A town built around Pump Corner
The town's three principal streets still converge at Pump Corner in the Y-shape laid down in medieval times, though most of the buildings lining them today went up during the Victorian and Edwardian expansion that followed the railway reaching Dorking in 1849. Later building, including the Goodwyns estate, filled in much of the town through the rest of the twentieth century.
Greensand soils and the Dorking chicken
Dorking sits on light, well-drained Lower Greensand, ground that once suited poultry-rearing well enough to give its name to the distinctive five-toed Dorking chicken breed, and lime quarrying was a significant local trade into the early twentieth century. The Surrey Hills National Landscape wraps around three sides of the town, taking in Box Hill and Leith Hill within easy reach.
A different council from Cranleigh
Dorking falls within Mole Valley District Council rather than the Waverley Borough Council area that covers Cranleigh, and the town centre carries its own conservation area designation. A garage conversion inside that conservation area, or on a listed building, tends to draw closer attention from planning officers than an equivalent job on an ordinary suburban street.
Frequently asked questions
Is Dorking under the same council as Cranleigh?+
No. Dorking is covered by Mole Valley District Council, a different authority from the Waverley Borough Council area that covers Cranleigh.
Why does Dorking have a chicken breed named after it?+
The five-toed Dorking chicken is linked to the town through the poultry-rearing that once suited the area's light, well-drained Lower Greensand soils.
Nearby areas
Services
Useful local links
- Waverley Borough Council – Do I need planning permission? — The planning authority covering Cranleigh and most of the surrounding villages, including Ewhurst, Alfold, Dunsfold, Bramley and Wonersh.
- Guildford Borough Council – Do I need planning permission? — The planning authority covering Guildford, Shere, Peaslake and Chilworth, a separate borough from Waverley.
- Mole Valley District Council – Do I need Planning Permission? — The planning authority covering Ockley, Walliswood, Okewood Hill and part of Holmbury St Mary, a separate district from Waverley.
- GOV.UK – Planning permission: when you need it — Government guidance on when planning permission is required in England and Wales.
- GOV.UK – Party Wall etc. Act 1996 guidance — Government guidance on notifying neighbours and resolving disputes over shared or boundary walls, relevant to attached garage conversions.
- Planning Portal – Garage conversion — National guidance on when planning permission is needed for a garage conversion in England.
- Planning Portal – Outbuildings — National guidance on permitted development rules for garden buildings and outbuildings, including height and coverage limits.
- Surrey Hills National Landscape — The designated landscape covering many of the villages around Cranleigh, including Ewhurst, Peaslake, Hascombe and Shere.