EPPING FOREST: Council consultants eye Tube car parks in search for housing space (From This Is Local London)

This report needs careful and detailed examination as it would appear that some areas of Green Belt have not been properly noted as being such ... hoping we wouldn't notice EFDC?! Bring on the consultation.

Yeah right! Maybe these 'consultants' should visit during rush hour and experience the issues with parking in these already over crowded stations......

Typical of the sort of sh*t from EFDC.

The consultation will begin on 30 July. All councils are required to produce Local Plans. We have issued some advance information to our local newspapers which you can also see on our website www.eppingforestdc.g
ov.uk
The consultation will run for eight weeks giving everyone plenty of chance to participate.

Epping Forest District Council, Whilst it may be justified to claim that all councils are required to provide local plans it does not detract from the fact that these developments will in the main prove unpopular.

To hold fresh consultations regarding these issues is a potential way of ignoring previous consultations and complaints on issues that are relative to this project. The Debden Town Centre Partnership survey 2008, a consultation to gain public opinion highlighted many issues that have not been completed. Some have been touched on but it would seem to the average person that the information can be used for justification of a "pick and choose" method of action.

Parking issues in streets surrounding stations such as Debden have reached critical level at times. To remove any parking facilities or to consider it is in my opinion negligent and a smack in the face for all the residents that have endured the parking problems in those streets.

To continue looking at further expansion in areas that are suffering infrastructure problems is in my opinion negligent.

Many streets need parking control solutions, I suspect that the only way they will get them is by agreeing to developments that have these solutions as part of their design, a bribe in effect.

There has been this year the first real crisis in school places, further developments will put pressure on local schools. There is inadequate six form spaces in Epping Forest.

We have only just been given permission to use hose-pipes again as water has been in short supply, further housing will use more water therefore reservoirs should be considered before increasing the population beyond natural expansion. The sewerage system will also only have a finite capability. The water board has been chasing leaks around the town for months now in an area that is failing with its old system, further expansion puts added pressure on an already failing system.

Many people will not be reached or take part with these consultations as guess what, many people have no faith in your "systems" and view these consultations as a foregone conclusion.

Act on results and recommendations of previous consultations and you might see some interest.

Before you start looking at expansion how about dealing with problems that many people have been waiting for for years?

As PM1234 says:- "Many streets need parking control solutions, I suspect that the only way they will get them is by agreeing to developments that have these solutions as part of their design, a bribe in effect".

PM, I strongly suspect you are right! It certainly looks like an underhand way of then bringing in residental parking permits that home owners then get charged for, which will bring in yet more money for EFDC. No wonder a glut of people are suddenly converting their front gardens to driveways.

PM1234 may be surprised to learn that councillors and planners at Epping Forest District Council share many of the same concerns.

We live in one of the driest regions in the Country. The demand for new housing and economic development is restricted by basic resource issues such as water supply. Our community needs enough school places for our children. Should it build more schools in new housing estates or expand existing schools, towns and villages? Our roads are not designed for the huge amount of modern-day traffic. Should we build new roads, widen existing roads or try to restrict the growth in car ownership by making fewer parking spaces available in new developments? Perhaps public transport can provide an answer? London Underground tells us the Central Line is already at capacity and they can't take lots more passengers.

I am just scratching the surface. People are living longer and we are living in smaller family units. That means we need more homes just for our existing population. As demands for housing outstrips supply, property prices go up. How will our children afford to buy homes of their own in Epping Forest? Should they be forced to move away? If we want to be looked after in our old-age, we need to provide space for younger people. Who will sweep your street and take your rubbish away if the price of local housing prevents your dustman living locally? What planning policies should we have to protect us from unsuitable developments.

Our district cannot stand still. At present this Council has a mixture of planning policies from the Adopted 1998 Local Plan, and the Adopted 2006 Local Plan Alterations, in force. These have worked well to protect our district but these expired in 2011 and we need to update them. As such we have been out there talking to people and listening to their views. We have incorporated all this information into a “ Issues and Options Document”. The Council will publish the consultation on 30 July. This is a starting place where we need residents and business view. We are asking fundamental questions about how much future development we want and where it should go. No decisions have been made and we want people to read the consultation, understand the options we have compiled, ask us questions and give us their views. If anyone has an option or suggestion which they believe would be a benefit let us know and we will consider it.

It is easy to knock councils but don't forget councillors are also local residents. So are many of the staff at the council. The process is set down in government guidance and there are various stages of consultation. Each feeds into the next phase. Some other councils, ahead of us in the process, have come a cropper by not following the guidance. Developers and other people have challenged them at the Examination in Public and their Local Plans have been thrown out leaving those councils much more vulnerable to inappropriate development. We are not in the pockets of developers and the new Local Plan will be our best defence against unwarranted development. So please use the process constructively. Feed your comments into the consultation and help us build the best Local Plan we can.

Councillor Richard Bassett
Planning Portfolio Holder - Epping Forest District Council

EFDC's consultation on the St John's Road site in Epping was a masterclass in how not to run a consultation or engage with the public. It's left many people distrustful of EFDC, and many people are nervous of the yet-to-be-released response to the consultation.

EFDC must not make the same mistakes again. All relevant information must be published and presented in clear language. The council needs to make transparency and engagement its core values - well-presented exhibitions and plenty of opportunities for residents to talk to councillors, officers and each other at public meetings or drop-in sessions. Regular updates from EFDC throughout this important process will be crucial rather than leaving residents and businesses guessing at what's going on.

Cllr Bassett rightly reminds us that councillor and officers live here too. They know what's going on and it's their responsibility not to forget that the rest of us live here too and have a right to be informed about and participate as fully as possible in this important process.

Well I am speechless, which takes some doing!

How typical of Conservative-control
led EFDC is this, hire a consultant who has no idea about the area (they are based in North London) and come up with, for want of a better word, a stupid plan.

We saw this during the Gypsy consultation, didn’t we; back then it was plans to turn peoples gardens into Gypsy camps, now its plans to turn heavily used car parks into blocks of flats.

For my part I will be putting in a Freedom of Information (FoI) request with EFDC to see how much the consultation by Nathaniel Litchfield and Partners has cost the taxpayer so far, and will also be writing to Transport for London (TfL) to ask them what they think of the plans for their car parks.

I won’t even try to respond to Cllr Bassett’s statement, it would run into too many pages! Totally agree with the comments made by pm1234 and Miss Magoo.

The Epping Forest District Council wrote:
PM1234 may be surprised to learn that councillors and planners at Epping Forest District Council share many of the same concerns.

We live in one of the driest regions in the Country. The demand for new housing and economic development is restricted by basic resource issues such as water supply. Our community needs enough school places for our children. Should it build more schools in new housing estates or expand existing schools, towns and villages? Our roads are not designed for the huge amount of modern-day traffic. Should we build new roads, widen existing roads or try to restrict the growth in car ownership by making fewer parking spaces available in new developments? Perhaps public transport can provide an answer? London Underground tells us the Central Line is already at capacity and they can't take lots more passengers.

I am just scratching the surface. People are living longer and we are living in smaller family units. That means we need more homes just for our existing population. As demands for housing outstrips supply, property prices go up. How will our children afford to buy homes of their own in Epping Forest? Should they be forced to move away? If we want to be looked after in our old-age, we need to provide space for younger people. Who will sweep your street and take your rubbish away if the price of local housing prevents your dustman living locally? What planning policies should we have to protect us from unsuitable developments.

Our district cannot stand still. At present this Council has a mixture of planning policies from the Adopted 1998 Local Plan, and the Adopted 2006 Local Plan Alterations, in force. These have worked well to protect our district but these expired in 2011 and we need to update them. As such we have been out there talking to people and listening to their views. We have incorporated all this information into a “ Issues and Options Document”. The Council will publish the consultation on 30 July. This is a starting place where we need residents and business view. We are asking fundamental questions about how much future development we want and where it should go. No decisions have been made and we want people to read the consultation, understand the options we have compiled, ask us questions and give us their views. If anyone has an option or suggestion which they believe would be a benefit let us know and we will consider it.

It is easy to knock councils but don't forget councillors are also local residents. So are many of the staff at the council. The process is set down in government guidance and there are various stages of consultation. Each feeds into the next phase. Some other councils, ahead of us in the process, have come a cropper by not following the guidance. Developers and other people have challenged them at the Examination in Public and their Local Plans have been thrown out leaving those councils much more vulnerable to inappropriate development. We are not in the pockets of developers and the new Local Plan will be our best defence against unwarranted development. So please use the process constructively. Feed your comments into the consultation and help us build the best Local Plan we can.

Councillor Richard Bassett
Planning Portfolio Holder - Epping Forest District Council

Dear Councillor Richard Basset

Obviously you might assume I am thick and can not work out that councillors might share concerns but I am aware that they might.

The big problem is that many people feel that this is all a forgone conclusion.

You might share the same concerns but at the end of the day you will bow down to party and council directives, you are acting as a councillor with concern not a resident, residents do not have to consider anything except give their opinion, that is what a process of consultation is. By immediately jumping to the defence of what some of the electorate are questioning you have put yourself in a position of selling and defending the consultation and as such we all know your position is clear.

You make a clear case that our infrastructure is at maximum capacity, I agree, so do others. My point is that maybe that's enough. We pay our taxes and our dues and expect the services we pay for so yes repair the roads that is what you are meant to do.

Invest in upgrading services that is what we expect and pay for.

Sort out parking permits that residents are calling for, its not hard give council tax payers one permit per household and maybe charge for the second, that's a fair compromise in my personal opinion.

Having places for our children to go to school is again expected and what people pay for through their taxes. It is the councils job (county) to make sure we get it. I notice the conservative trend is to turn our schools into businesses, sorry academies with less accountability.

As for local jobs for local workers dont even have the audacity to go there with that one, if local people are lucky enough to get jobs with the multi-national companies that councils sub-contract out to then that is by luck rather than design.

Has anyone dared to consider that we might not want any major developments at all? Is that an option? I doubt it.

I mentioned in my post about a consultation in Debden in 2008 that really went no-where and here we are gain with many of the same issues still not sorted out.

The picture you paint of Epping Forest falling by the wayside with no one left to sweep our streets is a bit over dramatic and sensationalist. The housing market depends on may other variables apart from a consultation about where we put the homes that your parties government is telling us we must have.

The question really is why during the run up to elections you all promise everything yet when you get elected you tell us you face the same concerns yet end up as spokespersons for the council and defend the councils directions and actions.

I would have more respect if you admitted that there is nothing we can do about it, its going to happen anyway,its government directives but there are a few small choices that you are allowed in the smokescreen that we call democracy so here they are.

People should take care what they wish for the controlled parking. All it does is move the issue slightly further down the road while introducing a different set of issues for those who live in the zone. Loughton seems keen to introduce a zone North of the tube - it is somewhat obvious what the impact of this would be on areas South of the tube.

Clearly no one is going to build on the car parks - not until they are no longer used.

I haven't read all of these comments, but I fully intend to when I have 5 mins. But my gut reaction is that this is laughable. I moved to Epping 10 years ago and when I did we had no issues with parking in my road, which is a 10 minute walk from the station. When EFDC in their wisdom decided to put contolled parking in to the surrounding area (Centre Drive) they managed to push the commuter parking into the side roads. Roads that are not designed to take heavy traffic/parking which has the effect of blocking clear views of the roads for pedestrians etc and with commuter parking that is dangerous and a hinderance to emergency vehicles. There are many elderly residents of the roads around Epping station andI witness these residents having to put their bins out whenever they go out so that they are able to park near their house when they return. This isn't out of selfishness it is because they are unable to walk long distances. When they decided to consult on further parking schemes covering these side roads they have systematically cocked up such consultation to the effect of completely ignoring my road. I know that sounds like a NIMBY reaction, but I do not apologise. The car park at Epping is over used as it is. Epping Council should be liaising with London Underground to design and construct a multi storey car park to deal with the level of commutor parking. Or provide a park and ride scheme. If they build houses on the car park it stands to reason that the existing cars will need to find somewhere else to park. Why does epping have to grow? It is a lovely town just the way it is. Expansion is not alway the answer!! The planning authorities should be identifying brown field sites and existing unoccupied stock that can be utilised. This should be central government issue where by a central register of all disused stock can be monitored and utilised!!

The Epping Forest District Council wrote:
PM1234 may be surprised to learn that councillors and planners at Epping Forest District Council share many of the same concerns.

We live in one of the driest regions in the Country. The demand for new housing and economic development is restricted by basic resource issues such as water supply. Our community needs enough school places for our children. Should it build more schools in new housing estates or expand existing schools, towns and villages? Our roads are not designed for the huge amount of modern-day traffic. Should we build new roads, widen existing roads or try to restrict the growth in car ownership by making fewer parking spaces available in new developments? Perhaps public transport can provide an answer? London Underground tells us the Central Line is already at capacity and they can't take lots more passengers.

I am just scratching the surface. People are living longer and we are living in smaller family units. That means we need more homes just for our existing population. As demands for housing outstrips supply, property prices go up. How will our children afford to buy homes of their own in Epping Forest? Should they be forced to move away? If we want to be looked after in our old-age, we need to provide space for younger people. Who will sweep your street and take your rubbish away if the price of local housing prevents your dustman living locally? What planning policies should we have to protect us from unsuitable developments.

Our district cannot stand still. At present this Council has a mixture of planning policies from the Adopted 1998 Local Plan, and the Adopted 2006 Local Plan Alterations, in force. These have worked well to protect our district but these expired in 2011 and we need to update them. As such we have been out there talking to people and listening to their views. We have incorporated all this information into a “ Issues and Options Document”. The Council will publish the consultation on 30 July. This is a starting place where we need residents and business view. We are asking fundamental questions about how much future development we want and where it should go. No decisions have been made and we want people to read the consultation, understand the options we have compiled, ask us questions and give us their views. If anyone has an option or suggestion which they believe would be a benefit let us know and we will consider it.

It is easy to knock councils but don't forget councillors are also local residents. So are many of the staff at the council. The process is set down in government guidance and there are various stages of consultation. Each feeds into the next phase. Some other councils, ahead of us in the process, have come a cropper by not following the guidance. Developers and other people have challenged them at the Examination in Public and their Local Plans have been thrown out leaving those councils much more vulnerable to inappropriate development. We are not in the pockets of developers and the new Local Plan will be our best defence against unwarranted development. So please use the process constructively. Feed your comments into the consultation and help us build the best Local Plan we can.

Councillor Richard Bassett
Planning Portfolio Holder - Epping Forest District Council

I would suggest that Cllr Bassett check the register of interest for his colleagues on the various planning committees which may cause him to rethink the impartiality of a number colleagues. I, for one, firmly believe that there are number of councillors doing very nicely on the back of unpopular local developments!

No doubt the ludicrous idea of building on station car parks is there simply to get people to accept the loss of GREEN BELT.We don't need more building we need control of immigration