 Leatherhead Town Centre Survey among Local Residents prepared for The Leatherhead and District Chamber of Trade & Commerce, by Parker Tanner (Marketing Research Consultants).

Part of the summary said: In order to encourage people to shop in the Leatherhead Town centre, most residents felt that there should be:

more car parking spaces
lower parking charges
easier access to town centre

The need for easy access and good parking facilities was also highlighted by the fact that 84% of residents normally use their car when travelling from their home to the town centre.

April 1998 SCC/MVDC Leatherhead High Street Information pack Phase 1

1998 Phase I inflicted major disruption on the upper part of the High Street and was originally estimated to cost £500,000.

In the Leatherhead Society Newsletter 75 of January 1999 they say “Many people do not object to traffic per se but they do object to vehicles cluttering up footways. We have now received advice from the Police that vehicles can legally park anywhere in a Pedestrian Zone provided they do not cause ‘unnecessary obstruction’. As has become clear since re-paving was completed, vehicles will indeed park anywhere and everywhere.”

Leatherhead AHEAD agree with this view, and we have asked the Councils many times for the High Street pavements to be properly delineated for pedestrians and for the car spaces to be clearly marked for parking.

December 1998 The Inspector into the Local Plan looked at the proposed Church Street - North Street link road and advised that the link would endanger pedestrians without improving access. The scheme was therefore finally abandoned.
Did he look at other options?

October 1999 Exhibition on Phase II was held in an empty unit in the Swan Centre. It ran for 20 hours (4 days, 5 hours a day) and showed an artist’s impression of a multi-screen cinema, better entrance and access from Leret Way, more shops, and a model of some ramps with a water feature. SCC reported that 56 out of 77 people voted in favour.

please click on thumbails for a readable image

next: 2000/2001

last updated 6 May 2004