THE £6.75 million sale of Essex County Council’s land holdings in St John’s Road to Epping Forest District Council has signalled the start of a process that will see a major redevelopment in the town of Epping.

The sale means Epping Forest District Council and Frontier Estates can now deliver the development brief of new retail and leisure facilities Epping residents said they wanted.

The amended development brief produced in 2012 incorporated many suggestions supported by local residents. The proposed combination of retail and leisure including a small cinema.

The scheme aims to benefit all residents of Epping and brings the derelict school site back into use. The brief also allows for commercial development to boost the economy of Epping High Street, improve the town’s infrastructure, and provide facilities of particular value to the town’s young people.

The plans include the retention of the Centre Point building as the new home of Epping Town Council. Epping Forest District Council’s Housing Depot will move potentially to North Weald.

Commercial development of the project is being undertaken by Frontier Estates in partnership with Epping Forest District Council and Epping Town Council.

Councillor Anne Grigg, Asset Management Portfolio Holder for Epping Forest District Council is delighted that work can now progress. Following the signing of the agreement to buy the land from Essex County Council, she said: “This is great news for Epping. An incredible amount of hard work has gone in from all sides to balance the interests of local residents and businesses with the financial reality. We are incredibly fortunate that unlike most councils, Epping Forest District has the resources to balance the need for profit with the wider interests of the local community. Essex County Council has gone a long way to helping deliver the project and I am now looking forward to working in partnership with Epping Town Council and Frontier Estates to give Epping residents this exciting scheme.”

Work will now begin on preparing planning applications for outline planning permission and detailed planning permission. Meanwhile, Frontier Estates is seeking commercial partners.

Councillor Anthony Jackson, Deputy Cabinet Member to the Leader with responsibility for property at Essex County Council also welcomed the deal. He added: “With any land development it is absolutely vital to balance and understand the needs of the various parties involved, while also ultimately ensuring council taxpayers get good value for money.

“This is a good deal for Essex, and a good deal for Epping, and this will now help us to kick start what is going to be a fantastic redevelopment for this part of the town.

“This has been a complex and detailed agreement, and I would like to pay tribute to those involved, both at ECC and at Epping, for the work they have done in helping to make this scheme, which has long been mooted, a reality.”

Councillor Les Burrows, Chairman of Epping Town Council said: “Epping Town Council will be happy to join in the negotiations over the St John’s development proposals if it will mean better facilities for our town.”