I HAVE, over the last three years, expressed my concerns about the massive McCarthy and Stone development on the High Road in Epping and the effect that it will have on my family's day to day lives.

I am a resident of Beech Place, which directly backs onto the development site, or in more exact terms, my garden will be part of the development.

Due to Epping Forest Council's inefficiency in contacting Natural England back in 2005, when the wildlife was identified on this site, we now appear to be surveying the gardens on a species basis.

The whole of the development site needs a full ecological survey, not just for bats and great crested newts.

The gardens also house many other species, in particular, slow worms. The slow worms have entered my garden from the proposed development site.

I am requesting that a survey of the whole development site - gardens of 19, 21 and 23 High Road - be carried out before any other endangered species are lost.

As a semi-rural area, Natural England should be the first port of call.

J. James, Beech Place, Epping.