Welcome to the consultation website for the North Weald Airfield Strategic Masterplan. This website will keep you up to date with the consultation programme, Strategic Masterplan updates and how you can get involved and share your feedback.

Project Overview

Epping Forest District Council is currently producing a Strategic Masterplan for the employment site at North Weald airfield. Land at North Weald Airfield has been identified as a New Employment Site in Epping Forest District Council’s emerging Local Plan. Find out more at www.efdclocalplan.org. Once endorsed by the Council, the Strategic Masterplan will guide future applications for development at the site.

Epping Forest District Council are keen to hear the views of locals on the Strategic Masterplan. The aim is to show how the strategic masterplan has developed following informal consultation carried out in November / December 2020 and as a result of technical studies conducted. We would like to get your feedback to inform the final masterplan before it is submitted to Cabinet for adoption in early 2022.

Consultation & Engagement

This stage of the consultation will be open for 8 weeks (six weeks, plus an additional 2 weeks to cover the busy holiday period), and feedback be accepted until the consultation closes on Sunday 30 January.

During this time you can view the digital exhibition, FAQs, or attend one of the events we will be holding in January 2022. You can also download the consultation report from the consultation carried out in 2020.

UPDATE: Due to government guidance cautioning against face-to-face gatherings, the previously advertised drop-in exhibitions at Queens Hall on 15 and 19 January will no longer run. The below changes have been made to ensure that residents, businesses, landowners and other stakeholders will still have an opportunity to provide feedback, while ensuring the safety of the community.

Zoom Meetings:
We will be holding a series of Zoom meetings, where Council and the design team will present on the updated masterplan, and attendees will have an opportunity to ask the team any questions. As these meetings will be in place of our in-person events, it is important to note that this is another way the team can record your feedback as part of the consultation. Please email us at northwealdairfield@soundingsoffice.com to receive the Zoom link, and send through your questions so we can ensure these are answered during the session.

  • Zoom Event 1: Tuesday 11 January, 6 – 7:30pm
  • Zoom Event 2: Wednesday 19 January, 6 – 7:30pm

We would love to know your thoughts on the strategic masterplan. Fill out an online feedback form below, or pick up a printed version from North Weald Library, and return it at one of our in-person events or one of the below locations before Sunday 30 January:

  • Thornwood Common Parish Hall letterbox – Weald Hall Lane, Thornwood CM16 6NB
  • Survey box located at North Weald Library, CM16 6BZ
Click here to view the digital exhibition

If you have any questions, or would like to request anything in a different format, please do not hesitate to get in touch using the contact details below:

T. +44 (0)20 7729 0770
E. northwealdairfield@soundingsoffice.com

Reference Documents

Background

In August 2019, Epping Forest District Council as landowners appointed Project Managers Turner & Townsend and Planning Consultants, Masterplanners and Environmental Consultants RPS to prepare the draft Strategic Masterplan.

Since then, Public Engagement Consultants Soundings have been brought on board to lead consultation and engagement with key stakeholders and the local community.

The Site
North Weald Airfield is located north east of London in North Weald Bassett in Epping Forest, Essex.

The airfield is an operational aerodrome and was an important fighter station during the Battle of Britain and is the home of North Weald Airfield Museum.

North Weald’s identity is tied to the historic presence of the of the Royal Air Force in the village.

North Weald Airfield Strategic Masterplan Site Location

North Weald Airfield Strategic Masterplan Site Location

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The Emerging Epping Forest District Local Plan

Land at North Weald Airfield is identified as New Employment Site Allocation NWB.E4 in the emerging Local Plan for:

  • 10ha of additional Business, General Industrial and Storage or Distribution floorspace
  • Retention and expansion of aviation uses
  • New access from Epping Road
  • Phased development with planned trajectory of 5ha by 2022/23 to 2026/27 and a further 5ha by 2027/28 to 2031/32
Excerpt from emerging Local Plan

Excerpt from emerging Local Plan

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    The Strategic Masterplan Vision and Objectives are:

  • Provide significant local employment and entrepreneurial opportunities.

  • Be ambitious and sustainable using new technology and infrastructure and make the best possible use of the local environment.

  • Support the continuation of and further development of the airfield, including maintaining it’s runway, control tower and weather station facilities, providing hangarage and other facilities.

  • Bring forward heritage and museum developments that fully reflect and celebrate the local history of the airfield and it’s importance to the local community.

North Weald Airfield Gate Hurricane replica

North Weald Airfield Gate Hurricane replica

Employment site allocation of the North Weald Airfield Masterplan Area

Employment site allocation of the North Weald Airfield Masterplan Area

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Timeline

Below is the timeline and process for preparing the Strategic Masterplan for North Weald Airfield

First stages of research and masterplanning and optioneering
AUGUST 2020 – 2021
Defining the baseline context, identifying site considerations and preparing environmental surveys
JUNE 2020 – OCTOBER 2020
Identification and testing of options for the Strategic Masterplan
Consultation and engagement to inform draft masterplan
OCTOBER 2020 – NOVEMBER 2020
Key stakeholder group meetings
NOVEMBER 2020
Deliver printed and digital flyer locally to inform of engagement
NOVEMBER 2020
Digital exhibition sharing emerging Strategic Masterplan
NOVEMBER 2020
Drop-in Sessions and engagement with key stakeholder groups during public exhibition
JANUARY 2021
Developing masterplan in response to community feedback
MARCH 2021
Cabinet endorsement of a draft Masterplan for statutory consultation
NOVEMBER 2021
EFDC Cabinet accepted a recommendation that the draft Strategic Masterplan Framework be approved for public consultation consultation
Statutory Consultation
DECEMBER 2021 – JANUARY 2022
A six week public statutory consultation will be undertaken, plus an additional 2 weeks to allow for the holiday period. (We are here)
MARCH 2022
Cabinet to endorse the Strategic Masterplan as a material planning consideration to guide future development at the site

News & Updates

8 December 2021

Our digital exhibition is now live! Have your say on the strategic masterplan for the North Weald Airfield Employment Site. You have until Sunday 30 January to submit your feedback form.

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15 February 2021

Thank you to everyone who took time to view the digital exhibition at the end of last year and share feedback with us. The public consultation closed 17 December 2020, all feedback is now being reviewed and considered by the project team. A full report on the consultation and next steps will be shared on our website in the coming weeks.

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26 November 2020

Digital exhibition is now live! Have your say on the future of North Weald Airfield.

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Contact Us

If you would like to hear more about the project or simply like to be kept updated with the North Weald Airfield Strategic Masterplan, please contact Zakia or Claire at Soundings using the details below:



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020 7729 1705


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