Love Epping Forest Manifesto: Working Together for the Forest

In the run up to the May elections, we are running Love Epping Forest Manifesto to put Epping Forest on the agenda. We are asking candidates to commit to delivering nine pledges over the next four years. The pledges have come out of our research and extensive engagement work with the Forest’s local communities.   

Below you can read about the evidence base for the pledges and concreate suggestions on how local councillors can action them. This article focuses on the three pledges that are centre around one of the three key themes: Working Together for the Forest 

Volunteers building leaky dams in Epping Forest

Pledge 4: Work with government, business and civil society to tackle climate change, and promote the vital role of the Forest in absorbing CO2 – protecting against flooding and reducing temperatures

As the “Green Lungs of London,” Epping Forest plays a vital role in supporting the climate. The Forest removes an estimated 15,000 tonnes of carbon per year from the atmosphere and contributes significantly to the cooling of the surrounding areas (1).  

The Forest also has an important part to play in local flood mitigation. Officers and Volunteers from the City of London, in partnership with conservation officer and volunteers from the Epping Forest Heritage Trust, have committed to installing 374 “leaky damns” in strategic points across the Forest (2). These structures slow the flow of rainwater. With 10,000 additional cubic meters of water will be held by the Forest, this benefits drought prevention within the Forest, creates suitable habitats for fungi and other wildlife whilst massively benefiting local communities as a flood mitigation measure.  

Collaborative efforts, such as these, between organisations like the City of London and local people power are essential to mitigate the effects of climate change locally.  

Elected councillors would be able to collaborate with the City and other stakeholders, such as EFHT, to do more of this work in the Forest, whilst also facilitating and funding similar collaborative efforts across the whole borough/district.  

Councillors can also oppose speculative developments, generally, and advocate for more strategic, centralised planning of infrastructure like solar farms. This would ensure that a full government and public consultation process takes place when determining where they should be built and what kind of compensatory measures would be appropriate, thereby mitigating harm to the Forest.  

One of the largest fly tipping dumped in the heart of Epping Forest in January 2026. Photo source: City of London Corporation

Pledge 5: Work closely with the City of London Corporation and other relevant organisations to tackle fly-tipping and littering and anti-social behaviour in the Forest 

‘Described as “senseless acts of vandalism” by an Epping Forest spokesman, the actions of unthinking litter louts are costing the Corporation of London increasing amounts of time and money’ 

This quote, from an 80’s article, refers to massive illegal fly-tips in Epping Forest. Unfortunately, little has changed. In October-December 2025, the City of London Corporation reported 90 fly tips (3).  

The illegal dumping of rubbish in Epping Forest has significant implications on the Forest’s ecology as well as having major impact on visitor experience. In our 2025 members survey, 50% of people cited fly-tipping as the biggest issue for them. For regular and new visitors alike, fly-tips seriously detract from the Forest’s natural heritage. 

We are therefore calling for elected councillors to work with the City of London, other local authorities and any other relevant stakeholders, to take preventative action against fly-tipping.  

Green Ride in Epping Forest

Pledge 6: Support the City of London to improve Forest paths, in line with the SAMMS agreement, to manage increased visitor numbers sustainably 

The local councils have a major role to play in protecting Forest paths. 1600 hectares of Epping Forest is a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), given special legal protections on account of its heathland, beech forests and stag beetles. (4).   

These protections mean that local authorities have a legal obligation to fund measures to mitigate threats to these habitats and wildlife from local development. With development comes larger populations, and more footfall in the Forest. Trampling damages the roots of the Forest’s veteran trees and dog fouling alters the conditions of the soil, threatening sensitive woodland and heathland habitats. 

This mitigation takes place through the “Strategic Access Mitigation and Monitoring (SAMM) Strategy”. The City of London Corporation, as conservators of the Forest and “delivery body” of the Strategy, will use these funds to target degraded areas and repair path infrastructure, to make sure visitors stick to the paths and away from sensitive areas. They will also seek to build public awareness, through engaging communities and using clear signage, about the sensitivity of the Forest and the need to, quite literally, tread carefully (5).  

Newham, Redbridge, Waltham Forest and EFDC all raise money from developers to pay into the SAMM fund (over 24 million over the course of 80 years). However, their contribution does not stop there. As members of the “Technical Oversight Group,” the committee overseeing the Strategy’s progress, they still have a part to play.  

We are asking candidates to pledge to uphold their borough/district’s statutory requirements to rigorously monitor and evaluate the progress of the Strategy. 

We are also asking them to cooperate enthusiastically with the City of London, as well as other key stakeholders like Natural England and the Greater London Authority, when sharing data and other resources. This way, we can ensure that as many people as possible can enjoy Epping Forest sustainably.  

References:  

1. 2024, Baseline natural capital assessment of the City of London Corporation’s open spaces
2. 2026, 500 homes, local habitats and wildlife will benefit from Epping Forest ‘leaky dams’ project
3. 2026, Assistant Director Epping Forest Update Report October-December 2025
4. Epping Forest – Special Areas of Conservation
5. 2024, Epping Forest SAMM Strategy Partnership Agreement