LOCAL PLANNING MATTERS

Marcris House EPF/0507/25: Change of use from care home to residential and conversion to 8 x two bedroom flats. TBAG objected to this application on grounds of unsustainability, lack of safe pedestrian links to the village and other issues. This application has been REFUSED by EFDC Planning on grounds of loss of valued community facility, loss of specialist accommodation and employment, and the lack of a Section 106 Agreement protecting Epping Forest Special Area of Conservation.

Blunts Farm EPF/1406/22: Change of use from agricultural barns to B8 storage and associated development. TBAG reported on this in March of this year having raised an objection to this revised application. No decision has yet been made, but it appears that the Officer on the case is preparing to have this application heard before EFDC’s Planning Committee B in September October where our District Ward Councillors may speak but are no longer permitted to vote on this application.

Government planning situation

Further to TBAG’s letter to our MP, Dr Neil Hudson, regarding build out rates in England, we were pleasantly surprised to receive an immediate response. Dr Hudson kindly forwarded our letter to Baroness Taylor of Stevenage, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Baroness Taylor also responded promptly, sending several links which are yet to be fully explored. This issue is something that the Government is aware of and monitoring. Dr Hudson expressed his deep concern of the Government’s plans to release areas of the Green Belt for development, under their own subjective ‘grey belt’ definition, which in reality simply waters down all Green Belt protections. He also recognised that the Government are forcing top-down reforms whilst simultaneously silencing local voices by stripping council planning committees of their ability to consider applications.

Subsequently, two Government technical consultations, one on ‘Implementing Measures to Improve Build Out Transparency’ and one on the ‘Reform of Planning Committees‘ were launched and TBAG has responded to both of them. We were not happy just responding to the ‘tick-box’ questionnaire, because some questions were clearly leading. So, in addition TBAG wrote a narrative response to both entitled ‘The Planning Situation As We See It’. See  our responses to the build out rates and Planning Committees consultations. We mention in our response the issue of developers being fined £100m after the Competition and Markets Authority said they may be sharing commercially sensitive information that affects the price of homes!

Devolution plans for Epping Forest District Council trundle on with no apparent movement, but TBAG maintain that under a Unitary Authority the valuable local knowledge which is currently able to be input by residents and local Councillors will be completely lost and removed from the planning process. TBAG have expressed this serious matter in our consultation responses referred to above.

Local Public Footpaths

Residents may have noticed the deterioration in condition of several of our local public rights of way in the Green Belt surrounding our village. One path has had a bridge completely removed and another has two bridges in a precarious state. TBAG has written to the appropriate authority to report this and have been assured that the corrective work will be carried out in due course. We would encourage residents to explore our footpaths and appreciate our rural surroundings while one still can.

In Memoriam

TBAG would like to acknowledge the sad passing of Graham Law who was a staunch TBAG supporter from its inception and more latterly a member of our Committee. Our heartfelt sympathies go to his wife and his wider family.