Residents who completed and returned their neighbourhood plan consultation form and comments have been praised for their community spirit.

Epping Town Council received a large number of very detailed comments to the plan, which which are now being analysed to feed into its next stages.

The responses will help the councillors highlight what are the big issues affecting people in Epping today and how they can be addressed.

Feedback given at drop-in sessions last year suggested people were particularly concerned about parking, the Green Belt, whether the town would have a swimming pool and how easy access was to GPs surgery.

Cllr Nigel Avey, Epping Town Mayor, said: “We had a very good response to our consultation and many people had taken a lot of time and trouble to provide us with some very detailed views and suggestions.

"We are extremely grateful for those comments, as this is the neighbourhood plan for your town and its future.

"We would also like to thank the very dedicated members of our neighbourhood planning advisory committee, both residents and councillors, who have spent so much time inputting into the plan and are now spending many hours helping analyse the comments.

"I would also like to thank our planning and events officer, Geraldine Vallis, for her excellent work throughout the neighbourhood plan process.

"We will keep you updated on progress."