Epsom town centre has lost "vision" says group

11:10am Thursday 24th May 2012 in News

The group claims Epsom has "lost vision" The group claims Epsom has "lost vision"

A group worried that Epsom town centre has "lost its vision" has submitted a petition objecting to any further high density housing developments.

Campaign group Friends of The Parade gathered 452 signatures which they handed over to Epsom and Ewell Council on Monday, May 21.

The petition said: "We, the residents of Epsom, wish to object to further high rise density housing in our town. New developments around the station in the town centre are damaging our town and incompatible with the market town image.

"In 2005 Epsom was voted the best place to live in the UK on television. In 2011, we were no longer anywhere near the top of the list."

A spokeswoman for the group says it wants potential new developments, such as that of the old Epsom police station site, to be considered in light of its objections.

Do you think the character of Epsom town centre is changing for the worse? Leave a comment below or email your views to hmatharu@london.newsquest.co.uk

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Comments(3)

chillieman says...
4:18pm Thu 24 May 12

ITS VERY SAD HOW EPSOM IS BEING TURNED INTO A FACELESS SATELLITE OF LONDON, ugly buildings being erected everywhere that to my mind look like something from east germany from before the fall of the berlin wall, why is this happening to this once pleasant little town,ah well if i want to look at a town with character ill just pop on a bus and go to dorking for the day... :)

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Jmb Taxis says...
4:39am Sun 27 May 12

Could not agree more.Stn Approach looks like a Council Estate in the old USSR.Well done EEBC planning committee

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sfocata says...
6:48pm Tue 29 May 12

I don't have a problem with the buildings round the station... it's a fairly utilitarian area by design (and those buildings are really nothing like the 50s remnants you see in Russia).

BUT... the general issue raised is very relevant. Epsom has previously been something of a barrier against the aggressive homogenisation of the outer London suburbs, such as Sutton (I lived there 16 years and saw it lose some of the individuality which Epsom still has in greater quantities).

There's still a hint in Epsom that a town can be run for the benefit of its residents, not for faceless big business profit. It'd be a shame to lose that. I think part of the problem is blandness... the Playhouse and cinema (for example) don't exactly make people want to stay in Epsom for their cultural excitement!

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