Renewables done right – Protecting Epping Forest

We strongly support the UK’s transition to net zero. We do so because cleaner energy can help reduce or mitigate the climate impacts already threatening the Forest: higher average temperatures, altered rainfall patterns, stronger winds, and more frequent extreme weather events. The question is where and how renewable schemes are delivered so that climate action does not unintentionally harm the Forest.

Our position

• We support the deployment of renewable energy infrastructure – the issue is siting, not technology
• Case‑by‑case decisions, taken in isolation, risk creating a piecemeal “ring” of energy infrastructure and other industrial structures around the Forest.
• Protecting the Forest starts beyond its boundary: surrounding land should sustain biodiversity and landscape character and provide recreation outside sensitive SAC/SSSI habitats.

Why the current approach is risky

Cumulative impacts are not being assessed adequately. Many proposals sit below Environmental Impact Assessment thresholds and avoid meaningful review, yet their effects add up. In combination, they risk eroding the Forest’s ecological integrity and setting. In the absence of clear, district‑wide siting principles, a stream of uncoordinated applications has created a policy gap. This justifies an EFDC‑led strategic assessment and clear guidance now.

• Schemes can harm the Forest’s natural aspect and setting.
• Over a 40‑year life, solar installations require robust controls for potential pollution risks and transparent, whole‑life, environmental management plans.
• Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) need particular scrutiny. Even if a fire is contained to a single unit, airborne pollutants and contaminated run‑off can reach habitats and watercourses. We therefore seek independent fire‑safety review, protection for watercourses, and a public incident‑response plan as standard.
• Construction traffic, noise, and emissions, especially on key local roads, can also impact habitats and visitors.

Concerns do not stop at the Forest edge

When open countryside is industrialised, everyday local green spaces are lost or made less attractive and tranquil. Residents then look elsewhere for quality nature experiences, predictably shifting more visits into the Forest. That increased pressure, widening of paths, soil compaction and disturbance to wildlife then falls on sensitive SAC/SSSI habitats.

Within the 6.2 km Recreational Zone of Influence, the safeguarding and enhancing of open countryside is therefore desirable to absorb recreation that would otherwise concentrate in the Forest.

Glint and glare and wider effects on landscape character remain relevant to the natural aspect of the Forest.

Construction of solar farms (clearance, trenching, heavy vehicle movements) compacts soils and disrupts drainage; panel shading alters soil moisture. Individually modest effects become significant in aggregate, risking biodiversity loss and edge effects, especially where wetland‑linked systems are present.

What we ask of EFDC…

Please set out a clear route that protects the Forest during the green energy transition.

We urge EFDC to:

1. Publish clear siting guidance without delay

Prioritise rooftop, brownfield and co‑location options ahead of sensitive countryside near the Forest.

2. Adopt interim development‑control criteria now

Require cumulative‑impact assessment for pending applications; define near‑ vs. distant‑field criteria with tighter controls close to the Forest (visual, pollution, and fire/chemical risk). Embed soil, water and hydrology safeguards (compaction limits, run‑off management, trenching controls, and restoration standards). Address glint & glare and landscape character for more distant sites. Protect and enhance buffer‑land functions to retain open countryside and reduce recreational displacement.

3. Work with local expertise

Liaise with EFHT and other key stakeholders so decisions reflect on‑the‑ground knowledge of habitats, access pressures and visitor patterns.

EFDC has the opportunity to lead in reconciling climate action with nature protection, delivering renewable energy in the right places while preventing foreseeable pressures that would otherwise degrade Epping Forest for future generations.

View our responses to relevant planning applications: