Your comments (17 comments)

• Katherine AlexanderJuly 02

  Why has it taken so long to review feedback given in February 2023? The plan pause from May to October didn't affect this analysis work. The analysis should be issued now so residents know what is going on well before decisions are taken. • We don't need any more £600k+ houses in Epsom. We need most new homes to be 1, 2 and 3 bedroom flats that are truly affordable (£300k or less). These should be in town near shops and transport. Only these homes will fulfil the real need of local workers. Will you be taking out the pointless (and environmentally vandalising) green field development and focussing only on the required social and truly affordable housing? • When are councillors going to start directing and scrutinising the Local Plan. It was promised last year, but 8 months later and nothing seems to have happened. Are councillors simply puppets, rubber stamping whatever officers tell them? That's not what they were elected for. Councillors need to do their jobs and openly debate and challenge the main aspects of the Local Plan. If they're not willing or able to do their jobs, they should step down and let someone else do the job instead. • Are your final proposals really going to be that bad you won't let anyone see what you're planning until decision time. If you think no-one will like what you're proposing, maybe it's time to change the plan for something acceptable?

• D.J. EASTERJuly 01

  Why haven't there been any meetings of councillors to discuss the strategy and content for the Local Plan? The Planning Policy Committee has only met once this year and only 6 times since the beginning of 2023. Why have all the other scheduled meetings been cancelled? Why has the Local Plan not been discussed THIS YEAR! If councillors aren't representing residents, who is? Why all the secrecy? Residents kept in the dark about what's happening for two years. This can't be right. Do the people in charge of the Local Plan care about this borough? If they do, they need to remove the green field sites and protect what makes this borough so special. Where are our RA councillors in all this? Nothing has been made public about how decisions are being taken and how residents' views are being taken into account. Waiting until it's too late to make a difference before informing the public is a disgraceful abuse of power.

• Emma LangrishJune 27

  No this is a definate no. When we needed green space during the pandemic this is where most people came. It is unethical to build on a green belt. Build on some of the unused old buildings that are in a state of disrepair in the area instead.

• Linda SeymourJune 27

  I did not vote for the RA at the last local elections as I am disgusted at your plans to build on our precious green belt. The open green areas are what makes this area so attractive and surely enough development has taken place already. Many small cottages along East Street were bulldozed to build office block which are now being converted to flats. I accuse the Council of greed. They just want more council tax to squander but nothing is being done to make Epsom town centre competitive. The state of Epsom high street is abysmal. There is very little to offer any newcomers to the town but a great variety of charity shops and take-aways. The Ashley Centre is a shadow of its former self and cannot compensate for the woeful absence of quality shops. Where are White Stuff, Fat Face, H&M, Bon Marche and Lakeland? Why did they leave? Outlying towns much smaller than Epsom can still host shops like Crew Clothing, Mint Velvet, Kew etc. For any `proper` shopping you have to go to Sutton or Kingston. I accuse the Council of neglecting the purpose of the town centre in providing the shops residents need and driving them away with high parking charges. Who would want to come and live here? The Council is deluded in thinking "under performing" in this housing need can be solved by the destruction of green spaces vital to the health and wellbeing of the very people who elected them. Priest Hill playing fields are very well used and of great benefit to local clubs and Glyn school. The evidence base for the 2023 Local Plan demonstrated that this is a "high performing Green Belt Site" In addition, these green belt sites will be poorly served by insufficient infrastructure. Such will be the case with Downs Farm. A valuable green space hosting much wildlife. Affordable housing is a requirement certainly and that can be achieved by town centre apartments, not luxury detached houses as will no doubt be built on these out of town sites. Please use the Government guidance in this instance in protecting our green belt and concentrating on making use of brownfield sites in the borough and listen to your residents, as you are meant to do. It is our town after all.

• Anita RhodesJune 26

  Protect the Green Belt. Build 15mins city on brown fields

• Simon WoodJune 26

  Thank you for providing a page of FAQs. However, I don't think they fully answer the Qs that many residents have about proposals to downgrade large parts of the Greenbelt. As your page notes, the NPPF only allows development on Green Belt land where the "exceptional circumstances are fully evidenced and justified". Has, or will, EEBC publish this evidence? Alongside evidence of your work to maximise use of brownfield sites - which your documentation continues to be a bit sketchy on. My understanding of housing need is that we desperately need more affordable, accessible homes; within reach of the town centre and making good use of existing land. Downgrading large tracts of greenbelt land on the edge of the borough, furthest from the centre and where the likely future housing stock won't be remotely affordable, doesn't appear to help that aim. I was surprised to read your assertion that developments such as Livingstone Park and Manor Park are on Green Belt land; as a way of apparently saying this is nothing new. They are not - they are on previously used hospital land; and the contours of the estates are tightly controlled to stick to that previously used land and not infringe on the Green Belt. I hope EEBC will seriously and earnestly engage with the residents of the borough on this work in a more transparent and inclusive/consultative way.

• LAUREN E.June 26

  The government guidance was changed in December, allowing us to protect the Green Belt. Legal advice says it is legally possible to do this. Is this council going to make the effort to argue for what residents want, or are they going to offer up the Green Belt as a sacrificial lamb? What are Councillors running scared of? Prepare a plan that residents find acceptable and show why it is the best option, then work constructively with the planning inspector to get agreement. Job done. A bad plan is a bad plan, however you dress it up. And the draft plan consulted on in 2023 was a bad plan. It's time to do the right thing; we need a good plan that protects all green spaces from development and focuses on maximising the use of brownfield sites to provide truly affordable homes. Do the people in charge of the Local Plan care about this borough? If they do, they need to remove the green field sites and protect what makes this borough so special. Where are our RA councillors in all this? Nothing has been made public about how decisions are being taken and how residents' views are being taken into account. Waiting until it's too late to make a difference before informing the public is a disgraceful abuse of power.

• LAUREN E.June 26

  Why haven't there been any meetings of councillors to discuss the strategy and content for the Local Plan? The Planning Policy Committee has only met once this year and only 6 times since the beginning of 2023. Why have all the other scheduled meetings been cancelled? Why has the Local Plan not been discussed THIS YEAR! If councillors aren't representing residents, who is? Why all the secrecy? Residents kept in the dark about what's happening for two years. This can't be right. When will the LPPC committee get a chance to input to the Local Plan development, well in advance of the final decision, so that they can ensure it is steered in line with local residents' needs and wishes? Will our Residents Association councillors be representing residents’ views to ensure Green Belt land is not developed? Why has it taken so long to review feedback given in February 2023? The plan pause from May to October didn't affect this analysis work. The analysis should be issued now so residents know what is going on well before decisions are taken. We don't need any more £600k+ houses in Epsom. We need most new homes to be 1, 2 and 3 bedroom flats that are truly affordable (£300k or less). These sould be in town near shops and transport. Only these homes will fulfil the real need of local workers. Will you be taking out the pointless (and environmentally vandalising) green field development and focussing only on the required social and truly affordable housing?

• Lauren E.June 26

  The government's framework allows the council NOT to revise Greenbelt boundaries. Will one of the options presented to the LPPC take advantage of this opportunity to protect the Greenbelt? The housing requirement for Epsom & Ewell is 3,000 to 4,000 dwellings. These can all be built on brownfield and previously developed land. Please can you confirm that one of the options to be presented to the LPPC for consideration will be based solely on utilising these sites, protecting the borough's precious Greenbelt land? The evidence base for the 2023 Local Plan consultation demonstrated that sites such as Horton Farm, Hook Road Arena and Priest Hill are high performing Green Belt sites. The transport report showed the Green Belt sites to be poor performing with insufficient infrastructure and services. Horton Farm contains a large area at risk of flooding which, if built on, would exacerbate flooding in Ewell. Will the site selection options to the LPPC recognise these constraints shown by the evidence and exclude these sites? The policies in the Local Plan seek to protect the environment, but you can't protect the environment and build on greenfield Green Belt sites. Can you confirm that these sites will be excluded from the final plan?

• Lucy Putnam-SmithJune 26

  AT LAST ANOTHER CHANCE TO OBJECT!!! • The government's framework allows the council not to revise Greenbelt boundaries. Will one of the options presented to the LPPC take advantage of this opportunity to protect the Greenbelt? • The housing requirement for Epsom & Ewell is 3,000 to 4,000 dwellings. These can all be built on brownfield and previously developed land. Please can you confirm that one of the options to be presented to the LPPC for consideration will be based solely on utilising these sites, protecting the borough's precious Greenbelt land? • The evidence base for the 2023 Local Plan consultation demonstrated that sites such as Horton Farm, Hook Road Arena and Priest Hill are high performing Green Belt sites. The transport report showed the Green Belt sites to be poor performing with insufficient infrastructure and services. Horton Farm contains a large area at risk of flooding which, if built on, would exacerbate flooding in Ewell. Will the site selection options to the LPPC recognise these constraints shown by the evidence and exclude these sites? • The policies in the Local Plan seek to protect the environment, but you can't protect the environment and build on greenfield Green Belt sites. Can you confirm that these sites will be excluded from the final plan? • Why haven't there been any meetings of councillors to discuss the strategy and content for the Local Plan? The Planning Policy Committee has only met once this year and only 6 times since the beginning of 2023. Why have all the other scheduled meetings been cancelled? Why has the Local Plan not been discussed THIS YEAR! If councillors aren't representing residents, who is? Why all the secrecy? Residents kept in the dark about what's happening for two years. This can't be right. When will the LPPC committee get a chance to input to the Local Plan development, well in advance of the final decision, so that they can ensure it is steered in line with local residents' needs and wishes? • Will our Residents Association councillors be representing residents’ views to ensure Green Belt land is not developed? • Why has it taken so long to review feedback given in February 2023? The plan pause from May to October didn't affect this analysis work. The analysis should be issued now so residents know what is going on well before decisions are taken. • We don't need any more £600k+ houses in Epsom. We need most new homes to be 1, 2 and 3 bedroom flats that are truly affordable (£300k or less). These should be in town near shops and transport. Only these homes will fulfil the real need of local workers. Will you be taking out the pointless (and environmentally vandalising) green field development and focussing only on the required social and truly affordable housing? • When are councillors going to start directing and scrutinising the Local Plan. It was promised last year, but 8 months later and nothing seems to have happened. Are councillors simply puppets, rubber stamping whatever officers tell them? That's not what they were elected for. Councillors need to do their jobs and openly debate and challenge the main aspects of the Local Plan. If they're not willing or able to do their jobs, they should step down and let someone else do the job instead. • Are your final proposals really going to be that bad you won't let anyone see what you're planning until decision time. If you think no-one will like what you're proposing, maybe it's time to change the plan for something acceptable? • Not much of an update! We've waited over a year for more deafening silence. • A fait accompli at the end of the year won't cut it. The Local Plan process is a farce. You're not fooling anyone. Council officers do what they want, councillors don't control them, residents are left to pick up the bill and the pieces... and whatever sprawling wasteland remains once they've finished with our borough. • Spending £1.5m of our money to develop a plan none of us agree with. Is that a democracy? • A project in which stakeholders are kept in the dark until it's too late, and they are told they have to simply accept the result because time has run out. Who are the biggest fools in this scenario? • The government guidance was changed in December, allowing us to protect the Green Belt. Legal advice says it is legally possible to do this. Is this council going to make the effort to argue for what residents want, or are they going to offer up the Green Belt as a sacrificial lamb? • What are Councillors running scared of? Prepare a plan that residents find acceptable and show why it is the best option, then work constructively with the planning inspector to get agreement. Job done. • A bad plan is a bad plan, however you dress it up. And the draft plan consulted on in 2023 was a bad plan. It's time to do the right thing; we need a good plan that protects all green spaces from development and focuses on maximising the use of brownfield sites to provide truly affordable homes. • Do the people in charge of the Local Plan care about this borough? If they do, they need to remove the green field sites and protect what makes this borough so special. • Where are our RA councillors in all this? Nothing has been made public about how decisions are being taken and how residents' views are being taken into account. Waiting until it's too late to make a difference before informing the public is a disgraceful abuse of power.

• karen griffinJune 26

  The Government framework now allows councils not to revise Greenbelt boundaries. The requirement for 3-4k of housing can all be met by developing brownfield sites. Is this one of your options? Horton Farm is a large area that has flooding now and if built on it would make it worse! Why have there been no meetings to discuss the local plan and how to take it forward, the planning committee has only met once this year?! why the secrecy?Your local plan policies seek to protect the environment which won't be achieved by building on large areas of Green belt. Why have all the other meetings been cancelled? Why is it taking so long to review the feedback from the Feb 2023 review? Why are you only releasing the details of your Draft plan in early 2025 when it will be too late to object and change them....where are the final proposals now that you have already submitted to Surrey Councty Council - we as residents deserve to see what you are proposing!!

• Stewart EsslemontJune 26

  • The government's framework allows the council not to revise Greenbelt boundaries. Will one of the options presented to the LPPC take advantage of this opportunity to protect the Greenbelt? • The housing requirement for Epsom & Ewell is 3,000 to 4,000 dwellings. These can all be built on brownfield and previously developed land. Please can you confirm that one of the options to be presented to the LPPC for consideration will be based solely on utilising these sites, protecting the borough's precious Greenbelt land? • The evidence base for the 2023 Local Plan consultation demonstrated that sites such as Horton Farm, Hook Road Arena and Priest Hill are high performing Green Belt sites. The transport report showed the Green Belt sites to be poor performing with insufficient infrastructure and services. Horton Farm contains a large area at risk of flooding which, if built on, would exacerbate flooding in Ewell. Will the site selection options to the LPPC recognise these constraints shown by the evidence and exclude these sites? • The policies in the Local Plan seek to protect the environment, but you can't protect the environment and build on greenfield Green Belt sites. Can you confirm that these sites will be excluded from the final plan? • Why haven't there been any meetings of councillors to discuss the strategy and content for the Local Plan? The Planning Policy Committee has only met once this year and only 6 times since the beginning of 2023. Why have all the other scheduled meetings been cancelled? Why has the Local Plan not been discussed THIS YEAR! If councillors aren't representing residents, who is? Why all the secrecy? Residents kept in the dark about what's happening for two years. This can't be right. When will the LPPC committee get a chance to input to the Local Plan development, well in advance of the final decision, so that they can ensure it is steered in line with local residents' needs and wishes? • Will our Residents Association councillors be representing residents’ views to ensure Green Belt land is not developed? • Why has it taken so long to review feedback given in February 2023? The plan pause from May to October didn't affect this analysis work. The analysis should be issued now so residents know what is going on well before decisions are taken. • We don't need any more £600k+ houses in Epsom. We need most new homes to be 1, 2 and 3 bedroom flats that are truly affordable (£300k or less). These should be in town near shops and transport. Only these homes will fulfil the real need of local workers. Will you be taking out the pointless (and environmentally vandalising) green field development and focussing only on the required social and truly affordable housing? • When are councillors going to start directing and scrutinising the Local Plan. It was promised last year, but 8 months later and nothing seems to have happened. Are councillors simply puppets, rubber stamping whatever officers tell them? That's not what they were elected for. Councillors need to do their jobs and openly debate and challenge the main aspects of the Local Plan. If they're not willing or able to do their jobs, they should step down and let someone else do the job instead. • Are your final proposals really going to be that bad you won't let anyone see what you're planning until decision time. If you think no-one will like what you're proposing, maybe it's time to change the plan for something acceptable? • Not much of an update! We've waited over a year for more deafening silence. • A fait accompli at the end of the year won't cut it. The Local Plan process is a farce. You're not fooling anyone. Council officers do what they want, councillors don't control them, residents are left to pick up the bill and the pieces... and whatever sprawling wasteland remains once they've finished with our borough. • Spending £1.5m of our money to develop a plan none of us agree with. Is that a democracy? • A project in which stakeholders are kept in the dark until it's too late, and they are told they have to simply accept the result because time has run out. Who are the biggest fools in this scenario? • The government guidance was changed in December, allowing us to protect the Green Belt. Legal advice says it is legally possible to do this. Is this council going to make the effort to argue for what residents want, or are they going to offer up the Green Belt as a sacrificial lamb? • What are Councillors running scared of? Prepare a plan that residents find acceptable and show why it is the best option, then work constructively with the planning inspector to get agreement. Job done. • A bad plan is a bad plan, however you dress it up. And the draft plan consulted on in 2023 was a bad plan. It's time to do the right thing; we need a good plan that protects all green spaces from development and focuses on maximising the use of brownfield sites to provide truly affordable homes. • Do the people in charge of the Local Plan care about this borough? If they do, they need to remove the green field sites and protect what makes this borough so special. • Where are our RA councillors in all this? Nothing has been made public about how decisions are being taken and how residents' views are being taken into account. Waiting until it's too late to make a difference before informing the public is a disgraceful abuse of power.

• Sonia SpiteriJune 26

  I would like to comment on the potential loss of our green belt. Other special and pretty towns around the country manage to retain their heritage and green spaces. If we lose our green spaces to housing we will lose something special that won’t ever be recovered. We have amazing wildlife here and fresh air which loss of green spaces will decimate. Don’t be the people who take this away from us and future generations. Ensure Epsom and Ewell stay special for the right reasons. Protect our borough, fight for it. Our little borough is worth it. Keep it safe.

• Manisha SANTCHURNJune 25

  Object to development on green area

• Manisha SANTCHURNJune 25

  Object to development in green area

• Michelle soodhooJune 25

  You have taken enough out of the Epsom and Ewell community by building houses and closing hospitals for those in need. Where have they been placed ! Now you want to take the lovely area we call Epsom for yet more greed The only ones that benefit is the builders and the council. When will the people that live here count ? What about the natural habitat and the areas for the children to the old to explore and enjoy !

• Susan BrookerJune 25

  Please protect OUR green spaces. Councillors should remember they represent us the council tax payers and not their own interests. Some of the decisions made by Councillors have already had a detrimental effect on the area. Use the many other sites ripe for redevelopment, without destroying the beautiful green spaces for our children, grandchildren and the wildlife.