Mole Valley District Council is inviting residents and other local stakeholders to contribute to how future small-scale development and householder applications could look in the district
A local design code is a short and simple document, providing a guide to prospective applicants seeking planning permission. The documents highlight considerations concerning design - such as respecting the local character specific to the surrounding area - before a planning application is submitted, to give it the best chance of being considered appropriate when an application is evaluated.
Each of the four drafted Mole Valley design codes for Ashtead, Dorking & surrounding areas, Leatherhead and a combined Bookham and Fetcham document, are divided into neighbourhood areas detailing street level design characteristics. Visit molevalley.gov.uk/planconsult for more information and to read the draft design codes in detail.
Residents and stakeholders have the opportunity to comment on one or more of the drafted design codes by emailing Mole Valley District Council (MVDC) on planning.policy@molevalley.gov.uk during the eight-week consultation period, between Monday 12 May and Monday 8 July 2025. MVDC will also be holding public information drop-in sessions in the following locations, dates and times:
Ashtead – The Dell Centre at St Giles & St George’s (Park Lane) (Wed 28 May – 4pm to 8pm)
Bookham – The Old Barn Hall (Church Rd) (Wed 11th June – 4pm to 8pm)
Dorking (Town Centre) – Pippbrook Offices (Committee Rooms 1&2) (Thurs 5 June – 4pm to 8pm)
Dorking (Outer Areas) - Pippbrook Offices (Committee Rooms 1&2) (Tues 17 June – 4pm to 8pm)
Fetcham - Reading Room (Cobham Rd) (Mon 2 June – 4pm to 8pm)
Leatherhead – Letherhead Institute (Mon 9 June – 4pm to 8pm)
Paper versions of the documents will also be available to view at MVDC’s Pippbrook Offices in Dorking, Ashtead Library, Beare Green Village Hall, Bookham Library, Dorking Library and Leatherhead Library.
Councillor Margaret Cooksey, MVDC’s Cabinet Member for Planning, said: “This public consultation is a vital step in the development of these four user-friendly and practical design code documents. The objective of the exercise is to gain invaluable feedback from our residents which will help us to refine the content of these drafts. Once we have reached a position where we are content with the four locally informed drafts, we will look ahead towards adopting the design codes in the autumn so that they may be able to provide practical help to anyone who needs it.”