EPPING: Permission granted for 132 new homes

3:06pm Thursday 13th November 2008

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CONTROVERSIAL plans to build 132 homes on old hospital land have finally been granted.

Bellway Homes has been looking to build on the site of Saint Margaret’s Hospital, in The Plain, Epping, for some time and had an application for a 351 home development rejected in June this year.

The new scheme drew almost universal agreement as an improvement but still faced opposition from the City of London, Epping Town Council and many local residents.

Speaking at the district council’s planning committee, town councillor Ken Avey said: “This development when completed will cause the town of Epping more harm than good, and my council has raised concerns about the lack of highway car parking offered and car parks for all day parking at the underground station.

“However, my council have reluctantly agreed not to object to this application, but we do request that something should be done to mitigate these problems as soon as possible.

Bellway Homes spokesman Michael Smith said: “The [previous] refusal was based on reasons of design and I think we can all say a 60 per cent reduction goes a long way to reducing those problems. This is an excellent site and Bellway is very keen to build on it, even in the current climate.”

Councillors were unanimous in their approval of the new design.

Council leader Di Collins said: “This is a huge improvement on what we had before. I think the residents of Epping have worked well to lower the number of houses. We do need more houses in Epping and whether you like it or not many of our younger families cannot find housing.”

Speaking to the Guardian after the meeting Jeanette Goatcher, of The Plain, who chaired the campaign group Plainly Say No, said she accepted the compromise decision, but maintained the development would be bad for the town.

She said: “It won’t be good. There’ll be too much traffic, schools packed, shops packed. The whole process has been about finding a compromise. I’m sure the people of Epping, to be perfectly honest, say no they didn’t want the development at all. It is a historic town it does have infrastructure and other problems and it’s pretty packed out.

“It’s obviously a huge improvement on the previous application of 351 homes. Various aspects have been changed for the better. Some still need improvement, but we’ve been reasonably successful.

“I think the campaign has done a great deal and made an awful lot of difference. It’s a victory of a sort.”