Newsletter ~ July 2003
I am pleased to announce that the Cricket Match between the Leatherhead and Dorking Chambers has been resurrected.
Many thanks to those of you who sent reply slips in support of the idea a short while ago.
The aim of the match is to give the two Chambers a chance to get to know each other. The evening will be one of fun and is also a good chance for a bit of networking.
The 8th of September is the date to highlight in your diary. Don’t worry if you do not have whites … grey’s are fine ! … and, of course, ladies are also very welcome to play.
If you’re not a player, then please do come along and support your team, enjoy a drink at the bar … and generally have a good time.
If anyone knows where we may borrow some equipment … bat, pads, stumps and a ball … I would be very pleased to hear from them ~ you can telephone me on: 01372 376358.
A Flyer for the event ~ carrying full details and a booking slip ~ will be despatched to Members soon.
I look forward to seeing you there !
Bruce Andrews ~ President, Leatherhead & District Chamber of Commerce
Leatherhead Town Centre & District
Further to the updated schedule of works carried in the May issue, Tony Casey … Clerk of Works in Surrey County Council’s Local Transportation Service Mole Valley Department … has, once again, very kindly brought us up-to-date with the following information:
“The Leatherhead town centre scheme is substantially complete and open to the public. The metalwork by Richard Quinnell has been uncovered. The cladding to the concrete walls is still to be carried out and some minor remedial works are required. Dates for these will be advised in due course.”
… Peter Stait ~
Leatherhead Town Centre Manager
The revitalisation process gains
national recognition as former critic praises the town …
Dr Jon Rouse, Chief Executive of CABE (Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment), who has been critical of the High Street on radio and television programmes in the past, has now told listeners on a recent BBC Radio 4 Today programme that Leatherhead High Street "had been transformed from a year ago". He also said: "There used to be 27 empty properties down there, now there are just three. There are flowers everywhere, the lighting's improved, the pavement’s improved ... it's a completely different place".
You
might like to know that at a meeting with Dr Rouse, held in the town at the end
of last month, he was able to see for himself all the improvements that had taken
place recently. The improvements were
pointed out in interviews I gave to both the radio and television programmes on
the town at the time, but my comments were edited out as they clearly did not
fit in with the preconceived content of both programmes. Whilst Dr Rouse’s most recent comments are to
be welcomed, they do illustrate the shallowness and indeed danger of
manipulative tabloid reporting. As a
result of the totally unwarranted adverse publicity these programmes generated,
the town nearly lost a letting and the current refurbishment of Boots was put
in jeopardy.
At
the time of these programmes and their frankly risible findings, critics of the
town jumped with joy and loudly publicised them, as if to prove their own
point. Friends of the town indeed ! Now that the ill-founded comments about the
town have been retracted, where does this leave them ?
My
other news …
Welcome to Skinners Furniture, who have re-located to the town from Epsom. They opened their doors for business at the beginning of this month and are to be found at 36/38 High Street, telephone 01372 377732.
Congratulations to Piazza Firenze at
45/47 High Street as they recently celebrated their first anniversary of being
in Leatherhead. This must be one of the
success stories of the town and Ben, Michelle and their staff are to be
congratulated on setting up such an excellent and popular restaurant.
Farewell to Croft and Maitland of 44 High Street, sadly occasioned by the ill-health of the proprietor, Peter Stanley. In the short time they were here, Peter and his wife Christine were great champions of the town and good wishes go with them on their enforced retirement. On the plus side, a lot of interest has been shown in the premises and I do not expect them to remain unoccupied for long.
Parking in Leatherhead & Red House Grounds
Further to the memorandum circulated to all Members by Linda Bromley in May, concerning the MVDC Consultation on the Red House Grounds Development, as well as the Chamber’s ongoing campaign for better car parking provision in Leatherhead, we reproduce below the text of a letter sent to MVDC from the Chamber’s Board of Directors on the 4th of June:
“Dear Sirs,
Re: Red
House Grounds and Bull Hill Depot Consultations
Following a recent meeting of the Leatherhead
& District Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, it was resolved to write
to the Council to express the Board’s views on the proposals for the above.
Clearly one of the main aims of the
Chamber over the last few years has been to address the lack of parking in and
around Leatherhead town centre. We now
feel that there is a unique opportunity to deal with these problems, and
believe that the solutions could be met at the Red House grounds and Bull Hill
depot site.
We have considered the proposals within
the Consultation Sheet and whilst it goes some way in providing additional
parking we believe that much more could be done to alleviate the problem.
It is our considered belief that there is
a need for an additional 500 car spaces in Leatherhead town centre and we feel
that this could be adequately provided for by means of a new multi-storey car
park with suitable landscaping within the area of the Red House grounds,
Randalls Road car park and Bull Hill depot.
The current proposals indicate an
additional 80 spaces. 20 extra spaces at
the Station Road car park and 60 provided in an undercroft car park at the Bull
Hill depot site accessed through Randalls Road.
In addition there is a proposal to provide 30 flats at the depot site
over the car parking.
However, we are of the opinion that the
majority of additional spaces provided by the undercroft car parking will be
taken up by the occupiers of the flats, i.e. a minimum of 30, and it is likely
that the remaining spaces would be used by visitors to the flats. We believe, therefore, that in real terms
there would be limited benefit to the provision of town centre parking with
this proposal.
We note also the suggestion of a
children’s play area to the north side of the Red House grounds. Once again we feel that this proposal is
flawed as the consensus is that it would be inappropriate for this type of
feature in this location, being an “island” site bounded by a railway line to
the west and roads and car parks on the remaining elevations. The Chamber believes that there are more
appropriate sites for a child’s play area within the town, particularly close
to the River Mole which we believe would be a much safer environment.
The Chamber appreciates that in order to
carry out any redevelopment of the car parks at the Red House grounds and Bull
Hill depot sites, that they will need to be funded and we believe that this
could be met by some sort of multi-storey housing within these sites. We are of the opinion, therefore, that a more
comprehensive study needs to be carried out to assess the feasibility of these
proposals.
Clearly the suggested proposals put
forward by the District Council for consultation fall well below the
expectations of the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and, we believe,
those of our members.
We have a unique opportunity to address
the parking problems that have plagued Leatherhead for so long – please do not
waste the one and only opportunity that we may ever have.
We sincerely hope that the Council will
take note of the comments of the Leatherhead Chamber of Commerce and involve
the Chamber in future discussions regarding these sites. The Board would be happy to meet the Council
to offer their views in more detail for this unique opportunity.
Yours faithfully, (Board of Directors, on
behalf of the Leatherhead Chamber”)
We will, of course, keep you informed of all developments ~ and, in the meantime, letters from our Members to MVDC would add weight to the Chamber’s own efforts to make sure that Leatherhead is provided with the car parking facilities it requires.
The Chamber extends a warm welcome to our new Members ~ we hope they enjoy the benefits of Membership, and we look forward to meeting them at future Chamber events.
Cannons Health & Fitness Ltd …
Joined the Chamber during June, and has moved into newly refurbished premises at The Crescent, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 8DY. Jonson Smith, General Manager, is the main contact at Cannons, and you can contact Jonson by telephone: 01372 375220 or Email: jonson.smith@cannons.co.uk and also facsimile: 01372 377350. Cannons’ facilities include swimming pool, large gym, exercise studios, sauna & steam, health & beauty, crèche, licensed bar and lounge. For more information, visit the website at: www.cannons.co.uk.
Nicole Schroeder Ltd …
Also became a Member last month. New to Fetcham, the business is a family/unisex Hair & Beauty Salon, and is located at 248a Cobham Road, Fetcham, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 9JF. For further information, please contact the Directors, Catherine Saunders and Nicole Robinson, by telephoning on 01372 373575.
Net Fix UK Limited …
Became a Member at the beginning of July, and is based at 4 Bryanstone Close, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 9UJ. Net Fix UK provide cost effective, highly skilled and experienced technical support within the IT Industry. For assistance and further information, please get in touch with Mr Angelo Tsela, Managing Director by calling 01483 504700. Alternatively, you can facsimile to the same number or send an Email to: atsela@net-fix.co.uk ~ and you can also visit the website at: www.net-fix.co.uk.
SPECIAL OFFER.. SPECIAL OFFER..
Queen
Elizabeth’s Foundation Charity Race Day
on Wednesday 17th September 2003 at Sandown Park
Racecourse
Following the Leatherhead Charity’s very successful Race Day at Epsom last September, Queen Elizabeth’s Foundation is organising another great day out – at Sandown Park Racecourse on Wednesday 17th September 2003. Proceeds go towards the Foundation’s Development Centre on Oaklawn Road, which helps so many disabled young people to realise their potential. Members of Leatherhead & District Chamber of Commerce benefit from a special price of £79.50 per head (£795 table of ten). This includes: lunch in the superb Gold Cup Suite (3 courses, including half a bottle of wine per head) and afternoon tea. A distinguished speaker appropriate to the event will entertain you and your guests after lunch and there will be an auction of sporting memorabilia and unique attractive lots, as well as a raffle. You and your guests will receive a Complimentary Member’s Badge, Car Park Label, Racecard and a selection of racing papers. Please complete and return the Order Form enclosed with this Newsletter, along with your payment ~ and specifying that you are a Member of Leatherhead & District Chamber of Commerce.
The Chamber Spring Social & Reception
Held in the Shell Room at Fetcham Park House on the evening of 29th May, the event was a great success and much enjoyed by everyone who joined us. Our guests, including Chamber Members, Councillors and representatives of local organisations, were welcomed in a short, informative and humorous speech by Chamber Director, John Howarth. The event provided Members with an opportunity to discuss local issues with Councillors, as well as being an ideal occasion on which to meet and network with fellow Members, all amid the splendid surroundings of Fetcham Park House … and with it being a warm and sunny evening, we were able to spill onto the adjoining terrace and so could also enjoy the House grounds, with its beautiful gardens and splashing fountains. Harringtons Bakery once again provided us with a first-rate buffet which was consumed with relish (barely a crumb remained !) accompanied by a glass or two of wine supplied by Mike Menni of Wing Cleaners. Our grateful thanks to Parallel Business Centres, as always, for their generous sponsorship of the Spring Reception and also to Matthew Duffy, Centre Manager at FPH, and his staff. We very much look forward to seeing you all again ~ along, we hope, with those who were unfortunately not able to join us in May ~ at the Autumn Social & Reception in September.
… that there’s a free networking opportunity for Members at next week’s “Business Card Swap Shop” … being held on Thursday, the 31st of July, at Leatherhead Theatre’s Metro Café in Church Street, Leatherhead, between 5.15 and 7.15 p.m. If you’ve not yet made your booking, please let us know that you’d like to attend by returning the Reply Slip at the bottom of your Flyer … and, if you’ve mislaid your Flyer, full details can be found on the Chamber’s Website ~ just click on the “Newsflash” !
The Chamber maintains a database of its Member’s details … and these particulars:
· enable us to communicate with your nominated “main contact” and “second contact”;
· automatically produce labels for the despatch of Newsletters and Flyers to all designated personnel;
· generate your Business Details in the Membership Directory; *
· allow us to maintain your subscription and certification records;
· form the basis of your entry on the Chamber’s Website, which is regularly updated.
If any of your details have altered since the beginning of this year ~ maybe you’ve changed your Email address or designed a new Website … or you may now offer more services than previously or would like a more informative “business description” … and you may need to add/alter personnel details ~ do let us know … and we’ll be happy to update your database record for you.
* Each time a new Member joins the Chamber, an up-to-date Directory is produced especially for them … existing Members receive new Directories at the beginning of each year upon renewed subscription.
Have your say! How can the Chamber help you and your business? How can we best represent your interests within the local business community? We welcome your feedback.
Please do get in touch before publication
of the SEPTEMBER 2003 NEWSLETTER !
Thank you for your mail shot regarding the above. I have the literature and read it. Comments:
1) At first glance it all looks ok.
2) Question raised, what do the Chamber believe should happen?
3) Does the Chamber share the same views as Action for Leatherhead (?)? If not, what are the differences?
4) Has the council considered the area as a whole or just the area bounded by the nearside pavements of the area? I suggest the answer is just the grounds.
5) I suggest the roads should be included. If so, this opens the opportunity to widen, double width, Station and Randalls Road and Bull Hill thus relieving traffic congestion which will increasingly become a nightmare at peak times.
6) Who wants to cross one of the busiest roads in Leatherhead (Station, Randalls or Bull Hill) to go to a sitting area? There is a superb 'sitting' area behind the library and I would warrant that 80% plus of Leatherhead residents are unaware of it.
7) What mother would be happy for their child to cross a busy road, as 5 above, to go to a play area by itself? From what housing area will the mothers and children come? As in 5 above the Library leisure site would be much better site to have a play area; I suggest.
8) Do we really wish to develop a housing complex right on the side of what is, in effect a large roundabout? The residents will soon be complaining of traffic noise and fumes.
9) And by the way, does the Council really believe they are doing a good job by providing only 80 extra car park spaces?
Nick Hoskins ~ Corporate Office Supplies Ltd.
An
opportunity to publicise your organisation to the
Membership. Two profiles are presented
in each Newsletter. Contributions will
be published in order of receipt ~ so hurry
… and submit your copy in time for publication in the September
Newsletter !
“new look” at englishman’s castle
A new logo and a “New Look” to home interiors store Englishman’s Castle (one of Leatherhead’s oldest and largest retailers !) is nearly complete.
Local businesses were specifically used for the project. The new “minimal” logo design was by Church Street company Salivate. The cool, “frosted” glass signage was expertly carried out by D.M.A Signs … and Boyalls in the Kingston Road supplied the stainless steel door “furniture” (that’s handles to you and me !).
As you are probably aware, Patrick Crips Villiers recently retired after nearly fifty years in the driving seat. Now Linda Bromley (formerly of Chameleon Lifestyle and currently Company Secretary of the Leatherhead Chamber) has bought the company.
The new image is just one of many changes that Linda is overseeing at the moment. The next few weeks see the relaunch of the fabric and interior design side of the business ~ and all three floors are getting a contemporary new look.
If you haven’t checked out the recent changes, maybe now is the time.
However, an official launch event to celebrate the new ownership and “New Look” will be announced shortly … don’t forget … “keep it local” !
Come and visit us at:
9-15 Church Street, Leatherhead, Surrey, KT22 8DN
If you would like further information or advice,
please don’t hesitate to contact us by:
Telephone:
01372 375865 or Facsimile:
01372 362311
or take a look
at our Website: www.engcastle.co.uk
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