It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of a friend and environmental activist, John Seaston, in September 2024. A beloved and respected member of the Epsom Green Belt Group, he was a vigorous campaigner for green issues and threw himself into protecting Epsom & Ewell’s Green Belt. He presented at council meetings to save the Green Belt, impressing councillors with his knowledge and analysis of housing requirements and how to achieve these whilst saving the environment.
Our thoughts are with his wife and son who we hope are comforted by the knowledge that John leaves an enduring legacy of his passion to protect the natural world. He will be sorely missed. John was an active member of Mole Valley and Epsom & Ewell Green Party. John was also active in orienteering and cycling on and around Epsom Common.
John initiated a competition in May 2024 for local schools for art and writing. The theme of the competition was “Save the borough’s Green Belt”.
Epsom & Ewell Borough Council has one of the ten oldest, and most out-of-date local plans in the country, dating back to July 2007. Renewing the local plan has suffered years of delays and setbacks, putting the borough firmly in the sites of central government.
If Angela Rayner’s proposals for planning policy changes are rolled out in December as expected, the Borough’s housing targets will more than quadruple from the 181 dwellings per annum required to be delivered under the current ‘Core Strategy 2007’, to 817 dwellings per annum. This would result in Epsom & Ewell growing by 50% over the plan period, fundamentally changing its character and resulting in ever increasing traffic jams and a lack of infrastructure and facilities such as schools and GPs.
Epsom only has enough available brownfield land for approximately 4.5 years of building at Rayner’s proposed target rate. Once this brownfield land is used up, Green Belt land will need to be sacrificed at a rate of over 20ha per year to meet this target. That’s equivalent to an area of over 50 football pitches every single year.
Councillors have recognised that the proposed housing target is much too high, writing to Angela Rayner on 13 September 2024 stating ‘these new numbers are immense and could destroy our historic district and market town.’
In the latest edition of the Ewell Village Residents Association, councillors have also acknowledged that, if they don’t submit a revised Local Plan to the planning inspector by early January 2025 using the existing planning rules and targets, they will need to significantly rework the Local Plan proposals over the following 6 months to meet the astronomical new targets. If this happens, none of the Green Belt would be safe.
If the draft Local Plan is not submitted for review to the Planning Inspector by early January, there will be very serious implications for the borough:
A mandatory housing target of 817 dwellings per year will be applied
The council will have to identify hundreds of hectares of Green Belt land, allowing building on all available land across the borough.
The cost of the Local Plan, already £1.37m above the original budget, will increase significantly as considerable further work will be required.
The, already very out-of-date current local plan will be extended for a further period during which speculative development will increase.
There is a solution. Or at least the possibility of a stay of execution.
After years of delays to the Local Plan process, including another 11-month delay approved in November 2023, the council should now claw a month or two back and accelerate the public consultation and submission to the planning inspector.
It is still possible for the council to delay the impact of Ms Rayner’s proposals if the draft Local Plan is issued for the 6-week consultation before the end of October 2024, and then submitted to the planning inspector in early January 2025.
Other councils have taken these steps. For instance, Winchester council stated ‘Given the advanced stage of work that the new Local Plan has reached, and the significant delay and cost if matters are not expedited at this juncture, Officers therefore have recommended that the new Local Plan be approved by Cabinet and the Council for publication and then submitted for examination as soon as practically possible.’ Their plan subsequently went out to consultation in late August, giving them a chance to beat the deadline.
Other councils, such as St Albans and Uttlesford District Council have progressed similar steps. St Albans Council have taken the unusual approach of opening the 6 week consultation on their draft Local Plan, on 26 September 2024, before obtaining full council approval, scheduled for 16 October. This makes sense, as the consultation results do not impact the Local Plan that is to be submitted for inspection, so the two activities can be undertaken concurrently to save precious time in the process.
At the 24 Sept 2024 LPPC committee meeting, Residents Association councillors assured residents that they were doing all they can ‘to preserve and protect the Green Belt’, with Cllr Goldman (RA) asking residents to ‘trust us’.
This being the case, the council should focus all their efforts on issuing the draft Local Plan for consultation by the end of October to save time, save money and save the borough from the destruction foreseen by Cllr Dallen in his letter to Angela Rayner. Residents will trust councillors to do the right thing if they see those councillors getting on and doing it.
20th November 2024, the 10 members of the Licencing Policy Planning Committee (LPPC) will vote whether to approve the Local Plan to submit to Full Council.
10th December 2024, the Full Council of 35 councillors will vote whether to approve the Local Plan.
December 2024, Angela Rayner’s new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) due to be set in concrete (Communities unable to block planning).
Please email your Ward councillors, LPPC councillors and senior Council Officers ASAP requesting that they take action now to start Regulation 19, issue the consultation and complete the Local Plan process.
LPPC Councillors:
Peter O’Donovan (Chair) – Ewell Court (RA) – po’donovan@epsom-ewell.gov.uk Neil Dallen (Vice-Chair) – Town (RA) – ndallen@epsom-ewell.gov.uk Robert Leach – Nonsuch (RA) – rleach@epsom-ewell.gov.uk Rob Geleit – Court (Labour) – rgeleit@epsom-ewell.gov.uk Shanice Goldman – Nonsuch (RA) – sGoldman@epsom-ewell.gov.uk Julie Morris – College (Lib Dem) – jmorris@epsom-ewell.gov.uk Phil Neale – Cuddington (RA) – pneale@epsom-ewell.gov.uk Kieran Persand – Horton (Conservative) – kPersand@epsom-ewell.gov.uk Humphrey Reynolds – West Ewell (RA) – hreynolds@epsom-ewell.gov.uk Clive Woodbridge – Ewell Village (RA) – cwoodbridge@epsom-ewell.gov.uk
Regulation 19 is part of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012. It says that, before submitting a draft Local Plan to the Government’s Planning Inspectorate for independent examination, the Council must publish a draft of the Local Plan and formally invite comments (known as representations) on it. This version of the Local Plan is known as the Publication Plan.
The Regulations make clear that the Council must inform and invite representations / comments, not just from consultation bodies like the Environment Agency, Natural England and Historic England, but also from residents and businesses in the area covered by the Local Plan. The Regulation 19 consultation no longer seeks views on alternative options, but instead presents the opportunity to comment on the content of the Local Plan, within a specific remit. The focus/sole purpose for this consultation relates to receiving representations on:
Legal Compliance – does the plan meet the legal requirements made under various statutes? Soundness – has the plan been positively prepared, justified, effective, and consistent with national policy? Meets the Duty to Cooperate – has the Council engaged and worked effectively with neighbouring authorities and statutory bodies?
Information provided by E&EBC showing that for Local Plan external consultants fees alone, Epsom and Ewell Borough Council has so far spent £513k. This is excluding Planning Officers’ salary, which if included, the Council would have spent way over £1 million* already on the Local Plan. Sadly the Local Plan is still at early stage and future spending is likely to be high.
Unfortunately, some of the external reports are of poor quality with errors, some reports have conflicting information, and some reports are even suspected of Greenwashing in order to justify large and unusual development proposals of Green Belt lands.
According to Council’s document, Planning Officers’ salary are between £50k-£60k/year. Council has at least 5 officers, and assuming each officer spent 30% of their time on Local Plan, for the past 6 years, Council would have spent over £500k on Local Plan officers’ salaries.
The total spend on external services from 1st April 2016 until the 15 April 2023 was £513,214.83. This was split into two phases.
April 2016 – December 2021
Local Plan consultancy was £262,519.29 ( £3,861 per month )
Consultancy 2016-21 was £88,541 ( 33.7% ) Strategy 2016-21 was £45,626 ( 17.4% ) Studies 2016-21 was £119,788 (45.6% ) Publishing 2016-21 was £8,564 ( 3.3% )
There were 13 different external suppliers for Phase 1. The largest suppliers were Atkins Ltd ( £36,472 ) followed by Luther Pendragon ( £16,557 ).
January 2022 – April 2023
Support for Draft Local Plan was £250,695.54 ( £16,713 per month )
Consultancy 2012-23 was £127,736 (51.1% ) Strategy 2012-23 was zero Studies 2012-23 was £88,252 ( 35.3% ) Publishing 2012-23 was £34,044 ( 13.6% )
There were 11 different external suppliers for Phase 2. The largest suppliers were David Lock Associates ( £99,768 ) followed by GL Hearne ( £47,890 ). The spending on Publishing is excessive, which covered Graphic Design, Social Media, Printing
The budget and content of the Local Plan were approved by the Licensing and Planning Policy Committee. The Local Plan was approved for public consultation by the Licensing and Planning Policy Committee in Monday 30th Jan 2023. The meeting was attended by the councillors listed below. The decision was unanimous.
Councillor Steven McCormick (Chair) RA Councillor Peter O’Donovan (Vice Chair) RA Councillor Steve Bridger RA Councillor Neil Dallen RA Councillor Liz Frost RA Councillor Rob Geleit Lab Councillor Julie Morris Lib Dem Councillor Barry Nash RA Councillor Phil Neale RA Councillor Peter Webb RA Councillor Kate Chinn Lab
On 4th May 2023, more than 8,000 seats will be contested at 230 councils across England.
In the Borough of Epsom & Ewell there are changes to the boundaries of some wards. The number of councillors per ward has also changed in some wards. Please see the link below.
There are candidates from several political parties in each ward. The views are different of each party on the Local Pan and building on Green Belt and Green Field sites,
Conservative
Green Party
Labour
Liberal Democrats
Residents Associations
How can I vote?
in person at your polling station
by post
by nominating a proxy to vote on your behalf
Voters (and proxies) must be::-
aged 18 or over
registered at an address in the area where they want to vote
a British citizen, an Irish or EU citizen or eligible Commonwealth citizen
not legally excluded from voting
Rules vary so voters should read their ballot paper carefully.
Voters usually have one vote for each available seat in an election area (known as a ward or division). Large wards may have several seats.
You will need ID to vote in this election
If you’re voting at a polling station in England on 4 May, you’ll need to take photo ID with you. Check if your ID is accepted.
Accepted forms of photo ID
You can use any of the following accepted forms of photo ID when voting at a polling station.
International travel :-
Passport issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state or a Commonwealth country
Driving and Parking :-
Driving licence issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state (this includes a provisional driving licence)
A Blue Badge
Local travel :-
Older Person’s Bus Pass funded by the Government of the United Kingdom
Disabled Person’s Bus Pass funded by the Government of the United Kingdom
Oyster 60+ Card funded by the Government of the United Kingdom
Freedom Pass
Proof of age
Identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (a PASS card)
Other government issued documents
Biometric immigration document
Ministry of Defence Form 90 (Defence Identity Card)
National identity card issued by an EEA state
Voter Authority Certificate
Anonymous Elector’s Document
You will only need to show one form of photo ID. It needs to be the original version and not a photocopy.
The table below shows how each councillor voted at the Extraordinary Council Meeting on 22nd March 2023. There were 8 absentees, only 4 votes against the motion for the meeting to pause the Local Plan. Members of the public may use the information when making the decision on how to cast their votes in the Council Elections that are expected to be on 4th May 2023.
#epsomandewell #localplan #greenbelt
Many thanks to What’s On in Surrey for the use of the image with the PAUSED message,
PRINCE CHARMING WAKES UP EPSOM COUNCIL OVER GREEN BELT
Not since Prince Charming woke Cinderella from a long slumber with a kiss, has there been such a momentous wake up call .
#epsomandewell #localplan #greenbelt
Last night, (March 22), at an Extraordinary Meeting of Epsom & Ewell Borough Council, the ruling group of Residents Association councillors were presented with a charming masterclass in resident democracy by Cllr Eber Kington (RA).
Outside, over 100 residents demonstrated against Green Belt destruction again, and a further 50 packed the Public Gallery to witness the councillors’ deliberations
As a result of Cllr Kington’s special motion, backed by six colleagues, the full council voted by 20-4 (with one abstention) to pause the Draft Local Plan, which proposed that over 40% of all new builds by 2040 , some 2,175 homes, should be built on five Green Belt sites in the Borough.
Such was the impact of resident alarm over a Plan put forward, unchallenged, by the Council’s Licensing and Planning Committee, that a record 10,000 petition was signed, over 1,500 individual written consultation representations were made, and large demonstrations were held in the town centre and Town Hall.
Cllr Kington reminded his colleagues that they had “to take notice of what our residents think, and a short pause will allow the planners to review further all brownfield housing opportunities, and take account of key government planning reforms, expected by end May. Using updated population data and not needing to review Green Belt for housing might mean a housing figure of 207 a year which can be accommodated by existing allocations on brownfield sites”
His remarks were backed up by motion seconder Cllr Christine Howells who said
“This Council cannot leave a legacy of destruction of our great Green Belt asset and should support the wider climate change and biodiversity agenda closer to home”
Other parties represented on the Council all backed a Plan pause, and noted that Local Elections in May would bring a sharp focus to the debate.
Councils around the country are now pausing their Plans, and local boroughs like Elmbridge, Kingston and Mole Valley are not intending to use Green Belt land.
The four voting against included the Licensing and Planning Committee chair Cllr Steven McCormick and vice-chair CllrPeter O’Donovan, who warned that there could be less development protection without a current Local Plan, and some Government planning reforms might not happen until 2024. One by one, however, the other RA councillors had their Cinderella moment, with Cllr Chris Frost concluding “We do need a Local Plan, but we need an acceptable plan, so let’s act like an RA council, and listen to the residents”
After the vote, Epsom and Ewell Green Belt Group campaigner Ms Yufan Si said “With the Local Plan likely to be obsolete in a couple of months, a pause makes sense, but we shall be asking the new Council in May to go further, and confirm its policy opposition to all Green Belt development in the borough, unless made mandatory by Government to meet imposed housing targets. We will ask all councillors standing to declare their policy commitment to Green Belt protection”
Tim Murphy, chair , Epsom’s branch , CPRE, said of the pause “Whatever the precise wording of the motion, I think it would be extremely difficult for a revised version of the Local Plan to be published in the future with any significant Green Belt loss”
The story may, or may not, end with everyone living happily thereafter.
Epsom’s Largest Ever Petition tops 10,000 signatories against Green Belt Development, yet “head in sand” Council refuse to acknowledge it, say angry residents
A petition launched against the inclusion of Green Belt sites for housing in Epsom and Ewell Borough Council’s Draft Local Plan has now topped 10,000 signatories, ( as at March 16 ). Believed to be the largest ever petition response to any policy change in the borough, this record petition continues to attract signatures daily.
Some 2,175 homes are proposed in five Green Belt sites in Epsom and Ewell’s Draft Plan, as “not enough” capacity can be found on priority brownfield sites, claim the Council. This represents over 40% of the total 5,400 new homes proposed.
Residents are furious that, under the EEBC constitution, the petition has continued to be considered unacceptable by the Council, with “local development plans” excluded as a permitted petitioner policy subject.
The petition has been organised by Epsom & Ewell Green Belt group, and campaign leader Yufan Si said, “It goes against natural democracy to ban certain petition subjects, but this Council – controlled by Resident Association councillors- appears to have its head in the sand over its residents’ views.”
“We have already forced a change in the Council’s Constitution which actually banned Public Questions at Council Committee Meetings that related to any current Agenda item. The absurdity of this position has now been acknowledged and changed from May 4. We now ask EEBC’s Constitution Committee to review the validity of petition bans, as it is obvious in this case that the Council are seriously out of step with a huge swathe of residents’ concerns over Green Belt loss .”
An Extraordinary full Council meeting has now been fixed for March 22 to debate a motion to pause the Plan until new government planning guidelines are confirmed in May, following an intervention by Cllr Eber Kington and other councillors.
With Draft Local Plan public consultation comments due in by this Sunday, 19th March, residents can complete a consultation response on https://epsom-ewell.inconsult.uk/ The petition can be seen on https://www.epsomgreenbelt.org clicking on Petition tab.
Due to the unprecedented levels of objections from E&EBC residents, a special Council Meeting to review the Local Plan has been called.
CALL FOR ACTION:
1) Special Council meeting will be held on Wednesday 22nd March @7:30pm at Epsom Town Hall, The Parade, Epsom, KT18 5BY 2) Please email democraticservices@epsom-ewell.gov.uk to attend in person and ask a question 3) Please also arrive early at 6:50pm in front of Town Hall (Car Park side) for a Public Demonstration(bring your own placards).
Keep Epsom & Ewell Green Belt 