Epsom and Ewell District

Epsom and Ewell District is located on the south west boundary of London. The District is predominantly residential and includes substantial amounts of open space, including large areas such as Nonsuch Park and the Hogsmill River within the urban fabric, and open areas such as Epsom Common, the RAC Club, Horton Country Park, Horton Park Country Club, the Hook Road Arena, the Northey Estate and Priest Hill in East Ewell and, of course, Epsom Downs which lie within the Metropolitan Green Belt. Epsom and Ewell consistently ranks among the best places to live in the UK.

The District has already seen what amounts to a New Town under construction over the past few years on the sites of the five now disused hospitals to the north west of Epsom Town Centre – the Hospital Cluster. Nevertheless, the amended draft South East Plan proposes that almost two hundred additional homes should be provided in the District each year for the next twenty years. It is possible that this amount of additional housing can be accommodated on so-called “brownfield” sites, which have previously been built on, without requiring the loss of any Green Belt, assuming that past rates of “windfall” development are maintained into the future.

However, any Government proposals to increase still further the rate of house building in the District are likely to result in significant threats to the Green Belt and/or to other open spaces in Epsom and Ewell. Areas of Green Belt in the District which could be particularly vulnerable to development pressures include Priest Hill and the North Looe Estate, between the Reigate and Banstead Roads south east of Ewell Village; the Northey Estate near to Howell Hill in East Ewell; Horton Farm, within the Hospital Cluster area; the land between the RAC Club and Ashley Road, including The Durdans, south of Epsom Town Centre; the area south of Epsom College on either side of Burgh Heath Road; and the land on either side of the eastern section of College Road between Longdown Lane and Reigate Road.

Other issues of concern to CPRE in Epsom and Ewell District include litter and fly-tipping in open areas, the management of private open land, particularly on sites where land owners may believe there could be prospects of relaxing Green Belt restrictions on development in the future, the protection and enhancement of sites of nature conservation interest, helicopter noise, particularly that originating from commercially operated helicopters flying out of Battersea Heliport, and maintaining the amenity and wildlife importance of private gardens. A specific issue is whether the accelerated rates of house building anticipated in the South East Plan can be accommodated on “brownfield” sites without unacceptable impacts on the gardens of larger properties.
Contact is Tim Murphy, Phone is 01372 741393