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Leatherhead lies just off the M25 at the gateway to the Surrey Hills and is halfway between Heathrow and Gatwick Airports, with a fast and frequent train service to Central London. As such, its strategic location has made it a favoured location for the numerous businesses that occupy the nine Business Parks located on the outskirts of the town that employ upwards of 10,000 people. However, the town itself offers a very wide range of shops and services as will shortly be evidenced in the new Leatherhead Directory, to be published and distributed next month.
In the last year or so, the town has undergone a remarkable transformation, with the closure of some of the old-established shops to be replaced with a large number of new shops and restaurants occupying these and previously empty units. The High Street has undergone a facelift with the opening of Piazza Firenze, a very successful Italian restaurant, Blockbuster Video, Savers Health and Beauty, e-Personnel, Net.Com, Lal Akash Indian restaurant plus the re-located new Post Office and More at the bottom of the High Street. In the Swan Centre, Next has doubled its floor space and extended its range to include children´s clothes whilst Colorama have re-located to larger premises.
Elsewhere in the town, other businesses that have recently opened are Chimes coffee and sandwich bar in North Street, Soulinni´s Delicatessen and Exclusively Surrey Estate Agents in Bridge Street, and Duxiana Beds in Church Street. In the High Street, Dandy Lion Editions Bookshop and Skinners Furniture are due to open shortly and two other shops are under offer. Peter Stait, Leatherhead Town Centre Manager, predicts that in the very near future there will be a shortage of available retail outlets to lease.
In a bid to improve the built environment, for the last two years Mole Valley District Council has run a Shopfront Initiative Scheme, which enables retailers to improve the appearance of their premises with the aid of a substantial grant from the Council, who also foot the design and planning fees. Last year´s winner was S & P Photos in the High Street and an extremely innovative new shopfront design, reflecting their business, was borne and executed. This year´s competition attracted a number of entries, which have now been whittled down to the final two, with the result expected shortly.
Another boost for the town has been the re-opening of The Theatre when the lease was acquired by the Pioneer People. Currently full programmes for cinema, live drama and concerts are running at The Theatre, including well attended matinee performances. The re-opening of the café - now called The Metro - during the day has also proved popular.
Fitting-out work is well underway for the new Canons Health and Fitness Club, incorporating a 20 metre swimming pool, which is due to open its doors to new members in August. Membership details are available from an office at 24 High Street.
The longstanding demand for hotel accommodation by the business community should be met next year when Travelodge opens its doors at the bottom of the High Street. Re-development of this site, formerly occupied by Martins, the Post Office and Cornhill Insurance is underway and will provide a 92 bedroom hotel, due to open next March, 78 flats and additional retail or restaurant space.
From the above it can be seen that the face of Leatherhead has and is undergoing a fairly dramatic change with many new businesses locating in the town.
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