Since Qualis Commercial uploaded drawings and information about initial proposals for the five sites in Epping to its Commonplace platform last Friday, there has been a great response on the consultation platform.
To date 68%* of the responses received show a positive or neutral sentiment to the information, confirming that many residents are keen to be involved and ensure that their feedback helps develop the sites to benefit the whole community. The data also shows that there is a good engagement from both men and women and that all age brackets are being involved.
https://workingtogetherforepping.commonplace.is is an independent platform that truly captures qualitive data that can be used to inform the designs as they progress. All comments are verified, but respondents can be confident they can provide their personal thoughts and comments without personal data being made public. This allows an opportunity for those who wouldn’t normally comment in a public arena to have the confidence to voice their aspirations.
The suggested proposals show new homes being built around green spaces on the St Johns Road site, the Conder Building and car park at The Civic Centre and the Epping Sports Centre sites, with the Bakers Lane site being used specifically for a new leisure centre including a new swimming pool and Cottis Lane site providing car parking and other uses such as retail, offices, a new cinema and hotel to complement the established High Street. The location of these new facilities will potentially also create increased footfall to the High Street and generate a real energy for the walkable town centre.
Epping High Street remains the civic heart of the District as it has been for decades and will continue to be so. Qualis Commercial will deliver quality sites that are considerate of the heritage of the area and create cohesive communities, but unlike other developers who keep any profits made, Qualis will reinvest profits back to EFDC so that they can continue to develop council housing, keep council tax low and deliver the quality services that residents deserve.
This is the first stage of engaging with the community. To ensure that everyone has the opportunity to see the suggested proposals there will also be a public exhibition held 7th – 12th September in Epping where members of the design team will be available to answer questions and discuss the proposals.**
Following this, information received from both the exhibition and the consultation platform will be used to inform the designs. Once more detailed plans have been developed they will be posted to the Commonplace platform and a further exhibition held in the Autumn where residents will have further opportunities to comment on prior to planning being submitted.
To have your say please visit – https://workingtogetherforepping.commonplace.is
