This is the home page of the website for the Epsom Civic Society, which seeks to protect and enhance the heritage and green space of Epsom, while encouraging good design in new building which is sympathetic to the context in which it is situated. We encourage a sense of civic pride in all Epsom residents and workers.
Links to recent posts in all categories can be found to the right on your screen.
Most posts relate to Planning matters, both planning policy and individual applications, but feel free to explore the menus for additional content.
If you live or work in Epsom, and care about keeping it as a nice place to live and work, you can join us here.
Stop Press News March 2025 – ECS Annual General Meeting
The Society’s Annual General Meeting will be held at 8pm on Wednesday 14 May 2025 at Epsom Methodist Church. After the business of the AGM there will be a highly topical talk from Epsom and Surrey County Councillor Steven McCormick on ‘Local Government Reform – what could it mean for Epsom and Ewell?’. Steven has been party to the work so far on these proposals in both Epsom District Council and Surrey County Council and can thus speak with close personal knowledge.
The AGM Agenda, last year’s Minutes and Accounts can be found here.
All members are welcome and eligible to vote if present.
Stop Press News February 2025 – ECS Response to Epsom Proposed Submission Local Plan Reg 19 Consultation
The Society participated in the Regulation 19 Local Plan Consultation. See our post here.
Discounted Theatre tickets for the Mill at Sonning 2025 Programme
The members who went to 2023’s outing to the Mill at Sonning thoroughly enjoyed their production of High Society, but the Society over-estimated the number of members wanting to go, possibly as a long-lasting effect of the Covid epidemic. As a result ECS now has gift voucher(s) sufficent to enable up to 10-12 people (or multiple parties up to the value of the vouchers) to attend. These vouchers mostly expire in November 2025. Tickets are for a lunch followed by a matinee performance or dinner followed by an evening performance.
The theatre programme includes “It Runs in the Family” (a farce by Ray Cooney 13th February to 12th April), “Death Comes to Pemberley” (a murder mystery based on Jane Austen’s characters from Pride and Prejudice, 1st May to 28th June) and “Don’t Rock the Boat” (a comedy by Robin Hawdon 10th July to 6th September. Other performances are available including evenings of music and snooker as well as stand-up comedy and magic.
If you would like to see any of these performances, please check theatre availability and price per seat and then email finance@epsomcivicsociety.org.uk for your vouchers. You will be asked to reimburse Epsom Civic Society for the value of the vouchers used less 15%, thus securing a discount for yourselves while saving money for the Society. First come first served!
Stop Press News January 2025 – Epsom Proposed Submission Local Plan Reg 19 Consultation under way
The Licensing & Planning Policy agreed on 24th November 2024 to recommend the Draft Plan be put forward for Regulation 19 Consultation, and the full Council agreed in December 2024 to the Draft and an accelerated timescale. Accordingly the Consultation is now concluding on 5th February 2025 – full details can be found here.
However, representations at this stage should only be made on “the legal and procedural compliance of the Proposed Submission Local Plan, the soundness of the Proposed Submission Local Plan and whether the Proposed Submission Local Plan is in conformity with the Duty-to-Cooperate.”
The need to submit a Local Plan in March 2025 remains pressing, as it is the only route to achieving a signed-off Local Plan in 2026. As long as Epsom has no agreed Local Plan, the immediate threat remains of piecemeal nibbling at the Green Belt and other sensitive locations, or even speculative larger development applications in the Green Belt, against which our Borough Planning team could have little defence at Appeal.
For completeness our previous “Stop Press” entry on the Local Plan is retained for the time being.
Stop Press News November 2024 – Epsom Draft Local Plan available
The Borough’s Planning team have now published in their report to the Licensing and Planning Policy Committee (LPPC) the Draft Local Plan (together with its supporting Evidence Base documents) to go forward to the so-called Regulation 19 Public Consultation in January to February 2025.
The Draft Plan will be discussed at the LPPC on Wednesday 20/11/2024, when the Committee will decide whether or not to recommend its approval by Full Council on Tuesday 10/12/2024. Both these approvals are required before the Draft Plan can be formally published for consultation.
Epsom Civic Society’s Planning sub-committee have reviewed the Draft Plan and concluded that, despite a number of concerns, it is time to support it. The alternative is continual rejection of a succession of draft plans as not being ‘perfect’ which will just leave the council with:-
no Plan for several more years;
more random and inappropriate developments;
more repeating Plan development and consultation costs;
less ability to help more homeless households.
Accordingly, the Society has written to Councillors on the LPPC urging them to support the Draft Plan. See our letter here. The Society has also issued a Press Release, available here.
However, there are a number of aspects of the Draft Local Plan that have not been addressed in the report to the LPPC about which the Society has concerns. These are being taken up urgently with the Head of Planning.
A brief history of the Epsom Civic Society follows. The Society was founded in 1959 as the Epsom Protection Society, at a time when many historic and architecturally valuable buildings and houses in Epsom and Ewell were being threatened by developers. Then, our primary role was to halt the destruction of Epsom’s heritage and to ensure that new development was compatible with the traditional character of the town. In 2011, our name was changed to Epsom Civic Society. Our purpose continues to be to protect the heritage of Epsom and to encourage high standards of new planning and building; but the change of name reflects the wider concerns of the Society to promote civic pride and to inspire progressive improvement in the quality of urban life for everyone. The Society is a founder member of Civic Voice, the national charity for the civic movement in England, and shares common aims with other civic societies. We:-
care about the surroundings – the places where people live and work and enjoy leisure
want to find solutions to environmental problems
wish to improve the fabric of the town for present and future generations
help to safeguard the heritage and character of Epsom
listen to the local community and campaign for their interests
encourage high standards of planning, design and architecture in the built environment and the retention of open spaces
Home
This is the home page of the website for the Epsom Civic Society, which seeks to protect and enhance the heritage and green space of Epsom, while encouraging good design in new building which is sympathetic to the context in which it is situated. We encourage a sense of civic pride in all Epsom residents and workers.
Links to recent posts in all categories can be found to the right on your screen.
Most posts relate to Planning matters, both planning policy and individual applications, but feel free to explore the menus for additional content.
If you live or work in Epsom, and care about keeping it as a nice place to live and work, you can join us here.
Stop Press News March 2025 – ECS Annual General Meeting
The Society’s Annual General Meeting will be held at 8pm on Wednesday 14 May 2025 at Epsom Methodist Church. After the business of the AGM there will be a highly topical talk from Epsom and Surrey County Councillor Steven McCormick on ‘Local Government Reform – what could it mean for Epsom and Ewell?’. Steven has been party to the work so far on these proposals in both Epsom District Council and Surrey County Council and can thus speak with close personal knowledge.
The AGM Agenda, last year’s Minutes and Accounts can be found here.
All members are welcome and eligible to vote if present.
Stop Press News February 2025 – ECS Response to Epsom Proposed Submission Local Plan Reg 19 Consultation
The Society participated in the Regulation 19 Local Plan Consultation. See our post here.
Discounted Theatre tickets for the Mill at Sonning 2025 Programme
The members who went to 2023’s outing to the Mill at Sonning thoroughly enjoyed their production of High Society, but the Society over-estimated the number of members wanting to go, possibly as a long-lasting effect of the Covid epidemic. As a result ECS now has gift voucher(s) sufficent to enable up to 10-12 people (or multiple parties up to the value of the vouchers) to attend. These vouchers mostly expire in November 2025. Tickets are for a lunch followed by a matinee performance or dinner followed by an evening performance.
The theatre programme includes “It Runs in the Family” (a farce by Ray Cooney 13th February to 12th April), “Death Comes to Pemberley” (a murder mystery based on Jane Austen’s characters from Pride and Prejudice, 1st May to 28th June) and “Don’t Rock the Boat” (a comedy by Robin Hawdon 10th July to 6th September. Other performances are available including evenings of music and snooker as well as stand-up comedy and magic.
See the full programme here.
If you would like to see any of these performances, please check theatre availability and price per seat and then email finance@epsomcivicsociety.org.uk for your vouchers. You will be asked to reimburse Epsom Civic Society for the value of the vouchers used less 15%, thus securing a discount for yourselves while saving money for the Society. First come first served!
Stop Press News January 2025 – Epsom Proposed Submission Local Plan Reg 19 Consultation under way
The Licensing & Planning Policy agreed on 24th November 2024 to recommend the Draft Plan be put forward for Regulation 19 Consultation, and the full Council agreed in December 2024 to the Draft and an accelerated timescale. Accordingly the Consultation is now concluding on 5th February 2025 – full details can be found here.
However, representations at this stage should only be made on “the legal and procedural compliance of the Proposed Submission Local Plan, the soundness of the Proposed Submission Local Plan and whether the Proposed Submission Local Plan is in conformity with the Duty-to-Cooperate.”
The need to submit a Local Plan in March 2025 remains pressing, as it is the only route to achieving a signed-off Local Plan in 2026. As long as Epsom has no agreed Local Plan, the immediate threat remains of piecemeal nibbling at the Green Belt and other sensitive locations, or even speculative larger development applications in the Green Belt, against which our Borough Planning team could have little defence at Appeal.
For completeness our previous “Stop Press” entry on the Local Plan is retained for the time being.
Stop Press News November 2024 – Epsom Draft Local Plan available
The Borough’s Planning team have now published in their report to the Licensing and Planning Policy Committee (LPPC) the Draft Local Plan (together with its supporting Evidence Base documents) to go forward to the so-called Regulation 19 Public Consultation in January to February 2025.
The Draft Plan will be discussed at the LPPC on Wednesday 20/11/2024, when the Committee will decide whether or not to recommend its approval by Full Council on Tuesday 10/12/2024. Both these approvals are required before the Draft Plan can be formally published for consultation.
Epsom Civic Society’s Planning sub-committee have reviewed the Draft Plan and concluded that, despite a number of concerns, it is time to support it. The alternative is continual rejection of a succession of draft plans as not being ‘perfect’ which will just leave the council with:-
Accordingly, the Society has written to Councillors on the LPPC urging them to support the Draft Plan. See our letter here. The Society has also issued a Press Release, available here.
However, there are a number of aspects of the Draft Local Plan that have not been addressed in the report to the LPPC about which the Society has concerns. These are being taken up urgently with the Head of Planning.
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A brief history of the Epsom Civic Society follows. The Society was founded in 1959 as the Epsom Protection Society, at a time when many historic and architecturally valuable buildings and houses in Epsom and Ewell were being threatened by developers. Then, our primary role was to halt the destruction of Epsom’s heritage and to ensure that new development was compatible with the traditional character of the town. In 2011, our name was changed to Epsom Civic Society. Our purpose continues to be to protect the heritage of Epsom and to encourage high standards of new planning and building; but the change of name reflects the wider concerns of the Society to promote civic pride and to inspire progressive improvement in the quality of urban life for everyone. The Society is a founder member of Civic Voice, the national charity for the civic movement in England, and shares common aims with other civic societies. We:-
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