Category Archives: Updates

Winter 2025 Update

Government Consultations, Local Plan, NPPF, Updates, Village News

LOCAL PLANNING MATTERS

Blunts Farm EPF/1406/22 Change of use from agricultural barns to B8 storage and associated development. Withdrawn from the agenda for the 17 September 2025 Planning Committee and subsequently refused by the Officer on 22 September 2025. Reasons cited were: due to poor location being unsustainable development in terms of accessibility and highway safety issues being contrary to local and national planning policy.

Green Belt Fields behind Theydon Bois Station, Abridge Road EPF/2137/25 Request for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Screening Opinion – Proposed Residential Development of up to 150 Dwellings with Associated Infrastructure and Landscaping. Developers are seeking to build on the two Green Belt fields behind our Station. The request was for EFDC to decide if an EIA Report was necessary and they have decided that they DO NOT need to provide an EIA. The planning consultants feel “there are limited potential impacts arising and those that will arise would not have a significant impact that would require an Environmental Impact Assessment”. TBAG informed the Conservators of Epping Forest of this application to ensure they were fully aware and also assisted the Parish Council by providing relevant information. TBAG will be watching closely should any formal planning application be made for these two Green Belt fields.

Appeal by 29 Piercing Hill This was an appeal against the refusal by EFDC to allow extensive demolition and rebuilding of this property. The Planning Inspector opened up the application to further comments and TBAG submitted comments supporting the refusal of the planning permission on this application which is in the Green Belt and proposed extensive alterations to this Locally Listed dwelling.

GOVERNMENT PLANNING SITUATION

In the Opening Statement to her Budget Speech, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said, inter alia, “Over the last 16 months, we have overhauled our planning system to get Britain building;”. TBAG find this statement difficult to accept as the Planning and Infrastructure Bill has not yet been completed and ratified. TBAG also understand that there is due to be yet another revised version of the NPPF in the New Year. TBAG are disgusted that there still remain 1.4m extant planning permissions for new homes which the Government seem to be deliberately ignoring and are failing to legislate to demand that these homes are built out. It seems easier for them to demand 1.5m new dwellings and leave it to developers to decide the timing of these new builds. As TBAG have said many times before, developers have to organise their workload and will only build when it suits them and their response to the housing market from which they expect to return 15-30% profit on any development. It is well known that developers land bank and drip feed development onto the market in order to keep the price of new homes high. TBAG have expressed these views to our MP Dr Neil Hudson with whom we have an ongoing dialogue.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have launched a consultation on proposals for the reorganisation of local Government in Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock. The consultation will last for 7 weeks from 19 November 2025 to 11 January 2026, see here for details. TBAG would urge supporters and residents alike to respond to the consultation and give your views on the proposals.

TBAG are fundamentally opposed to any local Government reorganisation that removes the freedom of local residents to object to any proposed developments in their area.

TBAG would like to wish our supporters and all villagers a very merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year.

Autumn 2025 Update

Blunt's Farm, Government Consultations, Updates, Village News

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.

Summer 2025 Update

Land to the north of Forest Drive, Local Plan, Updates, Village News

LOCAL PLANNING MATTERS

Land north of Forest Drive. EPF/0292/21: The letter of Grant of planning permission has finally been sent to the developer’s agent dated 3 April 2025 following the decision to permit given at EFDC Planning Committee on 17 January 2024 There are 43 conditions and one point of interest to residents is that no agreed route for construction vehicles etc to access the site has been included. It is noted that EFDC have continued to ignore their own policies in allowing a three-storey block of flats to be built on this site, at the edge of settlement, adjacent to Green Belt land, without the supporting street view diagrams having been submitted with the application and still with little on-street parking for visitors. The road into the site is not to be adopted by ECC Highways and will remain a private enclave. The S106 Agreement which requires payment of monies to EFDC and ECC for various infrastructure related works, has also been published and all documents concerning this application can be seen on EFDC’s website.

Macris House. EPF/0507/25: Change of use from care home to residential and conversion to 8 x two bedroom flats.

TBAG have objected to this third application on the grounds of unsustainability, lack of safe pedestrian links to the village and other issues. EFDC’s specialist consultants refused the site to be included for housing in the current Local Plan as it was too remote from the village, a loss of a social asset (care home) and associated employment losses. TBAG are astonished that the home has closed since there is now a greater need for residential accommodation for the elderly.

Government planning situation

TBAG have written to our MP, Dr Neil Hudson, asking why Government insist on demanding 1.5 million dwellings be built over the term of their parliament when there are, as a matter of record, 1.4 million already granted planning permissions for homes awaiting development. We have asked Dr Hudson to raise this matter in The House as we feel if these dwellings were built out there would be no need for the continued assault on the countryside and Green Belts. Central Government seem keen to place the blame on local planning authorities for taking too long to process applications. Government claim to need to ‘cut through red tape’ at a local level. Developers like to drip feed their new homes onto the market to keep prices artificially high.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan’s London Local Plan did not meet the Government’s requirement for housebuilding and so Mr Khan now proposes to build in the Green Belt in outer London Boroughs. This could of course impact Epping Forest District as the outward thrust of building continues around our borders.

Devolution plans for Epping Forest District Council initiated by the Labour party and voted-in by local Conservative Councillors on 10 January 2025 to make our local government administration organised as a Unitary Authority is now approved. We are currently being administered by County Councillors who have not been democratically voted in and are holding office until the new Unitary Authority has been established. EFDC has committed to take part in the Government’s devolution priority programme (this would see a mayoral county combined authority established in April 2026 and a mayoral election take place in May 2026) and to commit to local government reorganisation. TBAG are deeply concerned about the loss of local democracy that this represents and with respect to planning, decisions will be made on applications by persons who have little or no knowledge of our parish or district.

Summer 2024 Update

Balti House, Blunt's Farm, Former Old Foresters, Land to the north of Forest Drive, Updates, Village News

Local Planning Matters

The approval of planning permission for 38 homes on Land north of Forest Drive, EPF/0292/21, continues to mystify. At the time of writing, the EFDC website still shows this application’s status as ‘Under Consultation’. Bearing in mind the application was approved at Plans East Committee on 17 January 2024, we wonder what negotiations are going on behind the scenes before the decision is actually published? A decision taken at District Council cannot be reversed, so what is happening? Certainly, the representative of the developers, Andersons, who approached our Parish Council Chairman after the District meeting saying that he would review the scheme with a view to adding more parking, making the flats accessible and then speak again to the Parish Council, has not done so. No surprise really since these developers didn’t see fit to consult with the public prior to putting plans forward for this carbuncle of a development. TBAG call on our Parish Council to take a stand against the approval of this scheme and its complete disregard for several Local and County policies and make a formal complaint to EFDC and the Local Government Ombudsman. TBAG have now written to the Planning Inspectorate seeking clarification on the legitimacy of a Local Authority’s ability to ignore its own policies.

Balti House Proposed Development. A public meeting was held on 15 May to listen to a presentation by the architect of this proposed development on the site currently occupied by the Balti House. It was well attended by residents and our Parish and District Councillors, but the overriding reaction was a negative one. Five TBAG Committee members attended, and the Chair and Vice Chair spoke strongly against this inappropriate proposal having examined the proposal document in advance. Not one person from the floor spoke in favour of the proposal which utilises 10 of the 12 dwelling allowance which has been allocated to the THYB.R2 development site – the car park and the now sold-off Balti House site – which was agreed and adopted in the Local Plan in 2023. The proposed building, which has the appearance of a modern office block, towers above existing dwellings at four stories plus solar panels and sports an exceptional amount of glass. The Balti restaurant is rumoured to return to the site on the ground and basement levels, and an additional coffee stand is included. Eight offices are proposed for the first floor with a capacity for about 39 persons. If approved, it will be the first offices to be purpose built in Theydon Bois.

EPF/1195/23 Coppice Row Farm. Proposed detached dwelling. Still under consultation.

Blunts Farm: EPF/2728/22 Erection of new storage buildings etc. Refused permission. EPF/0830/23 and EPF/0831/23 two alleged flats deemed as unlawful. EPF/1671/22 Ivy House, previously Blunt’s Farmhouse, swimming pool and extension. The appeal was dismissed, and the Planning Inspector cited TBAG and our area calculations in his Appeal Decision. EPF/0931/24 – Land near Abridge Rd (rear of Monks Hall), Proposed Padel/Tennis courts & Ancillary clubhouse building under consultation.

EPF/2461/22 Mossford Green Nursery, Abridge Road. Six proposed new dwellings. The Planning Inspector dismissed the appeal.

Application for a Temporary Event Notice to hold an outdoor, two-day bank holiday music event for over 18’s on the field at the Former Old Foresters site. The event, for up to 499 people, was submitted to EFDC and subsequently withdrawn by the organiser following objections from EFDC’s Environmental Enforcement Officer.

TBAG would like to welcome with our warmest best wishes our recently elected District Councillors. We feel that these Councillors will focus their efforts on representing residents and the best interests of Theydon Bois village.

Winter 2023 Update

Land to the north of Forest Drive, NPPF, Updates, Village News

Local Planning Matters

EPF/0292/21 Land at Forest Drive: Still ‘under consultation’. We note that Essex County Council Highways have submitted a letter which states “Further to the above, and in consultation with the NEPP, it is considered necessary to secure double yellow lines along the northern section of Forest Drive to prevent the development from being blocked, as the existing single yellows will not be sufficient for this purpose.” The impact of this will be that local people who currently park there will be restricted from doing so and could well result in an intensification of parking in Forest Drive and Dukes Avenue to the detriment of existing residents. TBAG still have concerns about the ‘private estate’ nature of the proposal following ECC’s confirmation that the roadway on the site will not be adopted by ECC Highways as a public highway.
EPF/1195/23 Coppice Row Farm, Coppice Row. Proposed detached dwelling. A new application for a four bedroom dwellinghouse with an attached, three bedroom annex. TBAG have made a strong objection to this application located on part of Coppice Farm which is virgin Green Belt and agricultural farmland.
EPF/2728/22 Blunts Farm, Erection of new storage buildings etc: Still ‘under consultation’ and we note no new documents have been added since last August.
EPF/0830/23 and EPF/0831/23 Blunts Farm, two alleged flats: Still ‘under consultation’, with no new documents since August 2023.
EPF/1671/22 New outdoor pool and single storey extension to existing house. This application was again refused and the applicant has appealed to the Planning Inspector. As a ‘householder application’ it is not possible for TBAG to submit further comments to the Planning Inspector.
EPF/2461/22 Mossford Green Nursery, Abridge Road. Demolition of buildings and five new and one replacement dwellings. After refusal by EFDC, the applicant has appealed to the Planning Inspector and TBAG have made further representations to the Planning Inspector against this Green Belt development.
EPF/2518/23 Land at Magnolia House, Abridge Road. Installation of a private Padel Court on virgin Green Belt agricultural land. TBAG has submitted a robust objection.

National Planning Legislation

TBAG are concerned about the Government’s expression of intent to further deregulate the planning regime to enable more permissions for housing development to be granted more speedily. We consider that the problem lies with developers who wish to build slowly in order to drip feed completed development onto the market to keep house prices high and so maximise their profit. This is evidenced by the Local Government Association which has already stated that there are 1.3 million extant planning permissions which have been granted but have not yet been built out. In reality, this amounts to land banking yet developers still want to develop green field and Green Belt sites.

Whenever possible, TBAG responds to Government consultations on planning as we believe influencing national legislation is critical to building a planning system fit for people, the Green Belt, ecology and the climate.

The Government’s new Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill was given Royal Assent on 26 October 2023 and is now the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023. Ostensibly this Bill is about the government’s aims to level up the country, but more than anything it is about planning. We also expect changes to be made to the National Planning Policy Framework once the Government has completed its consultation.

TBAG would like to extend our very warmest wishes for Christmas and the new year to all Theydon Bois residents and especially to our hardworking Committee and loyal supporters. The Committee are very grateful for all the kind expressions of thanks and encouragement which have been emailed to us throughout the year. Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year to one and all.