Leatherhead: the bold plan to transform a jaded town.

It's February 2022, and Leatherhead residents raise their eyebrows over mid-morning cups of tea reading stories advertising the opening of Beluga Bar in the town centre. The bar, which claimed to provide ‘the ultimate experience in modern dining and socialising,’ was taking over the large space formally occupied by a newsagents that closed during the pandemic.

People scoffed and exchanged messages in group chats, knowing this endeavour was only going to end one way. They were right. Within a week, Beluga Bar hit national news headlines, but it wasn’t for its cosmopolitan and chic evening entertainment. People found its ‘dress code’ on the bar’s website, specifying that women must wear ‘skinny jeans with sexy black ankle strap heels and with a form-fitting top’...ouch. It was also discovered that the Post Office, which shared the building with the prior newsagent, would not be going anywhere, sharing the space. Maybe not the trendy vibe that was hoped for. 10 months later, the bar was put up for sale.

While, of course, the sexist dress code will not have helped the cause of Beluga Bar, it served to underline the attitude of locals towards the town centre: Leatherhead is not a place that is taken seriously as a destination for entertainment.

Many businesses of different kinds suffer the same fate as Beluga, residents are used to places opening and closing as part of their day-to-day lives. Some businneses remain popular, such as the family favourite pizza restaurant Piazza Firenze and the coffee house Charlie & Ginger, but the breadth and quality of the offering in the town centre, most would agree, is not good enough.

Enter Transform Leatherhead - the £350m redevelopment plan brought forward by Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) to ‘develop, expand and transform Leatherhead's town centre'.

I spoke with Mark Castles, 26, who has lived here his whole life, and asked him how often he goes out in Leatherhead...

An interview with lifelong Leatherhead resident Mark Castles the on current state of Leatherhead. Video credit: Alexander Pack.

What are the plans?

Visualisation of the Bull Hill development. Image credit: The Leret Partnership.

In a joint venture with Kier Property called The Leret Partnership, MVDC aims to link the surrounding riverside, railway station, business and residential areas to the town centre - improving accessibility.

It is hoped that an improved retail, hospitality and leisure offering with new housing will boost the prosperity and sustainability of the local economy.

The two key sites are the Swan Centre, the local shopping centre, and Bull Hill, a ring road which surrounds public green space between the train station and the town.

Visualisation of the Bull Hill development. Image credit: The Leret Partnership.

The Proposals

After the most recent public consultation, these are the proposed changes

Bull Hill

450 new homes, with a mix of apartments and townhouses
7,300 sqm of Net Zero office space, bringing 600 new workers
Two acre public park, better preserving Red House Gardens
Multi-storey car park

"Delivering a key strategic ambition of the Mole Valley District Council, through the wider Transform Leatherhead project, to position Leatherhead as the ‘Gateway to the Surrey Hills’.
The Leret Partnership

The Swan Centre

Four new restaurant/cafe units
14 existing units to receive upgrades with new shopfront
New three screen cinema with feature bar and restaurant
New central square for markets and events

"This investment will be a catalyst to improve the quality and variety of offer in both the Swan Centre and Leatherhead High Street, reversing the trend of brands leaving the town and shop closures.
The Leret Partnership

Section where the Bull Hill ring road meets the town centre. Image credit: Alexander Pack.

Many shops, including popular brands like Next, have left over the last few years, but now, there are more vacant lots than ever. Several of the office spaces surrounding the town centre are empty.

Figures from the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDPR) shows a 13% reduction in retail business between 2023 and 2024 in Mole Valley, a district which also includes the nearby town of Dorking.

The rate of high growth businesses in Mole Valley , which is the percentage of businesses with an average growth in employment of greater than 20% per year over a three-year period, was just 2.1% in 2024, a full 2% lower than the next district in Surrey, Spellthorne (4.1%), according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS)

The Leret Partnership says that residents of the proposed development will boost the local economy through their spending, with an estimated £4.0 million annually from expenditure.

They say the improvements to the Swan Centre will create an additional £11.7m of retail spend locally, arguing that the developments will result in fewer locals travelling outside of Moley Valley to spend, such as to surrounding towns like Epsom and Kingston, and that more vistors will be drawn to the town.

The Timeline

How Transform Leatherhead has developed

The high street adjacent to the Swan Centre. Image credit: Alexander Pack.

2015

Launch

MVDC launches Transform Leatherhead, a long-term plan to regenerate the town centre. The project aims to improve public spaces, transport, and the local economy, creating a vibrant and accessible community.

Bull Hill from above. Image credit: The Leret Partnership.

2016

Masterplan Adopted

MVDC adopts the Masterplan, following public consultation in 2015 and 2016, which outlined a comprehensive vision for the regeneration of Leatherhead. The two key projects identified are the redevelopments of the Swan Centre and Bull Hill.

MVDC's joint venture. Image credit: The Leret Partnership.

2021-2023

Procurement Process

MVDC completes the procurement process, The Leret Parternship is formed with the chosen joint venture partner, Kier Group PLC.

The active travel routes on Bull Hill. Image credit: The Leret partnership.

2024

Consultation

Transform Leatherhead faces strong critcism from the community over plans for tall buildings, a loss of green space with Red House Gardens built over, and traffic concerns on the ring-road surrounding Bull Hill.

Housing on Bull Hill. Image credit: The Leret Partnership.

2025

Further Engagement

A further public engagement period was completed in March this year, with feedback taken onboard. The amount of public green space was increased, buildings on Bull Hill were rearranged, and the height of the tallest buildings were reduced. A health hub was agreed to be built.

Evening view of the Swan Centre. Image credit: The Leret Partnership.

2025-2027

Planning & construction

The planning application will be submitted in 2025, with a decision expected in the following year. The aim is for construction to begin in spring 2027.

Leatherhead high street. Image credit: Alexander Pack.

The council have promised a lot to residents - and people feel that upgrades are long overdue.

But there are still those in the community who are not convinced by the plans - feeling that existing issues, such as traffic congestion, will be exacerbated, and that the best interests of the community are not being prioritised. With the introduction of apartments and office buildings up to 12 stories high being built on Bull Hill, they say this is out of character with the town.

I spoke with Caroline Brown, Chair of the Leatherhead Resident's Association, who told me some of her concerns.

The green space of Red House Gardens on Bull Hill - agreed to be preserved after public consultation. Image credit: Alexander Pack.

Caroline acknowledges that Leatherhead is facing signficant challenges, but questions whether the plans have a realistic fix: "The town centre is suffering from the changes that are taking place in the national retail market, caused by the exponential growth in online shopping," she said. "This has been exacerbated by the major nearby retail centres of Guildford, Epsom and Kingston."

She added that Leatherhead is 'no worse' than many other small towns in the UK, and that improvements to the high street could be made without a development of the scale and cost of Transform Leatherhead, such as free parking for shoppers and financial incentives to retailers.

Caroline's main concerns lie with the development of Bull Hill, which she called a 'massive over-development': "In order to meet the cost of the Swan Centre and meet government housing targets, there is too much floor space in buildings far too high. Being surrounded by the town's already over-loaded ring road, traffic congestion will be a serious issue."

On the impact the development will have on the soul of the town, she said: "People come to live in Leatherhead because it is close to London, but it is still a North Surrey country town that is definitely not part of the London conurbation - whereas Epsom, for instance, certainly is. I fear that Transform Leatherhead in its current for will destroy this ambience and hasten Leatherhead's slide into being just another high-rise suburban centre in the every-expanding London metropolis."

"The development will introduce an extra 700-800 residents into the town, which should generate some extra spending power. However, whether a site of 10-12 storey tower-blocks will prove to be an attractive place to live and spend time, I question."

The council were approached for comment.

"If the only objective was to improve Leatherhead, there are many initiatives that could be pursued that would not involve the scale of redevelopment proposed by Transform Leatherhead"
Caroline Brown, Chair of the LRA

The Bull Hill proposals, after the final round of public consultation before being put to the planning comittee in 2025. Image credit: The Leret Partnership.

The Bull Hill proposals, after the final round of public consultation before being put to the planning comittee in 2025. Image credit: The Leret Partnership.

Map showing the two key sites of the Transform Leatherhead project: Bull Hill and the Swan Centre.