Notice is given of our Annual General Meeting, to be held at Epping Hall, St John’s Road, on Monday 11 March, at 7 pm. We are hoping to have a Guest Speaker on an item of local interest; there will be modest refreshments. All are welcome, with opportunity for new subscriptions for non-members. Please expect to receive an Agenda soon.
Our new website: www.eppingsociety.org launched in December, is still evolving and has attracted some comments – but we welcome more! Please let us know how we can serve you.
The new multistorey car park: from the opening late last year, committee members made several visits; generating a rather long list of concerns, which can be found on our website, in News.
It was heartening to find that our concerns were shared by so many local people and visitors- judging by the number of hits and comments on various media. To their credit, Qualis (the development company) responded very speedily to the safety concern on the upper floor barriers. Likewise 3 of our members attended a meeting 3 weeks ago with the most senior staff at Qualis, where we believe that many of our points were taken on board.
We have to accept that while the structure is now largely set in concrete (literally), we can look forward to seeing some amelioration of the situation. Meanwhile please do continue to share feedback with us; and / or with Qualis themselves.Similarly, we were disappointed by the permission given by Epping Forest District Council to reduce / abandon the expectation to build 40% of affordable houses in the two larger town centre developments; as originally set out in the Local Plan. The Epping Society spoke at Council and campaigned against this; but sadly the opportunities for our local people and especially young families will have been reduced by this change. This is something we must keep in mind when public consultation for the 450 homes site at Epping South starts, see https://cutt.ly/EEF-southeppingengagementEvents: a few members joined a St John’s church New Years Day walk around North Weald.
Interest was particularly aroused by walking around (outside) the Redoubt – A little known Victorian defence against French invasion, from the East coast.
(photo from visiteppingforest.org - where more information is available)
Also the war graves in St Andrew’s Churchyard attracted some note, especially those of female officers. The rain held off until we finished the walk!In the coming year we intend to be present at shows at Copped Hall, Swaines Green and the Town Show. Please come along and have a natter.
Lastly, our Treasurer is encouraging us to do some future proofing – we are seeking someone with suitable experience (or willingness to learn) to train up alongside him. He says it’s very simple once you get your head around it! If you can help in this area, please make contact.Roger Lowry.
You can also download a copy below or from the Files section of the site.
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