2025-2030 Strategy Consultation: feedback

Thank you to all those who took the time and responded to our strategy consultation between January and February 2025; you helped to shape our new 2025-2030 Strategy. Here is the summary of the consultation and headline findings.

1. Contributions

111 people, the vast majority members, responded to the survey. And people took their time to complete the survey – 17.21 minutes on average.

This demonstrates how thoughtful they were.

There were a large number of free text comments, with often passionate responses, which shows how much our members care.

2. Headline findings

a) Investment of our resources.

There was a broad support for a change in how we invest our resources: 63% of respondents supported the potential change in the balance of our current investment.

• 55% support less investment in objective 1: educate and inspire people about Epping Forest
• 42% would like more investment in objective 2: do hands-on work to conserve and grow the Forest (49% stay the same)
• 64% support more investment in objective 3: protect the Forest through engagement, advocacy and campaigning 

b) Reasons for loving the Forest.

The top 3 reasons people said they love the Forest were (all over 40%)

• To walk and exercise in nature
• To enjoy the Forest’s plants and wildlife
• It’s trees.

Access to green space, improving health and wellbeing and it being an SSSI were all rated at about 40%.

Graph: Top reasons you love about Epping Forest

c) Issues of most concern

By far and away the highest issue of concern was new housing or developments that could adversely affect the Forest – 74% of respondents highlighted this as a top concern

Followed by fly-tipping (50%), and damage to the Forest caused by visitors (38%).

Cars travelling to fast was the next issue of most concern (30%), followed by the condition of the paths (26%) and the level of air quality (18%). With car parking charges down to 16% after being one of the most important issues previously.

d) Geographic location of respondents

Respondents were reasonably split a quarter each between Epping Forest DC, Waltham Forest (the highest at 31%) and Redbridge, with the remaining 20% from Newham and other boroughs.

3. Free text comments

The main takeaway from the free text comments was how much people care – both about us getting our strategy right and about the Forest.

EFHT’s overall sense of direction, and  main concerns, reflect what our members were saying in the free text comments about how important the Forest is the areas of main concern.

There was support for investing more resources in our campaigning work, with some people suggesting joining up the inspiring & educating of people with turning them into advocates, which reflects our thinking around campaigning.

There was broad support in the free text comments around EFHT’s advocacy work, with themes reflecting ones EFHT had identified: adjacent development in particular, but also road crossing and speed and numbers of vehicles and damage to the Forest by disrespectful visitors.

There was also a big emphasis on visitor behaviour in relation to fly-tipping, dog behaviour/waste, cyclist behaviour etc, issues where we do not lead, but support the City in their messaging.

There was strong continued support for helping to grow the Buffer Lands, which shows the continued ambition of our members to protect the Forest through adjacent green land.

Interestingly, some people pulled out noise pollution as an issue.