Challenges to Epsom and Ewell Council’s Handling of Local Plan
In a scathing critique of Epsom and Ewell Borough Council’s approach to its Local Plan, the campaign group Epsom Green Belt has raised serious concerns over the Council’s progress and commitment to protecting the borough’s Green Belt. At the heart of the dispute is the Local Plan, a critical document that will guide housing development in the borough for years to come.
The Local Plan, which is due to be discussed by the Council’s Licensing and Planning Policy Committee (LPPC) in November, has already seen delays and escalating costs, with the process becoming increasingly opaque. Epsom Green Belt has criticised what it describes as a lack of meaningful debate and oversight by councillors, with much of the decision-making seemingly in the hands of unelected officers.
“Local democracy has been sidelined,” claimed the group, pointing to cancelled LPPC meetings and limited discussion on key issues. Despite requests from councillors for further debate on the plan, many of these have gone unaddressed, the group alleges. As one councillor noted, “essential discussions have been absent from the Licensing and Planning Policy Committee agendas.”
In an LPPC meeting on 24th September, the situation escalated when RA councillors unanimously voted down two motions that sought to debate the Local Plan’s contents ahead of November and protect high-performing Green Belt sites. Only a single councillor, Cllr Kieran Persand (Conservative Horton), voted in favour of protecting Green Belt boundaries. “This touches on the very essence of democratic accountability,” Cllr Persand remarked, expressing his frustration at the lack of debate.
The Council’s CEO, Jackie King, added further concern by indicating that significant changes to the Local Plan at this stage could lead to delays and risk the transitional arrangements deadline being missed. This has left many questioning whether the Council will have sufficient time to incorporate any feedback from councillors or the public before the plan goes to the Planning Inspector for review. As Cllr Julie Morris (Lib Dem College) put it, the Council’s conduct has been “absolutely appalling” and the timeline leaves “no time really sensibly to make any change” by November.
The Epsom Green Belt group is particularly alarmed by the potential threat to Green Belt land. The group argues that while all councillors claim to support Green Belt protection, the voting record tells a different story. If high-performing sites such as Horton Farm, Priest Hill, and the field to the East of Noble Park are included in the Local Plan, it warns, “that trust will be lost.”
The November meeting will be a decisive moment for the future of Epsom’s Green Belt and the wider development strategy. “Residents are in the dark,” says the group, adding that it remains unclear what exactly will be included in the Local Plan. Time, it seems, is running out.
Time will tell whether residents’ concerns are reflected in the final Local Plan or if, as one councillor warned, it will be “too late to make a difference.”
See press release of Epsom Green Belt
