Residents react to planned revamp of Surrey towns

Possible changes to Dorking town centre are being consulted on

The public have been giving their opinions on plans to revamp two Surrey communities.

Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) has proposed changes to Great and Little Bookham, and Dorking town centre.

The council said the plans concentrated on improving streets and public spaces, getting more people to walk and cycle, and finding uses for vacant buildings.

Margaret Cooksey, the councillor in charge of the scheme, told BBC Surrey "we really want to know what people want their town to be in the future".

Residents and business owners have spoken to BBC Radio Surrey about the scheme.

"It's a lovely high street, I don't think it needs much development," said one local.

Bruce van der Byl-Knoefel, who runs Chantecleer Antiques in Dorking, agreed and said: "If things aren't broken don't fix them."

However, he also acknowledged that "broadly speaking everyone has been impacted by online commerce" and said it was important to create community spaces that will help bring people back to the high street.

Several people told the BBC they believed changes such as improved traffic control measures, more parking and cycle paths would make a huge difference to the community.

However, some people said they felt MDVC was wasting money and that plans didn't seem coherent.

In response, Ms Cooksey said they were "not using council tax funding at all... not wasting our residents' money in the way that might have been mentioned".

After the public consultation the plans will go back before councillors in early 2025.

Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X. Send your story ideas to [e-mail] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.