DISTRICT COUNCIL APOLOGISE TO PIANO LOUNGE

Epping Forest District Council has apologised to the Piano Lounge in Epping for publishing its name in a list of premises that received Food Improvement Notices.
John Gilbert, Director of Environment and Street Scene for the Council said: “It was an administrative mistake on our part and we are very sorry for any inconvenience and embarrassment caused.”
Mr Gilbert said: “The standards of quality and hygiene among our local pubs, restaurants and take-aways are generally very high. None of the problems found by our inspectors constituted an imminent risk to public health and wherever we asked for improvements, these were carried out without any need for legal proceedings.”
“However, we made a mistake on the list. All of the records are computerised. Four notices had been issued to the previous occupier of one premises, an Indian restaurant, which is now occupied by the Piano Lounge. When the Piano Lounge took over the site, our system transferred the previous occupier’s history to the new business.”
“None of the notices issued between 2006 and 2008 related to the Piano Lounge. We are very sorry for the mistake and we have acted as quickly as we can to change the way our computer system holds this information to ensure it cannot happen again.”

I would just reiterate that I, personally, have only ever received an excellent service from the Piano Lounge and would highly recommend it to anyone. If you could like to book a table to see for yourself, you can do so by calling 01992 577003 or email info@pianoloungeepping.com alternatively you can visit their website by clicking here.

TWIN-TOWN GROUP SEEKS NEW MEMBERS

The Epping Eppingen Town Twinning Association have recently launched a campaign to promote the work they do and to encourage local residents to join their Association.
Epping entered into a twin-town agreement with Eppingen in 1981 and since then regular visits have taken place between the people of Epping and the people of Eppingen, which is located in Southwest Germany, near to Stuttgart.
At a recent open day, a large number of visitors viewed a selection of the many photographs, leaflets and videos relating to the twinning.
At this event, I joined the Association's management team to unveil a new cabinet in Epping Hall, which displays some of the many gifts which have been presented to the people of Epping over the years. I hope this to be a very small step towards establishing a museum in Epping to catalogue and display some of the wonderful artefacts which are currents locked away in a variety of store cupboards.
I had the pleasure of visiting the Lord Mayor of Eppingen, Klaus Holaschke in November last year, having previously visited some 11 years before that. The town is a beautiful, historic, green area and I was amazed with how welcoming the people of Eppingen always make visitors from Epping feel.
The next visit to Germany will take place between Friday 24th and Sunday 26th July 2009, during which time Eppingen host their annual festival.
If you are interested in joining the Association or would like to discuss the issue further, please contact Tony Church on 01992 574680 or email him at tony@churchspires.com Alternatively, you can contact the Association's website by clicking here.

PLANNING APPLICATIONS FOR CONSIDERATION

The following planning applications will be considered by Epping Town Council's Planning and General Purposes Committee on Tuesday 2nd June 2009. If you wish to express your view to the committee on any of the application below, you can either email info@eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk or attend the meeting in person at Epping Hall, St. John's Road, Epping, CM16 5JU.

EPF/0686/09 - 50 Ivy Chimneys, Epping - Single storey rear extension.
EPF/0743/09 - 53 Sunnyside Road, Epping - Rear conservatory.
EPF/0770/09 - Zaikka, 201 High Street, Epping - Two through lit externally illuminated fascia signs, to replace signs at ground and first floor level.
EPF/0776/09 - St. Margaret's Hospital, Epping - Refurbishment of existing ambulance bay and infill of existing openings.
EPF/0792/09 - 183 Parklands, Coopersale - Two storey side, single storey front and rear extensions.
EPF/0727/09 - 24 Station Road, Epping - Two storey and single storey rear extensions.
EPF/0831/09 - 7 Institute Road, Coopersale - Erection of two storey rear extension, additional front dormer window and ground floor front porch and bay window.
EPF/0849/09 - 7 & 10 Fairfield Road, Epping - Proposed first floor rear extensions above existing flat roofs.
EPF/0863/09 - 15 High Road, Epping - Rear conservatory.
EPF/0865/09 - 25 Crows Road, Epping - Single storey rear extensions including conservatory and loft conversion with rear dormer window.
EPF/0866/09 - 7 Coopersale Street, Coopersale - First floor rear extension.

NEWLY REFURBISHED PLAY AREA OPENS

After almost a year of discussion, consultation and planning the newly refurbished Stonards Hill Play Area is now open, as planned, in time for the hot summer months to allow the children and young people from Epping and the surrounding areas to make good use of the facilities.

This project, led by Epping Town Council, cost a total of £74,000 and Essex County Council kindly provided a grant of £20,000 from its Community Initiatives Fund.

The play area incorporates several new design features, like sloping levels, which help to give increased challenge and play value.

Town Councillors have also expressed a wish to really focus on refurbishing the disgraceful play area at Lower Swaines Recreation Ground as soon as is possible, but are mindful of the cost attached to such a large capital expenditure project, especially in difficult economic climate and given the Council’s commitment to keep their share of your Council Tax as low as possible.

Welcome to the 'All About Epping' blog!
This site has been established to help communicate information and news relevant to residents living in and around the Epping area.
Having recently retired at the Mayor of Epping, I am acutely aware of the vast number of local organisations and service providers we have operating within our community, many of whom are currently struggling to uncover opportunities to share information about the work they are doing on behalf of local people. I hope that this blog helps to bridge that gap.
Of course, the beauty of blogs is that it enables anyone with an interest in Epping to make comments on the articles I will be posting and indeed to further enter into debates on issues of local interest.
Please do email me at allaboutepping@googlemail.com if you feel there are any issues which you would like me to raise, or events which you would like me to publicise.
We all know that Epping is a great place in which to live, work, trade and visit and I hope that this blog helps to reinforce that belief.
...let the blogging commence...!!