Bookham & Dorking Masterplan
Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts on the Bookham and Dorking Masterplans Consultation. The Consultation has now closed.
We will now review all feedback and will be amending the plans in light of your comments. The final Masterplans will be prepared and presented to Cabinet for consideration early next year.
Subject to approval, the Dorking and Bookham Masterplans will act as project banks to take forward improvements as funding becomes available in the future.
Mole Valley District Council has commissioned a team led by AR Urbanism (ARU) – a specialist urban agency – to undertake two masterplanning studies for:
- Great and Little Bookham
- Dorking Town Centre
The studies are funded by the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund.
The AR Urbanism team, along with Steer (transport), Chilmark Consulting (planning), Next Phase (markets), and Hypha Studios (vacant space reuse), has completed baseline analysis and engaged with stakeholder groups as part of the initial stages of the studies to develop the draft ideas.
For Bookham
The masterplan study focuses on the High Street and village centre, including Lower Shott, as well as key locations in the wider area.
The study scope includes considering ideas for: improving streets and public spaces, encouraging walking and cycling, and redeveloping or enhancing allocated sites.
For Dorking
The masterplan study focuses on the central area of the town.
The study scope includes considering ideas for: improving streets and public spaces, reusing vacant buildings, encouraging walking and cycling, reducing the impact of traffic, improving accessibility for all and better connecting the railway stations.
What Happens Next?
The consultation has now closed. All feedback will be reviewed to prioritise ideas for the next stage. The final masterplans will be prepared and reviewed by Councillors in early 2025.
Subject to approval, a Masterplan for both these areas will define a vision that could be taken forward subject to funding being secured in the future.
FAQs
While Leatherhead is the largest commercial centre in Mole Valley, Transform Leatherhead is already focused on the town’s regeneration and opportunities for improvement.
Dorking and Bookham are also well-established centres, with Dorking being the second-largest commercial hub, and Bookham, along with adjoining Fetcham, home to the largest concentration of residents in the District.
We want to hear from the people who live, work, study, and visit Dorking and Bookham about the ideas we’ve developed, which will inform the final masterplans. Feedback from the consultation will help us understand what people like and dislike about the proposals, allowing us to make any necessary adjustments.
Residents, businesses, and community groups participated in the consultation by:
- Attending one of the drop-in sessions on 24 October
- Viewing the ideas online between 24 October – 5 December
- Filling out an online feedback form. Printed copies for those unable to submit comments online were also available from the locations where the boards were displayed, Pippbrook reception and from CSU on request.
- Consultation boards were displayed at Dorking Library for Dorking plans and St Nicolas Church in Bookham for the first two weeks of the consultation before being moved to the Bookham library.
After the consultation ends on 5 December 2024, all feedback will be reviewed. The draft masterplans will then be refined and prepared for review by MVDC councillors in early 2025. Once approved, the masterplans will as an evidence base which can be used to inform bids for funding and/or inform future corporate strategies.
Yes, stakeholder engagement was conducted in Spring 2024 to gather and explore views on challenges and opportunities related to the two study areas, particularly how they function as centres. We engaged with a range of stakeholders, including Surrey County Council elected members, officers from Surrey County Council and the highways authority, representatives from the Dorking Town Centre Partnership, The Ashcombe School, the Bookham Residents Association, Friends of Bookham Common, St Nicolas Church, and other community groups across Mole Valley.
The preparation of the masterplans is being led and managed on a day-to-day basis by the MVDC’s Planning Policy Team. In addition, each of the masterplans has its own settlement specific Steering Group.
The Steering Group for Bookham includes: MVDC and SCC councillors, and a representative of the Bookham Residents Association.
The Steering Group for Dorking includes: MVDC and SCC Councillors and a representative of the Dorking Town Partnership.
The funding from the UKSPF was awarded on the basis that it would be spent, and progress reported back within a specific timeframe. As such we must complete the Masterplans by the end of March 2025 to avoid having to pay back the funding and achievement of this date is essential.
The masterplans will not have any formal status (i.e. formal planning document) but will be technical studies that can be used by the Council and others to support bids for funding and to inform future corporate strategies.
The schemes and ideas within the masterplans are not formal proposals or planning applications and present a wide range of ideas for potential projects, which could be delivered over several years, subject to funding being available. Implementation of a specific project will require design development, technical studies, public and stakeholder consultation, planning and/or other necessary approvals, and securing funding.
Mole Valley District Council has commissioned a team led by AR Urbanism (ARU). ARU is a specialist urban design and placemaking consultancy. The consultant team also includes Steer providing transport and movement input, Chilmark Consulting providing planning expertise, Next Phase advising on markets, and Hypha Studios advising on reuse of vacant spaces for community and cultural activities.
From 9am Thursday 24 October to 5pm Thursday 5 December 2024.
Comments should principally be submitted online from 24 October to 5 December. Alternatively, you can request a copy by contacting the MVDC’s Planning Policy Team at 01306 885001 or by visiting Mole Valley District Council at Pippbrook, Dorking, Surrey, RH4 1SJ.
The consultation has now closed but should you have any questions, you can contact the Council’s Planning Policy Team:
By Phone: 01306 885001
By email: planning.policy@molevalley.gov.uk
