Theydon Bois Parish Council
Parish Office, The Village Hall, Coppice Row,
Theydon Bois, Essex CM16 7ER
Clerk to the Council: Mrs Jennifer Endean
Deputy Clerk: Mrs Julia Gale
Planning Clerk: Mrs Jane Sounes
Minutes of the January Meeting of the Council held at the Village Hall 8pm on
Thursday 27
th January 2022
Councillors Present: Councillors Gooch (Chairman), Amos, Blake, Cowup, Hannibal,
Gill, Morton, Purkiss, Morris and Wood.
Apologies for Absence: Councillor Burn
Officers Present: Jennifer Endean Clerk to the Council & Julia Gale Deputy Parish Clerk to the
Council
Members of the Public: The meeting was attended by six members of the public.
1407. Apologies for Absence
Councillor Burn.
1408. To discuss & approve the Minutes of the Parish Council Meeting held on Thursday 25
th November
2021. Approved.
1409. Disclosure of Interests with regard to specific items on the agenda (existence of any Disclosable
Pecuniary Interest, or existence and nature of Other Pecuniary Interest or a Non-Pecuniary Interest).
The Council has adopted the Essex Public Law Partnership Code of Conduct. None.
1410. Public Participation session with regard to specific items on the agenda.
None.
1411. Police report from PC Cook.
Crime in Theydon Bois – since the 1
st December there have been 6 sheds and 2 houses broken into.
There is an ongoing case into 3 motor vehicles stolen in Station hill which were lifted onto a pick-up
truck. Criminal damage of the pay and display signs in the forest. Received 78 calls and 27 crimes in the
village.
Questions from Councillors and public to PC Cook.
A resident was concerned that builder’s vans were being parked along Piecing Hill, blocking drivers
vision when they want to pull out of Morgan Crescent. PC Cook said he would ask the builders to avoid
parking outside the property.
A recent bad car accident along Loughton Lane was discussed and if the speed limit could be reduced.
New fly tipping by Station Hill was mentioned.
1412. Reports from Parish Council Representatives on outside organisations.
Update on the Limes Medical centre
Cllr. Gooch and Cllr. Amos provided an update from their recent 45-minute Zoom meeting with the
Limes Medical Centre. Cllr. Gooch and Cllr. Amos were disappointed by the outcome of the meeting
and felt that The CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) did not fully appreciate the complaints presented
to them. The Limes avoided making any commitments on when they would be open. It was decided
that the Parish Council would wait a few months and then revisit the situation again, possibly
escalating the complaint further and taking it to CQC (Care Quality Commission).
To consider and approve Parish Council support of the following events – 1 Donkey Derby 2
Children’s World Funfair.
Cllr. Morris opened the discussion explaining that due to a change in legislation, this year CoL have
decided to include the Parish Council and EFDC in the approval process of events being held on the
Green. The Parish Council would review every event taking place on the Green and decide if it was
beneficial to the community. EFDC licensing department would be reviewing health and safety, but the
Parish would also need to review the risk assessment and feel comfortable with each event. A
representative of the Donkey Derby was present at the meeting with a folder of paperwork and spoke
about how responsible and in-depth the Donkey Derby committee were to the planning of the event.
Cllr. Gooch felt that a meeting was needed with Lisa Lipscome Health & Safety Officer at EFDC before a
decision could be made.
1413 Clerks Report – Correspondence
Cllr. H Whitbread sent an email from Essex County Council who are offering a grant of up to £20,000
for a community project to tackle climate challenge. Perhaps the Parish Council could use the money to
instal an electric car charger, but not sure of a suitable location. Cllr. Gooch suggested forwarding the
email on to the Village Association to explore ideas at the Village Hall.
One crime was caught on our CCTV and the memory stick given to PC Andy Cook ahead of the meeting.
TV Show Dogs Behaving Badly would like to film a dog from Woburn Avenue on the Green, not sure if
the City of London will approve this.
1414. To amend Minutes from January 2021 to show Precept amount.
Agreed.
1415. Finance and General Purposes Committee
To approve the payments made since the last meeting. Approved
To approve the Precept for Financial Year 22/23 as recommended by the Finance & General Purposes
Committee:
Cllr Hannibal asked Councillors to approval an increase of 7.6% to the Precept for the coming year. This
amount was circulated to all Councillors before the meeting and has been recommended by the
Finance and General-Purpose Committee. This will equate to an increase of £4.08 per Band D
household this year. The increase in the precept is necessary to keep up the level of infrastructure
work the Parish wish to carry out next year. The Precept amount of £130,342.00 was approved.
To approve and adopt the final 22/23 budget as recommended by the Finance & General Purposes
Committee. Approved
To Consider and Approve Theydon Bois Parish Council Financial Regulations – Approved
To Consider and Approve Theydon Bois Parish Council Financial Standing Orders – Approved
To Consider and Approve Terms of Reference for the Following Theydon Bois Parish Council
Committees:
1) Finance and General Purposes – Approved
2) Community Engagement – Approved
3) Planning – Approved
4) Highways and Environment – Approved
It was agreed that the responsibility of the Open Gardens would be moved from Highways to Community
Engagement Committee.
1416. Planning Committee
19 Planning applications have been registered with Epping Forest District Council (‘EFDC’) since the Full
Parish Council Meeting of 25th November 2021. Whilst the majority of these applications were for
extensions or outbuildings, there were two proposals for new dwellings: one being for the replacement
of an existing property in Dukes Avenue, with the addition of a further detached dwelling on the same
site (recently approved), and a proposal for an infill development in Theydon Park Road, which was
subsequently refused.
Of the above applications, the Planning Committee has now considered 18, and returned 7 objections
and 2 strong objections. Of the latter, these related to the significant extension of an agricultural
workers’ dwelling, and a proposal for the change of use of land and buildings in Coopersale Lane. Both
were refused by EFDC, due to adverse impact on the openness of the Green Belt, where no very special
circumstances were deemed to exist to outweigh the harm that would result.
Concerns relating to the design of household extensions were the primary reason for objection to the
other seven, where they were considered to be overly large, bulky or unsympathetic proposals,
including those which would either adversely affect the character of the host dwelling or negatively
impact on neighbour amenity. EFDC refused permission for the majority of these, some of which have
now been amended to provide more complementary designs. However, the Planning Committee
continues to express concern over the extensive redevelopment, and effective loss, of bungalows
within the village, which has also been debated further at District Committee level.
Three Enforcement Appeals, relating to travellers being on site, together with ongoing
hardstanding/engineering works, at the Former Old Foresters’ land off Station Hill (which is also within
the Green Belt), were withdrawn after the occupants left the site.
1417. Highways, Cemetery and Environment Committee
Cllr. Purkiss provided an update on recent Highway Works in the Village. Thanks to a Covid Grant from
EFDC and with the assistance of some money from the Parish Council we managed to have the
Allotment car park re-surfaced in tarmac by our Contractor Harrington Bros. In addition, sections of the
road leading to the Allotments were re-surfaced. Other repair works were done in Sidney Road and the
corner of Graylands with Hornbeam Road as well as the patching of a large pot-hole in Morgan
Crescent. The Parish Council looks to do further works in the Village in the coming months.
Cllr. Purkiss, Morris and Gooch held a meeting with the Superintendent Paul Thomson of the City of
London and Geoff Sinclair his head of Operations in the weeks before Christmas to discuss the
management of the Green and in particular the problems with groundwater drainage to the Pond. It
was agreed that drainage maps and boundaries would be looked at and agreed. Works to repair the
wharfage to the side of the pond would also follow.
Further to this meeting Cllrs Purkiss and Gooch met with Trevor Baker the Officer responsible for
drainage at EFDC on the Green to discuss management of the ditches and water courses.
Loss and Erosion of Street Verges.
Cllr Purkiss raised again the issue of maintaining in a better condition the street verges and kerbing in
the Village. Cllr Blake commented on the fact that residents were widening their driveways and taking
no consideration of the spoiling of the verge. Cllr Purkiss once again suggested that Planning at EFDC
should take a bond when building permission was applied for and if the verge remained intact post
works monies would be refunded. Cllr Gooch proposed more photographs be taken and forwarded to
EFDC.
The Poplar Tree at the Bull PH – a Landmark tree.
Owing to the renewal of the Tenancy at The Bull PH a survey was commissioned into the state of the
Lombardy Poplar that stands within the Bull garden. The survey revealed the Tree to be in poor
condition and should be felled or substantially reduced. The tree is in private ownership but it was felt
that the tree should be removed and a suitable replacement be found in the coming months.
1418. Community Engagement Committee
Cllr. Morton The Christmas Market was a huge success and very well attended.
Queens Platinum Jubilee is on the agenda.
Litter picking, we hope to promote in the Village News magazine.
1419. Any Other Urgent Business for report (without decision)
None
1420. Public Participation
Member of the public enquired whether EFDC had given the Parish any money towards the Queens
Platinum Jubilee. Cllr Hannibal confirmed they had not been given any additional money from EFDC
and that the Parish had allocated the money out of its reserves.
Member of the public enquired if the planter outside Quality and Excellence could be moved over
slightly to allow better access. Cllr. Gooch said that EFDC may remove the Covid regulation for shops to
have extended frontage.
Cllr Gooch closed the meeting at 21:45pm
Chairman Cllr Peter Gooch Signed: ………………………………………. Dated: 24
th February 2022