With regard to your story by Milo Boyd in the Epping Forest Guardian about the Upper Clapton Rugby Club seeking support and planning permission to build more houses on their land to fund even more development on their land in Upland Road, Thornwood Common.

Firstly, we must get the location correct. Upper Clapton, or Epping Upper Clapton as they like to be known, is actually located in Thornwood Common (the club is built

over the common on land provided by a London building firm in the 1930s) and in North Weald parish not Epping.

Sport has been the mainstay of the site for decades with people coming from far and wide to participate – not only in rugby. Upper Clapton regularly approached the Guardroom at Thornwood Camp during the 1950s asking if there were any Welsh boys (thinking all Welsh boys like to play rugby) in the new intake of soldiers that could possibly play for them.

Strange how they shun our village now in favour of Epping for the new name?

I mention more houses as recently, (in 2014), Upper Clapton were successful in building eight houses over their original entrance and car park to fund an impressive new clubhouse including a bar, floodlighting and tennis/netball court.

Local residents were concerned regarding match parking along Upland Road as the situation was becoming ridiculous.

The club had jiggled what land they had left to use as extra car parking though it still occasionally spilled into the street. It is interesting to see the club has the backing of 1,000 supporters.

If these 1,000 people and their families descend on the club as spectators or partake in any of the activities offered, we will be back to the days of double parking along Upland Road down to the Parish boundary because all available space has been taken up for housing and the new owners parking needs rather than sufficient provision for club users.

Regarding the 400 matches over three years that have been lost due to poor pitch condition – that’s an awful lot of games – about three a week for every week of the year and as far as I know the season only runs from September to June!

I have been involved with state education for over 40 years and fully appreciate and support children’s sporting programmes.

I have witnessed the sale of school sports fields for housing in London with the result that some time later when the curriculum changes again, children have to be bussed to the nearest open space for lessons!

Upper Clapton has a precious facility that needs protecting.

Yes, it has an impact on the local area with extra traffic, noise, misaligned floodlights lighting up the countryside and contractors who insist on having bonfires on site in the middle of a nice sunny day when the wind is in the wrong direction, but how many other sites locally can match it?

If their function room is built, it will spoil the aspect of the recently built, impressive clubhouse funded by the previous development. Obviously extra housing will affect the already upset street scene along Upland Road unless the properties face inward, away from the road so we can at least keep the hedgerows.

Due to the then cramped site, visiting teams’ coaches, if they can get in, will think they’ve arrived at a housing estate or shantytown!

Please think carefully before you support this development, as living in Epping you are miles away from the site and you (or the planners for that matter) don’t have to put up with the daily and evening activities all week on your doorstep!

James Waters,

Upland Road, North Weald Bassett.

Author, Historian & 2016 NWB Citizen of the Year