Say No to Wetherspoons in St Martins Walk

Dorking needs footfall and shops which will encourage shoppers into the town, not cut price alcohol which will push some of the existing pubs which are already struggling over the financial cliff. This area is one of the most child friendly in the whole town. It's adjacent to the park the library and pedestrianised and the last place we need a huge collection of heavy drinkers.

Dreadful to oust existing businesses for a large soulless drinking place

Completely unsuitable in that position and there are more than enough pubs and eating places in the town already all ready.

For too big for a small town like Dorking. Besides, there are already plenty of pubs in the town already?

A totally unsuitable plan for a small town.

Dorking will be sinking to a new low if this monstrous plan goes through. Why is the town centre management intent on bringing Dorking to its knees? Getting rid of small independent traders and bringing in the low market big boys is killing the town. Turning down Neal's Yard in the old Fire Station in favour of yet another damned corporate pet store was almost the final nail in the coffin. Until this. Whoever is approving this should be forced to sit in stocks outside this Wetherspoons, if it goes ahead, and be pelted with beer dregs and anything else to hand. Really the dumbest idea since the market was closed. And that was pretty dumb.

Firstly, this is the wrong location for a large pub, and will change the nature of the shopping arcade. Secondly, it will place pressure on the existing Dorking pubs/restaurants, and retaining the existing pubs is better for the town than a branch of a large national chain

Not the appropriate sort of establishment for the location

This is a shopping arcade. If wetherspoons replace five shops, there will be no point in going and shopping there. Already some retail space has been lost to the library

This petition sadly highlights the small-minded, discriminatory and blind snobbery of the petitioners. I wonder how many have actually been to a JD Wetherspoon establishment? I wonder how many have actually been out in the late evenings in Dorking town centre and seen what is already commonplace? I wonder how many are young people wanting something for the future? Change is not compulsory, but neither is survival. Dorking needs this investment!

I have no objection to Wetherspoons but one of my main reasons to support them is that the btraditionally take old disused and possibly condemned buildings then revitalise them A pub at the end of St Martins Walk just removes existing businesses and creates nothing

I think this development would be detrimental to Dorking town centre. It will attract daytime drinkers and potential anti social behaviour in an area that families use to walk through to the town.

Dorking is only just sustaining the pubs it has, and may already have more restaurants than can be viable. Wetherspoons is at the bottom of a very long list of what the town actually needs.

This is definitely the wrong place for a Wetherspoons. Pub life in Dorking is favoured because of its numerous small pubs. Teenage clothing stores ie River island etc would be a much better option. There is no shopping focus for the teens in dorking. In fact very little focus on child orientated stores at all! MVDC Think of your good image....Weatherspoons just doesn't fit this, one only has to look at the clientele in weatherspoons in letterhead!!! I rest my case.

Dorking needs to support existing small traders ..it's hard enough for them and franchised pubs to stay solvent ..and completely changing Dorkings character ..use the closed hight st pub premises ....don't close shops ...

It would be awful to throw out 5 existing businesses to make way for a Wetherspoons. With businesses disappearing from our high street at a huge rate of knots, this is the last thing the town needs!

Personally I have no objection to Wetherspoons as a company and Tim Martin has done much to promote real ale of which I am a massive supporter. Dorking has a great selection of good pubs already plus micro pub Cobbetts and my fear is that a Wetherspoons will certainly cause the closure of one or more of these pubs, we have already just lost the Surrey Yeoman. So it has to be a no to Wetherspoons. Does this have anything to do will football and Meadowbank ?

I strongly object to this planning application, on the grounds that not only will 5 businesses be forced to out, but also Dorking does not need another'pub'. The ones already in the town are struggling and several have closed. Wetherspoons would not attract people to visit the town and the affect on the residents living nearby would be adverse. The Council should just say NO.

Strongly against will ruin other pubs in the area and families

Dorking is for independent traders , they wouldn’t allow McDonald’s So why allow a weatherspoons so we end up with more drunks