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 November 2026 – Epsom Local Plan Main Modifications Consultation
Following the consultation in May 2026, the Draft Epsom and Ewell Plan was inspected and found to be unsound. To create a sound plan, the Inspector has required a substantial package of Main Modifications.A further public consultation is a statutory requirement before the modified Plan can be adopted. The Epsom Local Plan Main Modifications consultation began on 2nd November 2026 and closes at 23:59 on Monday 14th December 2026. Representations must concern the proposed Main Modifications and specified supporting documents, rather than reopening the entire submitted plan.
The effect of the Main Modifications can be summarised as:-
Housing Supply: Increases from 4,914 to 6,052 homes, raising the minimum plan requirement from 4,700 to 6,012 homes.
Site Allocations: Adds 16 new site allocations—12 within the existing urban area and 4 in the Metropolitan Green Belt (Priest Hill, Downs Farm, and two at Cuddington Glade).
Stepped Housing Trajectory: Implements a stepped requirement using actual completions for 2022/23 to 2025/26 (averaging 152 homes/year) and setting a requirement of 386 homes/year for 2026/27 to 2039/40.
Affordable Housing: Increases the on-site affordable housing requirement to at least 50% for specified Green Belt release allocations and qualifying Green Belt sites (for schemes of 10+ units or 0.5+ hectares).
Racehorse Training Zone: Rewrites Policy DM8 to provide stronger protections for training yards, restrict their loss without rigorous 24-month marketing, and enhance safety along Racehorse Movement Corridors.
The Society is considering a possible response, but despite the undesirable loss of four Green Belt locations, are minded to accept the Main Modifications, since having no Local Plan in place going forward over the transition to East Surrey Council would leave Epsom even more exposed to undesirable developments forced through on Appeal. The result would probably be development in any event of those locations, but with no ability for our Council to control height and density, location, design or proportion of affordable housing.
ECS Members wishing to make their own representations, supported by evidence of factual errors or neglected planning considerations, can find the necessary documents and links here.
Next Steps: Following the consultation, responses will be reviewed by the Inspector, with an examination report anticipated in February 2027 and a potential Full Council adoption decision in March 2027.
Stop Press News May 2026 – Additional Proposed Housing Sites in the Green Belt
The EEBC Draft Local Plan is in the final stages of examination with a hearing planned for 2nd July 2026. Before that the Council is running a public consultation which will close on 15th June. The Consultation documents can be found here. The Inspector required the Council to suggest further Green Belt sites which could be considered for housing to close the gap between the number of dwellings required and the Draft Local Plan’s proposal.
Epsom Residents can also make their own views known to the Inspector via the Consultation. See the Society’s latest Newsletter for further information.
Tree Champions Still Wanted
Young street trees are particularly susceptible to drought, and will need regular watering again through the summer.
Epsom & Ewell Tree Advisory Board (EETAB), aided by funding from ECS members, has been successful since the covid-19 lockdown in persuading and enabling Surrey County Council (SCC) to plant street trees in Epsom & Ewell, which leaves us with more than 100 new trees that need regular watering, even if we’ve had a little rain. Please look at the list of trees planted in the 2024/2025 planting season (autumn and winter) and if any are near your house, please give them a bucket of water whenever you can – each tree ideally needs up to 50 litres of water a week, but every little bit helps. You can’t overwater them.
Better still, see the EETAB website here, for more information on how you can help by becoming a Tree Champion”.
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 November 2026 – Epsom Local Plan Main Modifications Consultation
Following the consultation in May 2026, the Draft Epsom and Ewell Plan was inspected and found to be unsound. To create a sound plan, the Inspector has required a substantial package of Main Modifications.A further public consultation is a statutory requirement before the modified Plan can be adopted. The Epsom Local Plan Main Modifications consultation began on 2nd November 2026 and closes at 23:59 on Monday 14th December 2026. Representations must concern the proposed Main Modifications and specified supporting documents, rather than reopening the entire submitted plan.
The effect of the Main Modifications can be summarised as:-
The Society is considering a possible response, but despite the undesirable loss of four Green Belt locations, are minded to accept the Main Modifications, since having no Local Plan in place going forward over the transition to East Surrey Council would leave Epsom even more exposed to undesirable developments forced through on Appeal. The result would probably be development in any event of those locations, but with no ability for our Council to control height and density, location, design or proportion of affordable housing.
ECS Members wishing to make their own representations, supported by evidence of factual errors or neglected planning considerations, can find the necessary documents and links here.
Next Steps: Following the consultation, responses will be reviewed by the Inspector, with an examination report anticipated in February 2027 and a potential Full Council adoption decision in March 2027.
Stop Press News May 2026 – Additional Proposed Housing Sites in the Green Belt
The EEBC Draft Local Plan is in the final stages of examination with a hearing planned for 2nd July 2026. Before that the Council is running a public consultation which will close on 15th June. The Consultation documents can be found here. The Inspector required the Council to suggest further Green Belt sites which could be considered for housing to close the gap between the number of dwellings required and the Draft Local Plan’s proposal.
Epsom Residents can also make their own views known to the Inspector via the Consultation. See the Society’s latest Newsletter for further information.
Tree Champions Still Wanted
Young street trees are particularly susceptible to drought, and will need regular watering again through the summer.
Epsom & Ewell Tree Advisory Board (EETAB), aided by funding from ECS members, has been successful since the covid-19 lockdown in persuading and enabling Surrey County Council (SCC) to plant street trees in Epsom & Ewell, which leaves us with more than 100 new trees that need regular watering, even if we’ve had a little rain. Please look at the list of trees planted in the 2024/2025 planting season (autumn and winter) and if any are near your house, please give them a bucket of water whenever you can – each tree ideally needs up to 50 litres of water a week, but every little bit helps. You can’t overwater them.
Better still, see the EETAB website here, for more information on how you can help by becoming a Tree Champion”.
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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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