Epilepsy Society planning application
The Epilepsy Society has submitted a planning application which we hope will transform the lives of thousands of people with epilepsy across the UK and provide exciting new opportunities for people living in Chalfont St Peter where it is based.
The charity hopes that by developing part of its 300-acre site at its headquarters in the Buckinghamshire village, it will be able to revolutionise the treatment of people with epilepsy and, at the same time, help solve a local housing supply shortage for families whose children cannot afford to buy homes in the neighbourhood where they grew up.
Please support our planning application
There are two ways to support our planning application:
Sign our petition
Click here to sign our petition add say 'yes to new homes that could revolutionise the treatment of epilepsy - and save lives.'
Register a comment on Buckinghamshire Council's website
- Go to Buckinghamshire Council
- Search PL/22/2898/OA
- Click on the ‘comments’ button to register
- You will be sent a confirmation email and can then log in and post your comment
Alternatively, you can email the council at planning.csb@buckinghamshire.gov.uk and tell them why you are supporting our plans.
Opportunity to save lives
There are 600,000 people in the UK with epilepsy and for one third of them - 200,000 - their seizures do not respond to current treatment options. In addition, every year around 1,200 people lose their lives to epilepsy.
The Epilepsy Society is on the cusp of revolutionising the treatment of epilepsy through ground-breaking new diagnostic tools that will include remote 360-degree assessment of patients using transformative medical avatars.
This would be a world first for epilepsy and could both save lives and enable thousands more to achieve seizure freedom and lead fulfilling lives.
But the scientific breakthrough requires substantial investment and the charity is currently not financially sustainable. The cost of living crisis coming hard on the heels of the pandemic and all the pressures on health and social care has hit hard.
Draw on resources
As a charity, the Society is required by the Charity Commission to make best use of its assets for its beneficiaries. Yet, every year the charity has to spend around £1 million maintaining a rambling site with old and dilapidated buildings - money which should ideally be going into research and care for people with epilepsy.
The charity has submitted plans to Buckinghamshire Council to develop 46.65 hectares - less than 40% of its total landholding of 120 hectares. The proposal would include up to 975 homes made up of market and affordable housing, and suitable accommodation for up to 95 people of retirement age.
The proposal would also include:
- new primary school provision
- local retail provision
- good local jobs
- reprovision of sport pitches
- landscaping
- car parking
as well as the vital expansion of services at the Epilepsy Society.
The new development would be to a high quality specification, environmentally sustainable and with biodiversity, renewable energy, improved air quality and sustainable transport at its heart.
Through income generated, the plans would enable the charity to transform the lives of an additional 11,650 people severely affected by epilepsy, each year; improve facilities for disabled people with epilepsy living on site; and create nearly 200 new jobs.
Bringing hope to people with epilepsy
Chief Executive at the Epilepsy Society, Clare Pelham, said: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to revolutionise the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy and bring hope of a life free from seizures to thousands of people with epilepsy across the UK.
“We have a breath-taking range of diagnostic tools at the Epilepsy Society and we have the opportunity to take the treatment of epilepsy to the next level through innovative medical avatars. These are really exciting times but they are dependent on a significant injection of funds to make this happen.
“By developing less than half of our 120-hectare site we could raise the £100 million necessary to radically transform the treatment of epilepsy.”
Part of the community
Unless the charity is allowed to make best use of the land bequeathed by its founding fathers for the benefit of people with epilepsy, it will be sadly forced to sell the land without planning permission and relocate, scaling back its current suite of services.
The Epilepsy Society provides around 400 jobs and is home to 100 residents with complex epilepsy and learning disabilities. The closure of its site at Chalfont St Peter would threaten the security of the people who live there; and would also have a devastating economic impact for those who work for the charity and on the local area.
We have been part of the community at Chalfont St Peter for 130 years – before nearly all the houses were built or shops opened. We have seen the village grow around us and have always welcomed our new neighbours.
Housing and care crises
Clare Pelham continued: “We have worked hard to come up with a solution that will benefit both those with epilepsy and the local community. There is a medical care crisis facing people who do not have access to the very best epilepsy treatments that science could offer, and there is a housing supply crisis facing families whose children cannot afford to buy homes in the neighbourhood where they grew up.
“Our plans bring hope today both to children with epilepsy who face a lifetime of seizures and to children growing up in Chalfont St Peter who would like to be able to afford to buy homes close to their families when they are adults.
“Our planning application would safeguard both homes and jobs. Critically, it would be life changing for people with epilepsy up and down the country, whose lives are blighted by epilepsy.”
You can read Clare Pelham's blog in full Why we must build a better future for people with epilepsy .
Public exhibition
The charity held a three-day public exhibition (29 September-1 October 2022) when the local community were able to view the plans and give their feedback.
You can read the full plans at https://pa.chilternandsouthbucks.gov.uk/online-applications/
Planning reference: PL/22/2898/OA