Understanding planning · 13 min read
Planning application documents: what to read first
Understand planning application documents, officer reports and decision notices. Use a reading checklist, document table and worked example to inspect a case.
England · Local authority
Epping Forest planning applications
PlanningTrack collects planning applications and decisions from the public planning register of Epping Forest District Council. Also known as EFDC.Search an address, application reference or proposal. Official Epping Forest website
Collected application statistics
Collected records · All available dates59,977Searchable applications
395Recorded as pending
80%Approval rate · 51,711 approved or refused records
10,431Refused applications
41,280 approved · 10,431 refused · 3,126 withdrawn. Received dates in our records: 29 Jan 1996 to 29 Oct 2026. Most recent record check: 3 Nov 2026. Counts reflect the last collected status; some records may be out of date.
Local planning information
Council sources checked 14 Sept 2026Planning information Planning and buildingLocal plan Planning and buildingPre-application advice Planning and buildingArticle 4 directions Planning and building
Conservation areas and Article 4 directions
Explore published planning boundaries and follow their source records for designation details. Coverage varies: an empty map does not mean there are no restrictions. Check the council’s current maps and documents before relying on a boundary.
Conservation areas25 mapped area records
Article 4 direction areasNo boundary records available in this collection
Interactive planning map loads with JavaScript. Dataset sources are linked below.
Download Article 4 coverage for all authorities (CSV)
Data downloaded 14 Sept 2026. Display boundaries are simplified and indicative. Map record counts are not a complete count of designations or directions.
Sources: Planning Data conservation areas and Article 4 direction areas. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
More application records
- Decision MadeEPF/1568/26
Approval of Details reserved by Conditions 3 Types and Colours of External Finishes, 4 Hard and Soft Landscaping and 5 Parking Details of EPF/0245/24 (Change of use from public house (sui generis) to residential (C3) to form 7 x 1-bedroom flats).
42 The Crusader, Flat, High Street, Roydon, Harlow, CM19 5EA
Received 13 Aug 2026 - Decision MadeEPF/1569/26
Proposed alterations to front of house including New Porch, Boundary Wall/Gates and alterations to Front Landscaping.
28, The Uplands, Loughton, IG10 1NH
Received 14 Aug 2026 - Decision MadeEPF/1570/26
Certificate of Lawful Development for proposed single storey side extension and two storey rear extension.
Nupers Cottage, Nupers Lane, Stapleford Abbotts, RM4 1JR
Received 14 Aug 2026 - Decision MadeEPF/1571/26
Approval of Details Reserved by Condition 4 of EPF/0482/26 and 7 of EPF/1674/25 Hard and Soft Landscaping (Variation of Condition 2 Plan numbers of EPF/1674/25 (Demolition of existing house, garage and outbuildings. Erection of new detached single dwelling house with integrated garage)).
Greyfriars, Bury Road, Waltham Abbey, E4 7QL
Received 14 Aug 2026 - Decision MadeEPF/1572/26
Certificate of Lawful Development for proposed single storey side extension.
1 Woodbrook Gardens, Waltham Abbey, EN9 3DA
Received 14 Aug 2026 - Decision MadeEPF/1573/26
Non-Material Amendment to EPF/2332/24 (onstruction of a new dwelling house with vehicular access).
3C, Lavender Cottage, Cripsey Avenue, Ongar, CM5 0AT
Received 14 Aug 2026 - Decision MadeEPF/1574/26
Loft conversion and construction of dormer.
170, High Street, Epping, CM16 4AQ
Received 14 Aug 2026 - Under ConsultationEPF/1576/26
Application for approval of details reserved by Condition 14 (Temporary Construction Access) on planning permission (EPF/1546/24) (Proposed Installation, operation and decommissioning of renewable energy generating station comprising ground-mounted photovoltaic solar arrays together with transformer/inverter stations, site accesses, internal access tracks, security measures, access gates, other ancillary infrastructure and landscaping and biodiversity enhancements).
Land at Nickerlands, Berwick Lane, Stanford Rivers, Ongar, CM5 9PX
Received 14 Aug 2026 - Decision MadeEPF/1578/26
Approval of Details Reserved by Condition 3 Surface Water Drainage of EPF/0461/24 (2 x 3 bed semi-detached houses).
Leverton County Gm Junior And Infant School, Honey Lane, Waltham Abbey, EN9 3BE
Received 17 Aug 2026 - Decision MadeEPF/1577/26
TPO/EPF/28/08 T1: Horse Chestnut - Crown reduce, as specified. Crown thin, as specified. NB: The permitted specification of works is detailed in the conditions below.
73, Hemnall Street, Epping, CM16 4ND
Received 17 Aug 2026 - Decision MadeEPF/1579/26
Erection of a detached single-storey home office to the side/rear of the property, for ancillary use.
30, Starling Close, Buckhurst Hill, IG9 5TN
Received 17 Aug 2026 - Decision MadeEPF/1580/26
TPO/EPF/15/90 T1: Robinia - Crown reduce by up to 3m, as specified. NB: The permitted specification of works is detailed in the conditions below.
108, High Street, Ongar, CM5 9EB
Received 17 Aug 2026 - Decision MadeEPF/1581/26
Proposed change of use from Funeral Parlour/Funeral Directors – Use Class E(c)(iii), to Children’s Home – Use Class C2 (Residential Institutions).
32, Church Hill, Loughton, IG10 1LA
Received 17 Aug 2026 - Decision MadeEPF/1582/26
Non-Material Amendment to EPF/0064/25 (Proposed new dwelling).
2, The Uplands, Loughton, IG10 1NH
Received 17 Aug 2026 - Decision MadeEPF/1583/26
Approval of Details Reserved by Condition 11 Hard and Soft Landscaping of EPF/2560/24 Allowed on Appeal (Demolition of existing house including outbuildings and garage to be replaced by a single-family dwelling (incorporating existing outbuildings), together with associated single storey garage with attached annex and landscaping).
Hillside, Vicarage Lane, Chigwell, IG7 6LZ
Received 17 Aug 2026 - Decision MadeEPF/1584/26
Non-Material Amendment to EPF/1974/22 Allowed on Appeal (The construction and operation of a solar photovoltaic (‘PV’) farm and associated infrastructure, including inverters, DNO substation, customer switchgear, security cameras, fencing, access tracks and landscaping)
Land Adjacent to Harlow Road, Near Roydon, Harlow
Received 17 Aug 2026 - Decision MadeEPF/1585/26
Certificate of Lawful Development Proposed hip to gable loft conversion with rear dormer and front roof lights.
29, Roding View, Buckhurst Hill, IG9 6AF
Received 17 Aug 2026 - Decision MadeEPF/1587/26
Approval of Details Reserved by condition 30 Contaminated Land from EPF/0919/21 (The redevelopment of the existing office building and car park. Demolition of the existing office building and alterations to connection to existing Listed Civic Centre. Development to comprise new apartment buildings and houses to provide a mix of residential units (Use Class C3), revised vehicular and pedestrian access from High Street, all associated car and cycle parking, servicing, hard and soft landscaping and associated works”.)
323 Civic Offices, Epping Forest District Council, High Street, Epping, CM16 4BZ
Received 17 Aug 2026 - Under ConsultationEPF/1586/26
Approval of Detail Reserved by condition 6 Surface water disposal of EPF/1313/25 allowed on appeal (The development proposed is construction of a new two storey dwelling with second floor accommodation in the roof, a detached double garage, a new replacement external rear swimming pool and associated site works, following demolition of existing dwelling and outbuildings.)
High Beech Hall, Church Road, Waltham Abbey, Loughton, IG10 4AJ
Received 17 Aug 2026 - Decision MadeEPF/1588/26
Certificate of Lawful Development for proposed single storey side extension.
Acorns, Dunmow Road, Fyfield, Ongar, CM5 0NW
Received 17 Aug 2026 - Decision MadeEPF/1589/26
Redevelopment of site by demolition of existing detached bungalow and construction of a detached 2- storey dwelling house.
Maycroft, Sewardstone Road, Waltham Abbey, E4 7RH
Received 17 Aug 2026 - Decision MadeEPF/1591/26
Proposed single storey rear extension, two storey side extension and loft conversion with roof remodelling.
30, Stradbroke Grove, Buckhurst Hill, IG9 5PF
Received 18 Aug 2026 - Decision MadeEPF/1592/26
Approval of Details Reserved by Condition 17 Contaminated Land of EPF/0781/25 (Change of use of Pub (pub with food) to a shared space comprising of Health & Wellbeing, Retail, and Café on the ground floor and Offices to the first floor. Partial removal of existing rear buildings and all services, replacing with a new extension to the side/rear).
227, High Road, Loughton, IG10 1BB
Received 18 Aug 2026 - Decision MadeEPF/1593/26
Approval of Details Reserved by Condition 3 Materials of EPF/1672/25 Allowed on Appeal - Appeal B - (Grade II Listed Building consent to repair & replace existing fire damaged flat & pitched roof where required).
18 Sun Street, Waltham Abbey, EN9 1EE
Received 18 Aug 2026
Records are ordered by application ID, not submission date. Use search to find a particular address or proposal.
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What these statistics cover
These figures describe applications collected by PlanningTrack for Epping Forest District Council, across all dates currently available. They are a partial dataset, rather than an authority-wide performance measure. The date range does not establish continuous historical coverage.
The approval percentage is approved records divided by approved plus refused records. Pending, withdrawn and unknown outcomes are excluded. No percentage is shown until there is an approved or refused record.
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