Epping Forest District

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Epping Forest
Epping Forest District
Non-metropolitan district
Chipping Ongar, one of the towns of the district
Chipping Ongar, one of the towns of the district
Epping Forest shown within Essex
Epping Forest shown within Essex
Largest settlements
Largest settlements
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Constituent countryEngland
RegionEast of England
Non-metropolitan countyEssex
StatusNon-metropolitan district
Admin HQEpping
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodyEpping Forest District Council
 • LeadershipLeader & Cabinet (Conservative)
 • MPsEleanor Laing
Alex Burghart
Robert Halfon
Area
 • Total130.88 sq mi (338.99 km2)
 • Rank119th (of 309)
Population
 (2021)
 • Total134,980
 • Rank169th (of 309)
 • Density1,000/sq mi (400/km2)
 • Ethnicity
95.4% White
2.7% S.Asian
1.3% Black
0.6% Mixed Race
Time zoneUTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (BST)
ONS code22UH (ONS)
E07000072 (GSS)
OS grid referenceTL455025
Websitewww.eppingforestdc.gov.uk

Epping Forest is a local government district in Essex, England. Situated in the west of the county, bordering northeastern Greater London, it is named after, and contains a large part of, Epping Forest.

The district lies wholly within the county of Essex. It is one of 12 districts within the Essex County Council area.[1]

Epping, Buckhurst Hill, Chigwell, Chipping Ongar, Loughton and Waltham Abbey lie within Epping Forest district. The River Roding runs through the eastern portion of the district, with the Lea Valley in the west.[2][3][4]

Buckhurst Hill, Chigwell, Waltham Abbey and Loughton, although they are not within Greater London, are included in the Office for National Statistics definition of the Greater London Built-up Area.[5][6]

Epping Forest District Council is headquartered in High Street, Epping.[7]

Epping Forest district is bounded by the Harlow, Uttlesford, Chelmsford and Brentwood districts of Essex, the East Hertfordshire and Broxbourne districts of Hertfordshire, and the London boroughs of Havering, Redbridge, Waltham Forest and Enfield.[2]

Settlement[edit]

The whole district is divided into civil parishes a majority of which, particularly in the north and east of the district are rural and sparsely populated for an area so close to London; it includes the town of Chipping Ongar [n 1] and surrounding villages. The south is more suburban and dominated by Loughton, the largest town in the district. Most of the District has a wide range of architectural styles and periods.[8] Loughton is beside Epping Forest to the west and separated by farms, rivers and golf courses from other settlements in other directions. As an example of conserved physical geographic landscapes, the Roding Valley and Three Forests Way (one end of the Stort Valley Way and the other end connecting to the Harcamlow Way in Hatfield Forest and National Nature Reserve, Essex which is north of Epping Forest District. The settlements here are close to, and in places (Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill) are contiguous with, London's conurbation. Although entirely outside Greater London, for Eurostat statistical purposes the district is included in the Greater London Urban Area, demonstrating a degree of close economic dependence on the capital.

Civil parishes in Epping Forest District. The forest itself today spans from Epping Upland to the Greater London border

History[edit]

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the merger of Chigwell Urban District, Epping Urban District and Waltham Holy Cross Urban District, along with most of Epping and Ongar Rural District. Since then there have been some changes to the Greater London boundary:

Transport[edit]

Rail[edit]

Roydon railway station on the West Anglia Main Line is the only National Rail station within the district, which lies on the district boundary with East Hertfordshire. Sawbridgeworth railway station on the same line lies directly east of the district, within Hertfordshire. Both stations are served by Greater Anglia trains either between London Liverpool Street and Ely, and London Stratford and Bishop's Stortford, with direct connections to destinations such as Broxbourne, Tottenham Hale, Audley End and Cambridge.[2][11]

Harlow Town railway station in neighbouring Harlow is additionally served by Greater Anglia's Stansted Express trains, with a direct connection to Stansted Airport.[11]

The London Underground Central line passes through the southern portion of Epping Forest. Epping, Theydon Bois, Debden and Loughton stations in the borough fall in London fare zone 6, with Buckhurst Hill in zone 5 and Roding Valley, Chigwell and Grange Hill in zone 4.[12]

The Central line provides the district with direct connections with East London, The City, the West End, and West London. Transport for London manages the London Underground network.[12]

A former portion of the Central line between Epping and Chipping Ongar, via North Weald and Blake Hall, is part of the Epping Ongar Railway.[13]

Road[edit]

Two motorways meet in the district - the M25 London Orbital motorway and the M11 motorway.

The M25 motorway runs eastbound (clockwise) towards Brentwood and the Dartford Crossing. The motorway runs westbound (anticlockwise) towards Enfield, Watford and Heathrow Airport. The route is part of the international E-road network - part of E30 between Cork in Ireland and Omsk in Russia. The M25 meets the A121 within the district at junction 26, near Waltham Abbey, and the M11 at junction 27 near Epping.[2][14]

The M11 motorway runs northbound towards Stansted Airport and Cambridge, and southbound towards East London. Junctions 5 (A1168, Loughton and Chigwell), 6 (M25), 7 (A414, Harlow) and 7A (A1025, Harlow) fall within Epping Forest.[2]

Other main routes in the district include:

Most public highways in the district are managed by Essex County Council.[15] The M11 and M25 motorways are managed by National Highways.[16]

Cycling[edit]

National Cycle Network Route 1 passes along the eastern boundary of the district near Broxbourne, through Harlow, and east-west through the district via High Laver, Moreton and Fyfield.[17][18]

A shared-use path runs alongside the Rivers Lee and Stort, which connect the district with other cycle routes in Hertfordshire and London.[19]

Epping Forest features a network of shared-use forest trails, managed by the City of London Corporation.[20]

Aviation[edit]

North Weald Airfield is owned by Epping Forest District Council and is open to general aviation. Flying out of North Weald began in 1916, during the First World War.[21]

Stapleford Aerodrome is home to a flight training centre within the district.[22]

Stansted Airport, an international passenger and freight airport, lies in the neighbouring district of Uttlesford, north of the district.[2]

Rivers[edit]

The Lee Navigation and River Stort are navigable rivers which form the district's eastern boundary. They are managed by the Canal and River Trust, and connect with the Regent's Canal in London via Hertford Union Canal.[19]

Nature reserves[edit]

Epping Forest District Council has a portfolio of nine nature local nature reserves (LNRs):

Roding Valley Meadows Local Nature Reserve (LNR) is the district's oldest nature reserve, designated in 1986, and the largest at 56 hectares.[23]

Seven Sites of Special Scientific Interest on the Natural England register fall within Epping Forest. These are:

Essex Wildlife Trust manages sites at:

A green forest with a path through the middle
The Lower Forest, Epping Forest, which lies to the north of Epping

Epping Forest partially falls within the Epping Forest district. It has been owned and conserved by the City of London Corporation - the local authority which governs the Square Mile - since the Epping Forest Act 1878.[27][28]

Politics[edit]

Following the general election of 8 June 2017, the current members of parliament for the district are:

County Council[edit]

Of the seven Essex County Councillors elected for Epping Forest divisions in the most recent county council elections in 2021, six are from the Conservative Party, and one is from Loughton Residents Association.

Local government[edit]

The district council is now based in Epping, roughly in the centre of the district. Its offices were previously located in Loughton.

Since 2002, when the ward boundaries were reorganised resulting in the loss of one council seat, the district has had 58 Councillors representing 32 wards. Each ward is represented by one, two or three Councillors, depending on the ward's population, so that each Councillor represents a roughly equal proportion of the district's electorate.[29]

Councillors serve for a four-year term. They are elected on a cycle of thirds, i.e. in three years out of every four, a third of the council is up for election, and no elections take place in the fourth year. When the ward boundaries were reorganised in 2002, all 58 seats were up for election.

The wards are:

  1. Broadley Common, Epping Upland and Nazeing
  2. Buckhurst Hill East
  3. Buckhurst Hill West
  4. Chigwell Row
  5. Chigwell Village
  6. Chipping Ongar, Greensted and Marden Ash
  7. Epping Hemnall
  8. Epping Lindsey and Thornwood Common
  9. Grange Hill
  10. Hastingwood, Matching and Sheering Village
  11. High Ongar, Willingale and the Rodings
  12. Lambourne
  13. Loughton Alderton
  14. Loughton Broadway
  15. Loughton Fairmead
  16. Loughton Forest
  17. Loughton Roding
  18. Loughton St John's
  19. Loughton St Mary's
  20. Lower Nazeing
  21. Lower Sheering
  22. Moreton and Fyfield
  23. North Weald Bassett
  24. Passingford
  25. Roydon
  26. Shelley
  27. Theydon Bois
  28. Waltham Abbey High Beach
  29. Waltham Abbey Honey Lane
  30. Waltham Abbey North East
  31. Waltham Abbey Paternoster
  32. Waltham Abbey South West

District council election results since 2002[edit]

Further information on district council election results: Epping Forest District Council elections

The table below summarises the number of seats held by each party after each year's elections (no elections took place in 2005, 2009, 2013 and 2017). The council returned to Conservative control following the gain of a seat in a by-election in December 2006[30] after being under no overall control since 1994.

Party
2004
[31]
2006
[32]
2007
[33]
2008
[34]
2010
[35]
2011
[36]
2012
[37]
2014
[38]
2015
[39]
2016
[40]
2018
[41]
2019
[42]
2021
[43]
2022
[44]
BNP
3
6
6
4
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Conservative
26
29
32
33
35
37
39
37
39
35
39
37
36
35
For Britain
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
1
Green
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
2
2
3
3
3
Independent
5
4
3
5
2
3
2
2
2
3
2
2
2
2
Labour
4
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
Liberal Democrats
14
13
11
9
8
6
4
3
2
3
2
3
3
4
Loughton Residents
6
5
5
6
11
10
12
12
12
13
13
13
13
13
UKIP
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
2
0
0
0
0

List of parishes in Epping Forest district[edit]

  • Abbess Beauchamp and Berners Roding
  • Bobbingworth
  • Buckhurst Hill
  • Chigwell
  • Epping (town council)
  • Epping Upland
  • Fyfield
  • High Laver
  • High Ongar
  • Lambourne
  • Little Laver
  • Loughton (town council)
  • Magdalen Laver
  • Matching
  • Moreton
  • Nazeing
  • North Weald Bassett
  • Ongar (town council)
  • Roydon
  • Sheering
  • Stanford Rivers
  • Stapleford Abbotts
  • Stapleford Tawney
  • Theydon Bois
  • Theydon Garnon
  • Theydon Mount
  • Waltham Abbey (town council)
  • Willingale

Arms[edit]

Coat of arms of Epping Forest District
Notes
Granted 31 December 1975.
Crest
On a wreath Argent and Gules upon a mount Vert in front of a castle of three towers each domed and ensigned with a cross crosslet all Gules a stag courant Proper.
Escutcheon
Argent a cross engrailed Sable over all a bugle horn ensigned with an ancient crown Or on a chief Vert four axeheads bendwise Argent.
Supporters
On either side a stag guardant Proper holding in the mouth a seaxe Argent the hilt and pommel inwards Or.
Motto
Per Crucem Per Coronam (Through The Cross Through The Crown).[45]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Locally the town is simply called Ongar, as seen in many road signs, see the main article

References[edit]

  1. ^ "County council and local councils". Essex County Council. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 28 February 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "Essex Rivers Hub". Essex Rivers Hub. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  4. ^ "Lee Valley Walking and Cycling Trails". Visit Epping Forest. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  5. ^ "2011 Census". nomis, Office for National Statistics. Archived from the original on 21 November 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  6. ^ "Economic Evidence Base for London 2016: The Spatial Characteristics of London" (PDF). Greater London Authority. 2016. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  7. ^ "Contact Us". Epping Forest District Council. Archived from the original on 5 December 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  8. ^ Loughton has 19 listed buildings [1]Ordnance Survey map, courtesy of English Heritage Archived 24 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Office of Public Sector Information - The Essex, Greater London and Hertfordshire (County and London Borough Boundaries) Order 1993. Retrieved on 23 February 2008.
  10. ^ Office of Public Sector Information - The Essex and Greater London (County Boundaries) Order 1993. Retrieved on 23 February 2008.
  11. ^ a b "National Rail Train Operators Map" (PDF). National Rail. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Tube Map" (PDF). Transport for London. November 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  13. ^ "A Brief History of the Epping Ongar Railway". Epping Ongar Railway. Archived from the original on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  14. ^ "European Agreement on Main International Traffic Arteries (International E Road Network)" (PDF). Economic Commission for Europe. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  15. ^ "Essex Highways Information Map". Essex County Council. Retrieved 28 February 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ "National Highways Strategic Road Network" (PDF). National Highways. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 January 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  17. ^ "National Cycle Network". Ordnance Survey. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  18. ^ "National Cycle Network". Sustrans. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  19. ^ a b "Explorers Map". Canal & River Trust. Archived from the original on 18 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  20. ^ "Cycling in Epping Forest". City of London Corporation. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  21. ^ "North Weald Airfield: History". Epping Forest District Council. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  22. ^ "Stapleford flight centre". Stapleford flight centre. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  23. ^ "Epping Forest Countrycare: Our Places". Epping Forest District Council. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  24. ^ "Sites of Special Scientific Interest (England)". Natural England/ArcGIS. Retrieved 28 February 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ^ "Natural England Designated Sites". Natural England. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  26. ^ "Essex Wildlife Trust Nature Discovery Centres and Nature Reserves". Essex Wildlife Trust. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  27. ^ "Epping Forest". City of London Corporation. Archived from the original on 12 December 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  28. ^ "Epping Forest Act 1878". legislation.gov.uk. 1878. Retrieved 28 February 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  29. ^ "Election Facts: Epping Forest District Council website". Archived from the original on 3 September 2011.
  30. ^ "District Council By-election – Grange Hill – Thursday, 14th December, 2006". Epping Forest District Council. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  31. ^ Election 2004 results, BBC News website. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  32. ^ Election 2006 results, BBC News website. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  33. ^ Election 2007 results, BBC News website. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  34. ^ Election 2008 results, BBC News website. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  35. ^ Election 2010 results, BBC News website. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  36. ^ Election 2011 results, BBC News website. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
  37. ^ Vote 2012 results, BBC News website. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  38. ^ Vote 2014 results, BBC News website. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  39. ^ Page=all&EID=49 Election candidates by wards, Epping Forest District Council website. Retrieved 20 Feb 2016.
  40. ^ "Election results". www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk. 19 June 2020.
  41. ^ "Election results by party, 3 May 2018". www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk. 3 May 2018.
  42. ^ "Election results by party, 2 May 2019". www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk. 2 May 2019.
  43. ^ "Election results by party, 6 May 2021". www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk. 6 May 2021.
  44. ^ "Election results by party, 5 May 2022". www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk. 5 May 2022.
  45. ^ "East of England Region". Civic Heraldry of England. Retrieved 8 March 2021.

External links[edit]

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