A Lippitts Hill Community Engagement Meeting has been organised to discuss the future of the Lippitts Hill Air Support Unit (Helicopters!). 
  
The National  Police Air Service are taking over all individual helicopter bases under one body.   There will be little or no local representation at bases.   The NPAS have been investigating the possibility of increasing the number of helicopters based at Lippitts Hill from 3 to 4 (a 25% increase, probably mostly night flights!)  

The meeting is schedule for 7.30pm on Tuesday 2nd December 2014 at The Owl Public House (Function Room) at Lippitts Hill.   

All interested residents are invited to attend

Epping Forest MP Eleanor Laing has praised the efforts of local Conservative county councillors whose campaigning has resulted in Essex County Council agreeing to turn street lights back on an hour earlier in a large part of the Epping Forest district.
Following the request from Buckhurst Hill and Loughton South county councillor Valerie Metcalfe and Chigwell Village councillor John Knapman, and others, street lights in the ‘Metropolitan’ part of the district are being turned back on at 5am instead of 6am from this Sunday (November 9).
Mrs Laing recently received a petition from Chigwell residents calling for street lights in their area to be turned back on at night.
The 5am switch-on follows the successful efforts of councillors Metcalfe and Knapman to press the county council to turn the lights off an hour later than originally planned - 1am instead of midnight.
Mrs Laing said: "The overall effect of the efforts of Valerie Metcalfe and John Knapman is that instead of the lights being switched off from midnight to 6am they will only be switched off from 1am to 5am - a considerable difference - meaning two hours more lighting every night for Epping Forest!"

Mrs Laing added: “This will be welcomed by many local residents, especially those who are out and about early perhaps walking to the station.
“I would like to thank Valerie and John for their efforts in putting the case of so many people to the county council and their continued pressure which has resulted in this common sense decision.”