Click here to see map for location of 23 Beaconsfield Place, Epsom

24/01616/FUL Ground and first floor rear extension and alterations to fenestration to existing dwelling.  New two storey, 3 bedroom detached dwelling including loft accommodation adjacent to 23 Beaconsfield Place, removal of tree T004 and replacement thereof with London Plane.

This is the third representation the Society has made about this location, the previous application (24/00564/FUL for a similar house) having been permitted in December 2024 despite ECS objections.  The present application relies on the previous permission to remove a mature sycamore tree to propose a slightly bigger overall floor area, albeit with some design changes to be more sympathetic to the locality.

The Society has repeated its previous concerns about the proposal via the Comments facility on the EEBC Planning website, the full text of which is shown below:-

“The Civic Society reiterates its previously expressed concerns about this development proposal.  We’re particularly perplexed, however, about the question of land ownership, as the site requires significant excavation into the embankment of the adjacent road bridge over the railway.  Notwithstanding our concerns about the future stability of both the highway and the bridge, there must be a pressing question as to who actually owns this part of the site.

Normally such embankments – specifically constructed for highways reasons – would be publically owned and considered part of the highway.  If the applicant’s claim of ownership is correct, that means that at some point in the recent past a LA must have sold off part of the embankment.  We are not aware of any such transaction having taken place.  If there is any ambiguity on this point, we believe this is a pertinent question the planning authority should be asking.

Another concern is that this Conservation Area is bereft of green space – and this development eats into the little that there is.  The CA appraisal makes a specific reference to the area coloured yellow stating “significant open space tree group”.  If approved, this proposal would result in the proposed loss of 23 trees – only one of which is scheduled to be replaced under a landscaping proposal based largely on small shrubs.  It is a well known fact that tree roots – in this case substantial roots – provide an important binder to embankments, without which their stabilty can be compromised.

There is also, however, the aesthetic consideration of the denudation of tree cover in a CA setting.  In this respect, the CS wholeheartedly concurs with the Tree Advisory Board’s representation – and similarly questions the suitability of the species of the solitary new tree being proposed.”