Woodcote (Epsom) Residents Society

A lot of actions which had been on the to do list were signed-off as completed at the Consultative Committee meeting on the evening of 14 October 2024 .

The Committee is chaired by Councillor Steven McCormick and Councillor Bernice Froud is a member. The Committee also has a representative.

There was one item on the agenda at the request of Councillor Froud which was of direct relevance to Langley Vale and it was confirmed that there would be a site meeting shortly by the Council Tree Officer to inspect the state of the trees in Warren Wood behind Mannamead and Mannamead Close.

The Committee also had the opportunity to comment on the proof of the notice board content which the committee was assured would be finalised and put-up very soon now. 

Other issues covered at the meeting included the condition of tracks and hacks; progress with the removal of spoil heaps; pot-hole repairs on the Old Road;  out of control dogs on the Downs; anti-social behaviour in the car-parks,  the management of grassland and a feasibility study to investigate reintroducing grazing to Juniper Hill and a new vendor in the 7 furlong being piloted.

We were asked to put out a further appeal for Volunteers to help with the management of the Downs. Please let us know if you have time to volunteer – it would be very rewarding and much appreciated.

Also if you experience anti-social or see dangerous behaviour please ring 999 and report the incident. That is the only way they will get addressed.   You can use the contact us link on the Epsom & Ewell Council website to report other issues that need action by the management team”.

James Blythe, Managing Director of Epsom St Helier NHS Trust confirmed that plans for the new emergency care hospital in Sutton and the upgrading of Epsom hospital were currently on hold again – waiting to hear what the impact of the governments review of the hospital programme will have.  He was however hopeful that the plans will be able to go ahead on the understanding that the current arrangements are unsustainable.

You can find a link to the recording of the meeting the Society hosted on 17 October here for those of you who were not able to attend.

James Blythe went on to set the strategic context and how Epsom Hospital currently works with St Helier and St George’s Hospitals as part of a Hospital Group.  During the discussion it became clear that the current plans did not take account of the new government housing targets for the area. 

In introducing himself Chris Rivers, Director of Estates, Facilities and Capital Projects at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust explained he was the point of contact for all estate issues. He emphasised the Trust’s commitment to being a good neighbour and was pleased to have the opportunity to hear directly from residents about concerns /issues they had.

During the remainder of the meeting James and Chris fielded a wide range of questions from the floor including the allocation of services between the two sites; accessibility to the hospitals for those with disabilities; car parking and the impact on traffic using the Dorking road; the S2 bus route being impracticably slow; the impact of noise and lighting issues associated with the Langley Wing and lighting levels adjacent to Woodcote Green Road.

James and Chris committed to look into all the issues raised by residents at the meeting and we will post a update as soon as we are able on the follow-actions agreed at the meeting

Bring your family and friends along for a fun evening and support your local residents association.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced she would be reviewing the previous government’s plan to build 40 new hospitals by 2030 and resetting the programme to put it on a sustainable footing.

The details of the review are yet to be confirmed and we don’t know whether or not the funding for the redevelopment of the Epsom and St Helier Hospitals will be forthcoming and if so on what timeline.  

The new government says that past delays and cost overruns mean that the funding allocated to the programme runs out in March. The programme has therefore to be reset and a thorough, costed and realistic timeline for delivery put in place to avoid the public being further mislead and let down.

Meanwhile the Hospital Trust says it is “cracking on with plans for the new hospital and upgrades to our existing sites while the review takes place”.

Hopefully we will know more by the time that James Blythe, Managing Director of the Epsom & St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust speaks at our next Resident’s Meeting on 17 October at 7.30pm the Epsom Sports Club.

Please make sure that evening is reserved in your diary for what will be an important opportunity to hear what the review may mean for our hospital redevelopment plans. 

We are very grateful to James for agreeing to give up his evening to come and speak to us.