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Consultation by Essex County Council on potential closure of Buckhurst Hill Library - 21st January to 26th January (except Friday)

Based on feedback and experience so far, we are changing our approach to the information drop ins at libraries about the future library services consultation.

Instead of just one two- or four-hour slot, we are offering a week at each of the remaining libraries during which people can drop in any time it is open to ask questions and find out what the strategy is about. Once they’ve done so, if they want help to access the survey, library staff can provide it.

At Buckhurst Hill, the information drop-in will be from Monday 21^st January to Thursday 24^th January plus Saturday 26th, 10am to 3pm each day.

We’re making the change because feedback so far has shown that people want to be able to drop in at times convenient to them, including weekends and evenings. In some locations lots of people want to find out about the consultation. In smaller libraries, this could pose a serious risk to health and safety if a lot of people arrive at once and mean that some people leave frustrated that their expectations haven’t been met.

We also want to ensure that people who might need help to access the information or the survey, have the time and space to do so; with a large number of people at once, this is difficult to do.

Please note that the purpose of the drop-ins is to provide information, not to gather feedback. We are asking everybody to respond to the consultation via the survey, preferably online, as this is the most efficient and accurate way to ensure their views are recorded and heard. You can also complete the survey over the phone on 0345 603 7639 or ask for a paper copy, large print or EasyRead version to be sent to you.

Kind regards

Carolyn Peters

Citizen Services Lead – West Essex

Face To Face Customer Services

Essex County Council

Threat of Closure to Library

Essex CC have announced that they are reviewing Library Services in the county, and are proposing to close at least 25 smaller Libraries, including Buckhurst Hill, Chigwell and Debden. We understand there will be a Public Consultation followed by a decision in Summer 2019. This is obviously unwelcome news, and we we will be liaising with the Parish Council and others about how to prevent this.

Armistice Weekend

Jenn Page, BHRS Chairman, attended two Remembrance Services to commemorate the Armistice Day Centenary. On Sunday morning 11th November she laid a wreath at the Lych Gate War Memorial at St John's Church, and later attended the church service with other members of the Residents' Society.

On Monday afternooon she attended the service at St. Stephen’s Church organised by Buckhurst Hill Community Primary School with the Buckhurst Hill Gardening Club and the Royal British Legion.

For more detail and photographs, please see the News Article.

The Local Plan, a set of policies to manage development within Epping Forest District up to 2033, has been submitted for approval to the Planning Inspectorate by Epping Forest District Council. The news was announced by Planning Portfolio Holder John Philip at the meeting of the Full Council on Tuesday 25 September 2018. Submission followed the end of a legal challenge by property developer CK Properties (Theydon Bois) Ltd after its application for leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal was refused. CK Properties had already lost its case following a High Court hearing.

The Local Plan must now be scrutinised and approved by an independently appointed planning inspector working on behalf of the Government. The Inspector will be looking to ensure the Plan is legally sound and meets all the requirements for national and local policies in a fair and consistent way. The Planning Inspector will scrutinise all the policies and supporting documents before hearing submissions and taking further evidence from interested people. The Planning Inspectorate will schedule the Independent Examination of Epping Forest District Council’s Plan among ongoing examinations of other councils’ local plans. Once submitted, councils may have to wait several months before an examination takes place.

More information can be found at http://www.efdclocalplan.org/

A copy of the Plan is available at Buckhurst Hill Library: it is a very large document, difficult to follow if reading online.

The Residents' Society strongly opposes the sites earmarked in the Plan for Buckhurst Hill and our original response to the draft version has been on this website for a year now (see Newsbox on right). Our response to this amended submitted version is

Response to Submission version of Local Plan

We are currently preparing our verbal submission to the Public Enquiry, where we will not only be arguing against each of the three sites, but will also be arguing that the Plan is legally unsound and should be abandoned, rewritten, and the public consultation re-commenced.

If the Planning Inspector nonetheless approves the Plan, we.understand that the Public Enquiry will be followed by further discussion by EFDC and a final vote by Councillors sometime in 2019. Planning Applications for actual development may be submitted anytime during the life of the plan, up to fifteen years.

BHRS presents cheque for £900 to Rainbow Trust

At our meeting on Tuesday 10th July, BHRS presented a cheque for £900 to Pauline Obee MBE, Patron of the Rainbow Trust, a charity which supports families with a seriously ill child. This sum was raised by children from St John's Primary School at our Market Project in Queen's Road on 15th June, organised by Margaret Drew of BHRS, and supported by businesses on Queen's Road. The school generously donated the proceeds to the charity being supported by BHRS this year. For details see news article here.