Radio Jackie News banner

107.8 Radio Jackie - Bulletins aired each hour



Tuesday 31 January 2023

Five greenbelt sites have been put forward for development by Epsom and Ewell Borough Council.










The authority made the proposal at a public meeting last night in a bid to build more than 2,000 homes. 

More than 100 people turned up at the town hall last night to protest the plans. 

The Draft Local Plan will be published tomorrow which is when a public consultation on the proposals will also be launched. 

Of the nine “preferred option” sites in the plan, five are green belt sites, on which it is proposed to build 2,175 houses which is over 41% of the total of 5,400 proposed up to 2040. 

Mole Valley voted to remove all Green Belt from its Local Plan, and Elmbridge avoided all Green Belt areas by focusing on smaller 1-5 house brownfield sites, none of which are listed in Epsom’s Local Plan. Campaigners had hoped that EEBC would follow suit. 

“We are furious that the RA controlled council did not fight to keep Epsom’s special character and Green Belt heritage, as is permitted under clear emerging government planning policy” said local resident Yufan Si, for the Keep Epsom and Ewell Green Belt “ There is no clear idea of where any of the much needed social infrastructure, will come from, from schools to doctors’ surgeries, as both councillors and planners admitted in the meeting”.

There was one spot of good news for the residents as the 110 acre Downs Farm on the Reigate Road was not included in the final list.

Epsom and Ewell Borough Council statement: 

The Draft Local Plan has been developed through a robust and extensive evidenced-based approach. We believe it provides a framework for the borough to grow in a strong and positive way, so everyone will have the opportunity to live in an affordable, vibrant area with a growing economy. 

 Every borough is different, and our approach in developing our Draft Local Plan has been closely focused on our own borough’s needs, opportunities and constraints. These differ from other boroughs, and it is vital that we address critical issues in Epsom & Ewell such as the need for affordable housing. The Draft Local Plan will provide a significant number of affordable homes for current residents including local families and keyworkers, and it will protect the ability of our young people to afford homes in the future. Not only that; it will help us to meet the needs of residents who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. 

 The Draft Local Plan takes a ‘brownfield first’ approach and seeks to make as much use as possible of existing suitable brownfield sites. However, these alone do not provide sufficient sites and therefore the Draft Plan does propose a small percentage of Green Belt release. This has not been an easy decision, but without following this course of action, we would not be doing enough to help meet the housing needs of local people now and in the future. 

 The Draft Local Plan is our starting point. The upcoming public consultation is critical in the development of the Local Plan and we urge those who live, work, visit or study in Epsom & Ewell to give their views. The consultation opens on Wednesday 1 February and will be accessible through our website at www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk, with hard copies also available in public libraries and the Town Hall.” - Councillor Steven McCormick, Chair of the Licensing and Planning Policy Committee.


posted by Radio Jackie News Team @ 4:12 pm  

Top of Radio Jackie News page here.

RJ Home button

One of many reasons why we are so useful to South West London... our very own news team bringing you stories that are relevant to you and your area.
If you have a press release or would like to send in news then pop off an e-mail to [email protected]

radio Jackie News Twitter
Follow Jackie News at twitter.com/jackie_news.

Listen to Jackie's latest News and Travel
Radio Jackie Latest News  Radio Jackie Latest Travel
News Team - - Local news 24 hours a day

news reader
Lucy Mayer
Lucy is the News and Travel Editor. Find out more about her on the Presenters page.

news reader
Luke Williams
Luke spends his free time playing synthesisers and watching old sitcoms. Journalism helps remind him of the 21st century.

news reader
Chloe Norman
Chloe presents both news and travel - find out more about her on the Presenters page.

news reader
Alex Loveridge
Alex loves watching tennis at Surbiton and Wimbledon and also plays a bit too. He swims at Richmond, but not in the Thames.

news reader
Mike Oban
Mike enjoys playing and watching sports and is a budding football coach.

news reader
Jacqui Kerr
Jacqui enjoys all sports and has had a go at most! She loves talking, current affairs, music, and walking her polar-bear-sized dog.

news reader
David Walker
David´s philosophy is you only live once so go out and grab every opportunity no matter how small.

news reader
John Beesley
John lives in Hounslow. He enjoys beer and singing with barbershop quartets and choruses, though not necessarily in that order.

news reader
Clare Whitehead
Clare is a playwright, an experienced voiceover artist and the narrator of several audio books. She loves dogs and ballet!

news reader
Jiji Ahn
Jiji can often be found visiting galleries, trying new cuisines and researching the latest trends and stories.

news reader
Holly Carnegie
Holly presents both news and travel - find out more about her on the Presenters page.

news reader
Alex Duke
Alex loves watching football, but also enjoys tennis and Formula One. He swims and hikes regularly and is a self-confessed history nerd.

news reader
Megan McElroy
Megan grew up in SW London and is interested in all things news.

news reader
Roshni Chouhan
Roshni loves playing tennis and everything related to music. SHe has been told she has a hidden talent mastering accents.
If you are researching a news story from the past our archive goes back over many years.
Please email [email protected] with any enquiries.