Responding to Planning Applications

Members will be aware from articles and from the media more generally that the Forest, from Epping to East London, is facing unprecedented pressures from housing and commercial developments.

At the northern end of the Forest, Epping Forest’s District Council’s approved Local Plans include provision for a minimum of 1,000 homes at Latton Priory[1] north of Lower Woods and for a minimum of 450 homes on land immediately to the south of Epping [2].  At the southern end of the Forest, there are plans for up to 1,500 dwellings as part of the re-development of Whipps Cross[3] plus large-scale housing developments, mostly blocks of flats, in other areas of Waltham Forest.  Alongside these are commercial developments such as those at Waltham Abbey.

All of these have the potential to affect the Forest through increased visitor numbers, increased traffic volumes, and both air and noise pollution.

What is the Trust doing about this?

The Trust needs to monitor and review planning proposals to ensure we identify ones that are potentially harmful to the Forest and seek to influence them or submit objections when and where appropriate.

We now have a small team of volunteers carrying out this work and are considering how best we can manage the significant amount of work it represents.  These efforts are currently focused on Epping Forest District and Waltham Forest although developments in other local authorities also affect the Forest.

We are maintaining a watching brief on the large-scale developments mentioned above but also on smaller developments such as the proposed demolition of the County Hotel and construction of a 120-bedroom care home in Oak Hill, Woodford Green, right in middle of Forest land at Walthamstow Forest[4].

While such smaller developments will have a lesser impact, their location means that their impact can be more obvious and detrimental to the appearance and enjoyment of the Forest.

But we not only need to monitor planning proposals.  If proposals have been approved, we also need to keep a watch on how the construction is being carried out to ensure that damage is not being done to the surrounding Forest in contravention of the planning conditions.

What can you do to help?

Our members, and the public more generally, are the Trust’s “eyes and ears”.  Members know their local patch and visit the Forest regularly and may pick up developments we have not identified.  In particular, where a development has been approved within, or next to, Forest land, members living locally can play a vital role in keeping an eye on the construction to ensure that damage is not being done to the surrounding land.

The Trust will need to be pragmatic about how far it can influence proposals, and about which proposals it objects to, but we are clear that our primary role is to protect and conserve the Forest and we will act if we believe a proposal is detrimental to its future.

If you have any views on planning generally, on the proposed developments above or are able to assist, please contact us at  policy@efht.org.uk

References:

1. Epping Forest District Local Plan 2011-2033 Part One
2. Epping Forest District Local Plan 2011-2033 Part One
3. Waltham Forest | Waltham Forest Built Environment Online | Application | 50439
4. The Epping Forest Hotel Site Planning Statement

Local plans, brief, and our responses:

Our responses to planning applications: 2025

Our responses to planning applications: 2024

Our responses to planning applications: 2023

Our responses to planning applications: 2022