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 Withdrawn from the agenda for the 17 September 2025 Planning Committee and subsequently refused by the Officer on 22 September 2025.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.