Leatherhead AHEAD - Myths about us
Leatherhead AHEAD has been in existence since February 2002 and was formed by a group of like-minded long-term residents who felt very strongly that the investment proposals for the regeneration of the town by MVDC and SCC did nothing to address the fundamental causes behind Leatherhead’s decline, namely poor access and limited parking. Our criticisms have always been directed at the Councils for their mis-management of the town; we have not criticised the town itself.
Some have stated that Leatherhead AHEAD wanted two-way traffic in the High Street. We have never suggested that (we can remember what it was like), but the High Street could be open to carefully controlled one-way traffic with convenient parking places and well-defined areas for pedestrians.
Our counter-proposals for the town’s regeneration were put to a public meeting held in The Theatre (formerly the Thorndike) in April 2002 and received overwhelming support. The proposals were, in summary:-
To remove the water feature from the Phase II works
To open up the crossroads from Church Street to North Street, allowing traffic back into the town centre in a safe and controlled way
To re-engineer suitable ramp facilities for those using manual wheelchairs
To provide off-street short-term parking as close to the town centre as possible
To provide additional free short term on-street parking in the town
No reference, you will note, to allowing traffic into the High Street although we do support the decision taken by MVDC and SCC to allow restricted one-way traffic into the town after 4.30 p.m. in the evening and before 10 a.m. in the morning. This scheme could be improved still further if the on-street parking areas could be better delineated and the pedestrian-only and traffic-only areas properly defined.
We assure everyone that we will continue to campaign to improve parking in, and access to, this town which we want to see thrive and prosper.
And how about this one? As we wore yellow name badges (as at our AGM) at our public meeting, we were accused of being Lib Dems ... and because the Lib Dems have been supporting our views.
We have always made a point that party politics has no place in local politics, and that we will work with/support any councillor who supports our views.We agreed at our last committee meeting that at the next elections, in June 2004, we would ask each candidate in Leatherhead for their manifesto to see whose objectives were closest to our own.
based on a Press Release 14/4/03: updated 17/4/04 & 6/5/04
GIVE US BACK OUR TOWN !