Community Team

Our Community, Conservation and Planning Group have been busy thinking about how they can best serve and represent Dorking and our surrounding area. Starting with a new name to more fully describe their work “Dorking Society Community Team” they are eager to understand what members want from the team and to hear of anyone who would like to join them. Four areas of focus have been identified to begin with and working groups are starting to form around each:

• Conservation Management Areas – Focusing on ‘Conservation’ rather than ‘Preservation’ and on holding to account the Local Planning Authority to deliver the promises in our Conservation Area Management Plans as well as contributing to the review of planning applications for sites within the Conservation Areas.
• Future Retail Provision – Offering partnership working with organisations such as Dorking Business Improvement District, with a need to understand the balance of priority between residential and retail space (particularly on ground floors), the impact of click and collect style services, the active or passive segmentation of the three main streets (High Street, South Street and West Street) between retail, restaurants, specialists etc and whether certain properties by definition of size or location should be safeguarded for future retailing.
• Infrastructure – Championing major and minor infrastructure improvements for our town and supporting village organisations to do the same including ensuring these projects can access Community Infrastructure Levy and other funding to make them happen
• Brownfield Redevelopment – Identifying opportunities and potentially working with land owners to bring buildings and spaces back into use to meet the residential and mixed residential and employment needs of our community whilst safeguarding green spaces for the generations to come

In addition to these areas, the team would really appreciate some support on communications – capturing the views of Society members, residents and businesses and feeding back ideas that emerge so that they can be certain they are representing real world views and making a difference to the future of our community.

Contact us by mailing ct@dorkingsociety.org.uk