How to object to a planning application

Making your views count — and avoiding common pitfalls

Important notice

The information on this page is provided for general guidance only. It does not constitute legal or professional planning advice. Planning matters can be complex, and the approach outlined below may not be appropriate for every situation. If you are concerned about a specific development, seek independent professional advice from a qualified planning consultant or legal adviser.

Updated Information 25/9/26 How to object to the Stewards Green Fields planning application (EPF/1737/26)

Deadline: 13 October 2026- Object here.

Why this matters

At Epping Town Hall on 22 September 2026, the Town Council's Deputy Mayor warned that developers could double Epping's population, with little new infrastructure, by building on all the remaining green belt around the town.

The latest application, at Stewards Green Fields, proposes up to 400 houses - some three or four storey - plus 160 care home beds and assisted living units. Epping already has a large pipeline of housing that has been built or approved but not yet absorbed into the town's roads, schools, GP surgeries or water and sewage systems:

Site and Houses

SEMPA (South Epping) - up to 950

Qualis: five further town centre sites - 269

Qualis: Verdant Place - 184

Qualis: Springwood Grove - 45

Thornwood - 240 (vs a Local Plan allocation of about 172)

Total 1,688

The 2021 Epping Town Neighbourhood Plan puts the town at about 5,000 houses and 12,000 people. At the same ratio of 2.4 people per home, these 1,688 houses mean around 4,050 extra residents, a rise of about 34%, before Stewards Green Fields is even considered. A further 975 houses have been approved at North Weald, whose residents rely on Epping for the nearest Underground station and secondary school (Epping St John's).

Only by commenting on the application to Epping Forest District Council (EFDC) can this and other developments be stopped.

How to submit your objection

Email: appcomment@eppingforestdc.gov.uk

Subject line: [Your name], [Your street name] – Objection to planning application EPF/1737/26

Include your full name and postal address. Anonymous objections may not be considered.

Every adult in your household can object separately. Each objection counts in its own right.

Write in your own words. Identical, copied or template letters carry very little weight. A few specific, personal examples are worth far more than a long general letter.

Be specific. Name roads, junctions, times of day, dates and places. Attach photos or letters where you have them.

Link your experience to the development. Explain how 400 more houses and a care home, on top of everything already approved, would make the problems you describe worse.

Keep a copy of your email and look out for an acknowledgement.

If you miss the deadline, still send it. Comments are usually taken into account until a decision is made.

What to leave out

The council can only consider "material planning considerations". The following will be set aside, and can weaken an otherwise strong objection:

loss of value to your property / loss of a private view from your home / general opposition to change or to new residents /personal remarks about the developer or council officers

Things you might write about

Choose the topics that genuinely apply to you and your family. You don't need to cover them all.

Travel and transport

Roads, junctions and times of day where congestion affects you. Think about your commute, the school run, trips to the shops, healthcare appointments, walking the dog or going to the park.

Traffic levels or driver behaviour you feel are dangerous. Photos help where you've seen regular problems.

Places where more traffic would make things worse for pedestrians and cyclists, and where you already have difficulty getting around on foot or by bike.

Parking pressure in the town centre, at the station, or on residential streets used by commuters.

Your experience of the Tube and local buses: crowding, reliability, journey times, and getting across the district as well as into London. Share photo evidence here too!

Response times of any experiences with emergency services reaching you in the district. Supply incident numbers if you have them.

Schools and childcare

Difficulty getting a place at a local nursery, primary or secondary school. Please include refusal letters if you have them.

Long or difficult journeys to school. Describe the routes you take and how long they take.

Health and care

GP, dentist and pharmacy access for you and your family: waiting times, and how easy it is to get an appointment.

If you, a loved one or a friend receives home care, whether carers or district nurses are delayed by traffic, and how that affects you.

If you work in health or care, how congestion affects your visits. Also consider the extra demand 160 care beds and assisted living units would place on local GPs, nurses and ambulances.

Ambulance response times, and journeys to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow.

Water, flooding and sewage

Whether you were affected by the hosepipe ban. Please attach the letter if you have it.

Low water pressure or supply problems, with dates and how often they happen.

Flooding or standing water on or near the Stewards Green fields, or on surrounding roads after rain. The area sits on heavy clay, so photos and dates are especially useful.

Sewer backups, bad smells, slow drains or overflows.

Countryside, wildlife and Epping Forest

What the Stewards Green fields mean to you: the views on the approach into town, the Essex Way and the footpaths you walk, and Epping's character as a market town surrounded by countryside.

Wildlife you have seen on or near the site, such as bats, owls, badgers, deer, hedgehogs or birds like skylarks. Dated photos are valuable. Mention hedgerows, ponds and mature trees too.

How you use Epping Forest and whether it has become busier: crowded car parks, worn paths, litter. The Forest is a protected Special Area of Conservation, and the council must consider extra visitor pressure and traffic pollution on it.

Whether it matters to you that farmland which has been farmed for generations would be lost.

Air, noise and construction

Existing traffic noise or pollution where you live, especially on Stewards Green Road and the main routes into town.

The effect of years of construction traffic, noise and dust on you and your neighbours.

Businesses and organisations

If you run a business or organisation in the district, how transport and infrastructure pressures already affect your operations, your customers and your staff, and what more traffic would mean.

What happens next

If the application goes to EFDC's planning committee, residents can register to speak at the meeting. The Keepers will let you know when a date is set. Follow updates at www.thekeepers.uk.

Objecting to a planning application: your options

Any resident may submit an objection to a planning application free of charge. For many people, this is the most appropriate and proportionate way to respond to a proposal affecting their area.

In some cases, however, taking professional advice - such as instructing a planning consultant - may be appropriate. This can be costly, but so can the long-term impacts of an inappropriate development, including effects on amenity, property value, and quality of life.

Not all developments are harmful. Some proposals may improve local facilities or infrastructure. It is therefore important to carry out due diligence and understand how a proposal may affect you and your household specifically.

If you have questions, you may wish to:

• Review the application documents carefully.

• Contact the developer for clarification.

• Speak with neighbours, ward councillors, or local community groups. For people living in the Epping District, groups like The Epping Society, TBAG (Theydon Bois Action Group) and The Keepers can provide general support and information.

Professional advice

If you decide to seek professional planning advice, the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) provides a directory of qualified planning consultants in the UK.

Always ask prospective advisers whether they have any conflict of interest, particularly if they work with developers or local authorities in the same area.

Strength in numbers — but write your own objection

It is important to understand how objections are counted and assessed.

At Epping Forest District Council:

• Petitions or group objections with multiple signatories are generally treated as a single objection

• Councils may reference overall objection numbers publicly, but the content and substance of objections carry greater weight than volume alone

For this reason, if you agree with a neighbour’s or local group’s concerns, you should still submit your own individual objection. Do not rely on petitions or others to represent your views.

Avoid Ai, copied or template objections

Objections that are identical, copied, or submitted in bulk carry reduced weight. This is partly to prevent automated or fraudulent submissions and to reduce the administrative burden on case officers. Ai generated objections get filtered also. Be genuine, be diligent what you write, but don't worry about syntax.

Do submit your own personal objections, explaining how a proposal affects you, your family, and businesses etc, directly.

Everyone’s circumstances are different, including:

• Where they live and work

• How they travel

• Their family situation

• Their reliance on local services

• How they enjoy the local environment

• How new developments will affect their quality of life

A development may affect each of these in different ways. Explaining those impacts clearly helps case officers, councillors, and planning inspectors to make a more informed and balanced assessment. Remember to list facts not feelings.

What makes an effective objection? - Evidence!

Effective objections:

• Are personal, factual and specific

• Focus on material planning considerations (for example traffic safety, commute / school / healthcare / social care run times, flooding, access to services, noise, loss of green belt land)

• Avoid generalised or emotive language

• Refer to observable conditions, calendar / timings variations and impacts

Multiple well-reasoned objections, even if they raise similar issues, provide decision-makers with a clearer picture of cumulative harm. And some of the best objections will also have evidence e.g. letters from schools saying there are no spaces available for your child; letters from carer and healthcare workers apologising for missed appointments due to local traffic...

Finding the application and submitting comments

You may or may not receive a notification letter from the council about a nearby planning application. If you do, it will include a reference number, for example: EPF/1737/26

You can search for applications by reference number or address on the Epping Forest District Council planning register.

This register contains documents submitted by the applicant and consultees. Individual objections do not usually appear publicly but are seen by the case officer.

Submitting comments

• Short comments can be submitted using the online form on the EFDC website

• Longer objections or supporting documents (such as reports) can be emailed as PDFs

Emails should be sent to: appcomment@eppingforestdc.gov.uk

Please include in the email subject line:

• Your name

• Your street name

• “Objection to planning application [reference number]”

You may wish to request confirmation of receipt. Note that online systems can occasionally be unavailable, so do not leave submissions until the deadline.

Written objections may also be delivered directly to the council.

Sharing evidence

If you or your neighbours have commissioned professional evidence, consider sharing this with others affected by the proposal so they can reference it in their own objections. And do share professional evidence with The Keepers. This can improve the overall quality and consistency of submissions, while still allowing each objection to remain personal.

Example objection structure (for guidance only)

To: appcomment@eppingforestdc.gov.uk

Subject: John Smith, Epping Road – Objection to planning application EPF/?????

Dear Planning Team,

I have lived at [address or street name] for [number] years.

I wish to object to planning application EPF/???? for the following reasons, which relate specifically to my circumstances and the location of my home:

• [Reason 1 – e.g. traffic safety or congestion]

• [Reason 2 – e.g. flooding or drainage]

• [Reason 3 – e.g. impact on local services or amenity]

I respectfully ask that these matters are taken into account when the application is assessed.

Please confirm receipt of this objection.

Yours faithfully,

[Name]

[Address or street name]

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse