We have heard from drivers, angry that some might have to pay to drive through the forest.

We have heard from the district council, determined to press on now with permissions for more house building in the south of the district.

So far we have heard very little from - or about - the forest itself, the third party in this three-cornered conflict.

The forest is in danger now in 2021, whether or not the council brings in a Clean Air Zone in 2025. (A CAZ is a key part of the Interim Air Pollution Mitigation Strategy, which was rushed through on the say-so of a single cabinet member last December.)

The history of the forest is well known - saved from centuries of enclosure and clearance by determined public action and the Epping Forest Act of 1878. The threats it faces now are invisible, but no less serious. Air pollution from traffic is affecting not just road-side vegetation, but over half the forest area, much of it far from roads. Many of the great trees are showing ill-effects as is other vegetation and wild life.

These effects will take time to reverse, even if all pollution were halted today - an impossible aim. Thousands of us live around the forest, and most of us drive cars. More homes, and so more cars will add to the problem. Cleaner vehicles are on their way but it could be a decade or longer before they’re in widespread use.

The council’s Interim Mitigation Strategy is flawed. It fails to take into account pollution from the M25 on the forest’s northern reaches. It says nothing about traffic avoiding a CAZ by using alternative routes, many of them through built-up areas. It says little about the impact on people of air pollution which is already high in parts of the district.

The strategy is flawed. It should not be used as a licence to build. It needs revision if it is to halt damage to the forest, and it needs some public support. It will be a shame if our generation gets this wrong.

Dorothy Paddon

Loughton