Superstore Plans

Plans for a superstore have now been scrapped, so this page is for information only.

Although the plans have not yet been formerly submitted to Mole Valley District Council, a lot is known of the developer’s (Thornfield Properties Limited) intentions for the site through their presentations to various groups, MVDC itself and the media.

Sainsbury’s have bought the St Martin’s Walk shopping centre and are currently leasing it to MVDC.

MVDC have signed an agreement with the developers to lease them the land they need on condition the planning application is successful. This is technically an "edge-of-town" development because the site is outside the Dorking Shopping Zone (basically a linear area that runs along the High Street one shop deep on either side).

Repeated requests under the Freedom of Information Act for information relating to the discussions between MVDC and the developers have been turned down on the grounds of "commercial sensitivity".

In outline our best understanding of the plans is as follows:

• Construction of a 25,000 sq. ft. superstore behind the current St Martin’s Walk shopping centre (Sainsbury’s current store in the High Street is around 10,000 sq. ft.).
• Demolition of the existing car park, the Malthouse pub and the flats in Church Gardens.
• In this multi-storey development the entrance to the car park, which would completely surround the superstore, would be off the High Street via Mill Lane
• We understand Thornfield are proposing to level the whole area north of the church down to the level of the Pippbrook (the stream at the edge of the park). According to a Dorking & District Preservation Society newsletter this would involve removing a huge quantity of soil from the site, and would take around two years.
• During the construction period the existing facilities in the area such as the Friday Market, the Farmers’ Market and the present car park would be out of action.
• The development would contain up to 100 flats, some of which may be earmarked as "affordable".

The photograph below shows the area of the proposed superstore with the development site highlighted.