Epping Forest MP Dr Neil Hudson addresses Epping Society AGM
- Mar 17
- 5 min read
Epping MP Calls for Vigilance Over Green Belt, Youth Health and Local Services
Around 60 members of The Epping Society gathered on 12 March for their Annual General Meeting to hear a wide‑ranging and heartfelt address from Dr Neil Hudson, MP for Epping Forest who was this year guest speaker.
The meeting was opened by Epping Society Chairman, Christine Burt, who warmly welcomed members and briefly reflected on another busy year of campaigning to protect the character and environment of Epping and its surroundings. She was joined by Society President, John Batchelor, who also welcomed those present and underlined the Society’s long tradition of constructive but determined engagement with local authorities and elected representatives.
Dr Hudson, a veterinary surgeon by profession and the first vet to be elected to the House of Commons since the 1840s, began by explaining his unconventional route into politics. He recalled his experiences during the 2001 Foot and Mouth outbreak, when vets were deployed on the front line for disease surveillance and the culling of livestock. The trauma of that period, he said, had left a lasting impression and helped drive his commitment to biosecurity, rural communities and mental health.
He then turned to the subject closest to his audience’s heart: Epping Forest itself. Describing it as the “heart and lungs of North East London and West Essex”, he reminded members that the forest stretches across some 6,000 acres, making it the largest public open space in the London area. Home to around 55,000 ancient trees and an extraordinary concentration of veteran pollards, Epping Forest is, he stressed, a natural asset of national and international significance.
Dr Hudson placed today’s concerns in their historical context, recalling the Epping Forest Act of 1878, which curbed traditional lopping rights but was crucial in safeguarding the forest, and Queen Victoria’s 1882 dedication of the forest “for the use and enjoyment of my people for all time”. He linked this to the construction of Lopping Hall, funded in compensation for lost lopping rights, and noted the neat historical coincidence that the hall opened in the same year that the last vet before him sat in Parliament.
Despite this proud legacy of protection, he warned that the forest and surrounding Green Belt are “under constant threat”. He cited a series of planning applications for sizeable housing developments, including proposals for up to 80 homes at Old Pastures and around 400 homes north of Stewards Green Road, as well as other schemes on open fields and near local stations. While acknowledging the undoubted need for more housing, he argued that development must be genuinely plan‑led, located in suitable places, and supported by proper infrastructure such as GP surgeries, schools and transport links.
Dr Hudson voiced particular concern about recent changes to national planning policy, which he said appear to shift the burden of housing growth onto rural and semi‑rural areas like Epping Forest, while easing targets in major cities that already have stronger infrastructure. He also criticised moves that risk sidelining local voices in the planning process by limiting the ability of councils to scrutinise applications that superficially align with local plans.
On climate and energy, Dr Hudson affirmed his belief that the UK is facing a climate emergency and must move away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy. However, he warned that this transition must be handled “in the right way and in the right place”. Large‑scale solar schemes proposed on productive farmland or Green Belt land between Thornwood and Epping Upland, he argued, could undermine food security and damage the landscape they purport to protect. The challenge, he said, is to reconcile clean energy, food production and environmental stewardship, rather than sacrificing one for another.
The MP also addressed more immediate, day‑to‑day issues affecting residents. In a lively section on transport, he spoke about the troubled state of the Central line, which he uses daily to commute to Parliament. Members readily recognised his description of crowded platforms, packed carriages, delays and the stifling heat in summer. He drew attention to the slow pace of refurbishment of the Central line fleet, the screeching noise on certain stretches of track, and the prevalence of graffiti on and inside the trains. He promised to continue pressing Transport for London to accelerate upgrades and improve the travelling experience, noting that the line is not only vital for commuters but also forms part of many visitors’ first impression of London.
Dr Hudson devoted a substantial part of his speech to mental health and young people, an area in which he has long been active in Parliament. He spoke candidly about the elevated rates of mental health problems and suicide within the veterinary profession, and about the ongoing impact of crises like Foot and Mouth on rural communities. He highlighted his work in Parliament to secure parity of esteem between physical and mental health services and his involvement in initiatives such as the Three Dads Walking campaign, which successfully pushed for suicide prevention to be included in the school curriculum.
Bringing the issue closer to home, he described the disturbing rise in vaping among children and teenagers. Drawing on a survey by the Epping Forest Youth Council, with whom he works closely, he noted that many young people feel vapes are too easily accessible to under‑18s and that some start using them in primary school. He relayed accounts of students waking in the early hours to avoid withdrawal symptoms or leaving lessons and even exams to vape. Although the government has now acted to restrict disposable vapes, he warned that stockpiling and loopholes remain, and that constant vigilance will be needed to protect young people’s health and to curb the growing environmental problem of discarded devices.
He linked this to broader concerns about litter, fly‑tipping and antisocial behaviour in and around the forest, praising local councils, community groups and volunteers who organise regular litter‑picks. It was wrong, he said, that volunteers were left to clean up after those who treat the countryside as a dumping ground.
Before taking questions, Dr Hudson paid tribute to the rich network of local groups and societies – including Rotary clubs, parish councils and, in particular, The Epping Society itself – whose campaigns and quiet persistence help to protect the district’s distinctive character. He spoke movingly about his late father’s involvement in Rotary and how community organisations build international as well as local friendships.
Concluding his remarks, he returned to the Society’s founding purpose in 1972: to preserve the environment and promote the amenities of Epping and the surrounding area. Thanks to more than fifty years of such civic engagement, he said, the Green Belt and Epping Forest are “not out of danger, but safer than they might be”. He urged members to continue writing, meeting, campaigning and holding all levels of government to account.
The evening closed with thanks to Dr Hudson for an informed, passionate and comprehensive address, and with a renewed sense among members that their efforts, past and present, remain crucial to the future of Epping Forest.
The Epping Society would like to thank Dr Hudson for his very interesting speech and for being so generous with his time by taking questions from the floor and staying behind after to chat with members,
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