Thumbs down to Lower Shott supermarket

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 10th Jun 2008

Councillors Anne Howarth and Andrew Freeman with their team at Grove Corner

Only when one of the retailers in Grove Corner, Bookham spoke to Councillor Anne Howarth did she realise that a developer was seeking to build a large supermarket on this site in the heart of her ward. This would inevitably mean the demolition of the row of shops (including that rarity - a fishmongers) and several houses, albeit the suggested development was said to include some "affordable housing".

The local newspaper on May 15 carried the story and stated that the Conservative Executive controlling Mole Valley District Council were close to making a decision as to whether the idea should be taken to the next stage. This could lead to selling of Council land to the developers who had already purchased some private housing on the site.

Anxious to ensure that local people had a say before any further decisions were taken, Anne launched an opinion survey asking the straight question - "Do you consider it to be of benefit to Bookham to build a supermarket on this site?" By Monday May 19 this survey was underway both by door to door activity and with the help of local traders. Anne Howarth said "By mid-June we have received over 1300 replies of which 98.7% are against any such development. There has been a remarkable outpouring expressing deep regard for Bookham, including its unique character and range of specialist shops."

The results of the survey will be passed to the Council Executive