The statement below was presented to the Licensing and Planning Policy Committee at Epsom & Ewell Borough Council on 10th March 2026. The statement was well received by supporters.

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Statement regarding Development Density and Green Belt Protection

To: Licensing and Planning Policy Committee

From: Epsom Greenbelt and Ewell Greenbelt Organisations

Chairman and Councillors,

I speak to you today a representative of the Epsom Green Belt and Ewell Green Belt organisations. I have lived in Epsom for more than 25 years. I own a business that has been based in offices in Epsom for more than 15 years.

Our borough stands at a critical juncture as we face central government proposals to mandate high-density developments of 40 to 50 dwellings per hectare near our train stations and the potential release of “grey belt” land.

We urge this Committee to rethink its current trajectory and robustly object to these developments for the following reasons:

• Excessive Population Density: Epsom and Ewell is already one of the most densely populated boroughs in the region. Imposing further minimum densities—especially the proposed 50 dwellings per hectare for “well-connected” stations—risks over-development that will permanently alter the character of our historic market town and surrounding villages.
  
• Infrastructure Deficit: Our local infrastructure is already stretched to its limit. Additional massive developments will place unsustainable pressure on our roads, healthcare, and schools. Road traffic is a particular problem due to number of railway lines and low number of bridges. Several Roads converge in Epsom. We believe the current “Standard Method” for housing calculations is flawed as it fails to reflect these local constraints and the actual capacity of our borough to absorb growth.
  
• Clear Public Mandate: During the 2023 public consultations, our community spoke with a clear and unified voice: our Green Belt is sacrosanct. The public’s strong objection to developing these lands must not be ignored. The petition raised by Epsom Green Belt has nearly 14,000 signatures. The Green Belt petition raised with EEBC achieved 1,700 signatures.
  
• Protection of the Green Belt: We hold grave concerns regarding the new “grey belt” classifications, which we believe set the “bar too low” for land to be released for development. Once Green Belt land is lost, it is lost forever.

We acknowledge the pressure from central government, but your primary duty is to the residents of Epsom and Ewell. We urge you to represent our concerns in your formal responses to the government and to exhaust every policy avenue to protect our Green Belt from inappropriate and dense development.

The public will remember your actions in May, at the East Surrey elections.

Thank you.

G. Morris

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