3 March 2010

www.easypark-theydonbois.co.uk/

Loughton Residents Association in their publication Loughton Life have said;
'Do you use the Central Line? Can you get a seat in the morning at Loughton? Can you get on in the evening at Bank or Holborn? Well, your daily commute may become even more miserable if the latest "bright idea" comes to fruition - the construction of large car parks at the end of the Central Line.

Among the schemes that have been suggested - some by Conservative councillors from the rural parts of Epping Forest - are making Epping Station car park double or triple decked, providing a mega-park-and- ride at North Weald Aerodrome, letting private developers develop green belt fields at Theydon Bois, and tarmacing council-owned green spaces such as at Torrington Drive, Debden. Increasing the length or frequency of trains is not an option because the system is at capacity.

The seating capacity of a Central Line train is 288. Car parks at Loughton and beyond have a capacity of 1,059 vehicles, which at 1.5 persons per car would give 1,600 people or nearly six trainloads. There are already lots of people travelling by car to the Underground from all over Essex, Suffolk, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. Encouraging people to drive long distances to stations at the north end of the Central Line would mean Loughton residents would not be able to get a seat in the morning.

LRA has resisted this sort of thing before and successfully helped defeat a planning application for parking in a field next to Theydon Bois station. We have pressed for the exclusion of commuters from residential streets and we will continue to resist thoughtless proposals from outsiders who know little of the realities of life for thousands of commuters in Loughton. '

11th AUGUST 2009

** SIDELL GIBSON CROUCH BUTLER, THE REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE APPELLANT, PARKENG LIMITED, HAS WITHDRAWN THE APPEAL AGAINST THE REFUSAL OF PLANNING PERMISSION FOR THE COMMUTER CAR PARK.**



The Planning Inspctorate has announced that their inspector will be holding an inquiry into the refusal of the commuter car park by Parkeng Ltd on 20th October 2009. It will commence at 10am at the Civic Offices, 323 High Street, Epping, reference APP/J1535/A/09/2102000/NWF


Site plan of proposed car park;


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28th May TBAG response to the Planning Inspectorate;

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Click here to download this file

25th May

This is your last chance to oppose the development of a 350 space, twice the size of Debden, commuter car park behind Theydon Bois station. If you have not done so already and value the Green Belt and its contribution to the character of our village please write to the Planning Inspectorate by 28th May.

The Planning Inspectorate,
Room 3/16 Eagle Wing,
Temple Quay,
Bristol, BS1 6PN
Reference APP/J1535/A/09/2102000/NWF

The developers behind this venture are the same team that have permanently scarred Blunts Farm. They are confident of winning the appeal as they have the support of many commuters who do not live in our village. If the appeal of the refusal of planning permission is granted then our ability to protect this area of land will be severely compromised. The developer's main aim is the construction of 3,000 homes. This area of land, 38 hectares in total, is on the EFDC 'Call for Sites' list and the Planning Department have said that 'development in the district in the future will concentrate on the main towns and larger villages (the latter obviously including Theydon Bois). One option (of several) for distribution will be to concentrate on those settlements served by the Central Line.' If our Green Belt gets compromised by this car park then housing may be more difficult to resist in the future, and on this scale the special character of our village will change for good.

The village may have a 'parking problem' but that is because commuters wish to park for free in our residential streets. A scan of the tax discs displayed in the car windscreens shows cars from Harlow, Chelmsford, Ingatestone and Ongar. Theydon Bois should not have their Green Belt harmed because commuters that could easily travel to a closer over ground station choose to park for free and commute on a cheaper underground system. We have also noted that recently the car park at Theydon Bois Station has spaces left as late as 9am. There are also spaces available during morning rush hour at Epping and Debden Station car parks. The local residents that support this application only do so because they believe it will result in the removal of the restrictive parking, yellow lines, from outside their homes, and this application will not, commuters will continue to strive to park for free outside our homes. Just imagine an extra 350 cars on Abridge Road / Coppice Row in the morning.

Please write to Bristol enclosing 3 copies of your letter.
We cannot afford to be complacent on this!
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Application for commuter car park - EPF/ 2439/08
This application was considered by EFDC's Planning Sub Committee East on Wednesday 11th March. Councillors unanimously voted against the planning application.