- Location
- Leatherhead, Surrey
- Main postcode district
- KT22
- Nearby (straight line)
- Epsom (4 miles), Dorking (4 miles) and Esher (5 miles)
- Survey and quote
- Free, with a fixed written quote
A high-speed dock door is a power-operated door with a flexible PVC fabric curtain that opens and closes much faster than a conventional sectional door or shutter, usually driven by a frequency-controlled motor. Many versions use a self-repairing curtain or breakaway bottom bar, so a forklift strike pushes the curtain out of its guides instead of wrecking it, and the door re-engages itself on the next cycle.
Why do sites in Leatherhead choose this?
Busy cross-dock and parcel operations in Leatherhead can use a high-speed door behind the main dock door to keep traffic flowing while limiting the time the bay stands open. Food producers in Leatherhead with hygiene zones can choose smooth, easily cleaned curtains and frames that suit washdown areas next to the loading dock.
Whether your site in Leatherhead is a new build or an older unit, we survey the opening, traffic and power before recommending any high-speed door.
For high-speed dock doors in Leatherhead, we begin with a free site survey and a fixed written quote, so you know the scope and cost before committing. We take responsibility for managing the job, and specialist installation engineers carry it out under our supervision. Bays are taken out of use in a planned sequence so the rest of the dock keeps working, and evening or weekend work can be arranged. Each item is tested at handover and the documentation is left with you.
Should a high-speed door replace our strip curtain or work alongside our dock door?
At very busy openings a high-speed door often replaces a strip curtain, and at external docks it usually works alongside a slower insulated door rather than replacing it.
Strip curtains are inexpensive, but they slow forklifts, scratch quickly and can hide a pedestrian on the other side. A high-speed door clears the opening fully, closes again within seconds and keeps a clear view through its vision panels. See PVC strip curtains if you are weighing up the two.
At external docks, a common arrangement is:
- an insulated sectional door on the outside for security and closing at night,
- a high-speed door just inside it for daytime traffic,
- an interlock so the high-speed door only runs when the outer door is open.
This pairing keeps the building secure out of hours while cutting the time the opening stands open during the working day.
Can a high-speed door be used on an external dock opening?
Yes, provided it is specified for the wind and weather the opening faces. Many high-speed doors are designed for internal openings, so an external dock door needs a reinforced build.
- Wind resistance: external doors use stronger curtains, horizontal wind bars or tensioned belts, and deeper side guides so the curtain stays put in gusts.
- Insulation: a double-skin curtain reduces heat loss, though fabric does not insulate as well as a thick sectional door.
- Security: fabric doors are not security doors, so many sites keep a sectional door or shutter outside for closing at night.
- Impact protection: a self-repairing curtain re-engages after a knock, which matters at a busy dock.
For openings that are mainly internal, such as between goods-in and a chilled zone, a lighter single-skin door with vision panels is usually enough. We match the build to the exposure at survey.
The same published guide range applies across England; access, out-of-hours working and site conditions are confirmed at the free survey.
What do we check at the survey?
- Drainage on recessed or sloping dock approaches
- Lighting inside trailers and at the dock face
- Headroom above the opening and which track type will suit it
- Forklift and pallet truck loads crossing the leveller platform
- Clear opening width and height for each door
- Access for deliveries, cranes or lifting equipment during installation
Options to discuss
Insulated double-skin curtain
Two layers of fabric with an air gap or insulation between them, reducing heat or chill loss at openings between temperature zones or at external docks.
Self-repairing curtain
If a forklift strikes the door, the curtain or bottom bar pulls out of the side guides without damage and re-engages on the next cycle, keeping the opening in use.
Regulations and approvals in England
Workplace safety in England is regulated by HSE. For a loading bay in Leatherhead, that means doors meeting regulation 18 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, equipment maintained under PUWER and suitable safeguards against vehicles driving away too early. We check what applies at survey and design the bay accordingly.
Questions about high-speed dock doors in Leatherhead
Will you deal with building control and planning for a project in Leatherhead?
We check at survey whether the work is likely to need approval. Forming a new opening or dock pit may need Building Regulations approval, a building warrant or building control approval, depending on the nation, and external structures such as loading houses can need planning permission. Where approval is needed, we explain what is involved, work with your designer or agent, and build it into the programme.
Which building and safety rules apply to a site in Leatherhead?
It depends on which UK nation the site is in. England and Wales use Building Regulations approval, Scotland uses building warrants and Northern Ireland uses building control approval from the council. Workplace safety is regulated by HSE in Great Britain and HSENI in Northern Ireland, and energy rules differ between nations. For your site in Leatherhead, we check what applies at survey and design to it.
Can you work alongside our main contractor on a new build in Leatherhead?
Yes. For new warehouses and fit-outs, we can supply and install the dock package as part of a wider project, working to the main contractor's programme, site rules and permits. We will need drawings, dock levels and the programme, and we coordinate pit details, power supplies and door openings with the relevant trades before installation begins.
How fast does a high-speed door open?
Many dock and internal high-speed doors open at around 1 to 2 metres per second, so a typical opening clears in a few seconds. Speed depends on the size, the drive and whether the door is built for wind. Closing speed is usually set slower than opening for safety, and both are adjusted at handover.
Can a high-speed door be opened in a power cut?
Yes, a high-speed door should have a manual release, crank or counterbalance so it can be opened if the power fails. This reflects the workplace rule that powered doors must be operable by hand where needed for health or safety, unless they open automatically on power failure.
High-speed dock doors near Leatherhead
Businesses outside Leatherhead may find their nearest town in this list: Epsom (4 miles), Dorking (4 miles) and Esher (5 miles). Each page covers doors, docks, repairs and servicing.
Other loading bay services in Leatherhead
Full guide to high-speed dock doors · Everything we do in Leatherhead
If a loading bay in Leatherhead needs attention, call us or send photos and details online.