In connection with preparing for our Local Plan, the Licensing and Planning Policy Committee has agreed on a draft Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) and the Local Plan Framework. The SCI shows how local residents, businesses and other interested parties can get involved and have their views heard. The Council is now consulting on this draft statement. I would urge you to review and provide a comment on it, you have until 4th July to do so. Please go to https://epsom-ewell.inconsult.uk/. The Local Plan will shape the borough for many years to come, so being able to express your views is very important. Further consultations on the local plan will be coming forward.
The borough has strong links with the armed forces and will be celebrating Armed Forces Day ‘Fly the Flag’ on Monday 20th June. This will take place in the Market Place at 11.30 when the Mayor will raise the Armed Forces Flag in support of our servicemen and women, past and present.
You may recall that the Planning Committee refused the application for the development of 20 properties on a site on Langley Bottom Farm and that the refusal has been appealed by the applicant. Your Woodcote Councillors and the Woodcote (Epsom) Residents Society have all submitted objections. The appeal is scheduled to be held on 6th July.
We appear to have been beset by temporary road closures/traffic signals over recent months. You can find the latest position by looking at the Surrey County Council interactive map at https://surreycc.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/roads-and-maintenance/roadworks. This is showing the temporary traffic lights in Ashley Road and a significant number of roads where there are possible temporary lights over the rest of this month and next for planned utility company works.
We are planning a routine meeting with the local police to discuss Woodcote Ward issues. If there are any matters you’d like raised, please let me know by the end of June.
Both the Borough and County Councils have online reporting systems. If you want to let them know about things that need to be fixed, e.g., fly-tipping (Borough), go to www.epsom-ewell.gov.uk and click on ‘! Report it’; or faulty street lights (County), go to www.surreycc.gov.uk and see the ‘Report’ options.
It has been good to see the Jubilee celebrations that have taken place in the Borough and hope you have enjoyed some of these and others too. These started with the opening of the Derby Hall of Fame in the Market Place on 1st June. These roundels mark some of the most notable names in our horse racing history, and together with The Evocation of Speed and Emily Davison bench statue capture some of the borough’s racing heritage. The opening of the Hall of Fame, with charity stalls, was followed by entertainment at the opening of the Jubilee and Derby Festival. The focus of events then moved to the Downs and the lighting of the Beacon – we were fortunate with the weather and a large crowd was able to watch the lighting ceremony and try to spot the other beacons across the region. The reports we have of the Derby Festival from the Racecourse are favourable and it was good to see the event back in full after the pandemic. From a local perspective, it was particularly pleasing that Laura Mongan, who trains in Woodcote Ward, had a success, with Bowman winning the ‘Cazoo Derby Festival Handicap’ race on Ladies’ Day.
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