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Redevelopment of the former Pyrles Lane Nursery

Pyrles Lane Artist Impression2 February 2023

There is a new planning application for redevelopment of the former Pyrles Lane Nursery site to provide 30 flats and 18 houses, along with the vehicle access point off Pyrles Lane, car parking, open space, landscaping, and associated infrastructure.

More details are here, including the Design and Access Statement (part 1 and part 2) and other plans.

A consultation is underway until February 13th. You can make your views known now. The LRA Plans Group (LRAPG) opposes the application and you can read their comments here.

How to Comment

• Comment online here.
• Email the District Council. Please copy your comments by email to LRAPG and the Town Council so they can take them into account when they comment to the District Council. 
• Write to the Director of Planning & Economic Development, Epping Forest District Council, Civic Offices, 323 High Street, Epping CM16 4BZ giving the reference EPF/2913/22.

Here is our letter to nearby residents.

Pyrles Lane Site LayoutYou may like to consider the following points

• Putting housing here would mean more people would be living relatively close to the Epping Forest; their vehicles, and their visitors’ vehicles, will have an adverse impact on the Forest’s Special Area.
• This site is proposed by Qualis, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the District Council. Providing only 8% affordable housing is unacceptable - it should comply with the Council’s policy (40%).
• Four storeys is too high. This site is surrounded by predominantly two storey houses (there’s a four-storey block of flats on Pyrles Lane but that doesn’t justify putting a four-storey building here).
• The design of the four-storey building is cheap and ugly and out of character with the area; it’s contrary to the Government’s “build beautiful”standards.
• There will be a significant loss of trees.
• There will be a significant loss of open green space.
• There’s no provision for supporting infrastructure such as Doctors' Surgeries and schools - the additional housing will add further pressure on local services.
• The parking spaces on the northern end of the development will impact on the amenity of the homes in Hillyfields because of the extra noise and headlight disturbance from cars
• Rectory Lane is already over congested with cars backing up from Debden Broadway all the way back to Church Hill at busy times - this will only get worse when the developments on Borders Lane are completed.
• Earlier on there was a consultation with local residents on a considerably less dense development on this site – the resulting statement of community involvement demonstrated overwhelming opposition to that smaller development. As the application is significantly different to the previous scheme a second public consultation should have taken place.
• Overall, this is a significant overdevelopment of the site.


Because this land is owned by the District Council, the application will be considered by a District-wide committee, where most of the Cllrs will know little about Loughton, Debden and the local area; please bear this in mind when commenting.


Pyrles Lane Rear FlatsWhat Happens Next

Like you, LRAPG can only make comments on the proposals, which the District Council must take into account but not necessarily agree with. The application will be decided upon by a Council Officer or by Councillors in a District Council Planning Committee. One objector will be able to speak at the meeting. This is a quasi-legal process, and decisions have to be taken on planning grounds only, whatever the personal views of the Cllrs involved.

LRAPG is an independent panel that comments on all planning and licensing applications on behalf of Loughton residents and is quite separate from LRA Cllrs sitting on planning committees.




9 March 2022

Support LRA../contact-us/membership.htmlLRA Plans Group (LRAPG) has been concerned about the District Council’s plans to develop this Council-owned site for housing, as the entrance is narrow and on a bend. It is also close to the Epping Forest Special Area of Conservation (EFSAC), and extra housing here will increase the pressure on the EFSAC. In 2015 the site was granted outline planning permission for a development of 36 flats and houses (this has expired, so another planning application would be needed and the usual opportunity to comment would be available).

The Council has failed to find a commercial developer prepared to buy the site, and so has decided to sell it to Qualis at an arms-length valuation (Qualis is a group of companies set up as subsidiaries to the Council in order to develop, own and maintain properties).

Qualis is now holding a public consultation where you can give your views until March 23rd. More. There is also a public exhibition of the latest proposals on Tuesday March 15th (9.30am to 7.30pm) in the former Town Council chamber, 1 Buckingham Court, Rectory Lane (near the Church Hill junction).