28-526: Chigwell Row is a small village falling within the Epping Forest district of Essex . It is located 12.9 miles (20.8 km) north east of Charing Cross . It has a London (020) area code, is served by London Buses route 150, and the closest London Underground station is Grange Hill . Epping Forest (district) Epping Forest District is a local government district in Essex , England. It
56-508: A third of the council (one councillor for each ward) elected each time for a four-year term of offices. Essex County Council elections are held in the fourth year of the cycle when there are no district council elections. The district straddles three parliamentary constituencies of Epping Forest , Brentwood and Ongar , and Harlow . Epping Forest District Council is based at the Civic Offices at 323 High Street, Epping. When
84-582: Is a municipal building in Epping, Essex , a town in England. The building, which accommodates the headquarters of Epping Forest District Council, is a grade II listed building . After the Epping Union and Rural Sanitary Authority was succeeded by Epping Urban District Council in 1896, the council decided to use Epping Town Hall as its offices and meeting place. However, the company that had developed
112-433: Is also entirely covered by civil parishes , which form a third tier of local government. The council has been under Conservative control since 2006. The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows: The leaders of
140-612: Is home to a flight training centre within the district. Stansted Airport , an international passenger and freight airport, lies in the neighbouring district of Uttlesford, north of the district. 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 . In terms of television,
168-485: Is named after the ancient woodland of Epping Forest , a large part of which lies within the district. The district covers northeastern parts of the urban area of London , including the suburban towns of Epping , Loughton , Waltham Abbey , Chigwell , and Buckhurst Hill , as well as rural areas beyond it. The district is situated in the west of the county, bordering north-eastern Greater London . The administrative headquarters of Epping Forest District Council are in
196-916: Is part of the Epping Ongar Railway . 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 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. Other main routes in
224-524: Is the district's oldest nature reserve, designated in 1986, and the largest at 56 hectares. Seven Sites of Special Scientific Interest on the Natural England register fall within Epping Forest. These are: Essex Wildlife Trust manages sites at: The woodland of Epping Forest partially falls within the Epping Forest district. It has been owned and conserved by the City of London Corporation -
252-607: The London boroughs of Havering , Redbridge , Waltham Forest and Enfield . 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 west of the district, within Hertfordshire, as does Waltham Cross railway station , which serves
280-540: The Rivers Lee and Stort , which connect the district with other cycle routes in Hertfordshire and London. Epping Forest features a network of shared-use forest trails, managed by the City of London Corporation . 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 . Stapleford Aerodrome
308-512: The area is served by BBC London and ITV London with television signals are received from the Crystal Palace TV transmitter. BBC East and ITV Anglia can also be received from Sandy Heath TV transmitter. Radio stations for the area are: The Epping Forest Guardian is the local newspaper. Epping Forest District Council has nine nature local nature reserves (LNRs): Roding Valley Meadows Local Nature Reserve (LNR)
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#1732797924203336-627: The borough fall in London fare zone 6 , with Buckhurst Hill in zone 5 and Roding Valley , Chigwell and Grange Hill in zone 4 . 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. A former portion of the Central line between Epping and Chipping Ongar , via North Weald and Blake Hall ,
364-421: The building is a three-storey office block, with a concrete frame, and brick and stone cladding. To its south-west is a two-storey, three-bay former house, No. 323 High Street, converted into offices, and to its rear is a 1970s three-storey, rectangular office block. The three are connected by first- and second-floor corridors, while at ground floor level there is vehicular access to the rear car park. Attached to
392-452: The council since 2001 have been: Following the 2024 election and a subsequent change of allegiance in June 2024, the composition of the council was: The next election is due in 2026. Since the last boundary changes in 2024 the council has comprised 54 councillors representing 18 wards , with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held three years out of every four, with
420-496: The council was first created it inherited four sets of offices from its predecessors and functions were initially divided between them: The council subsequently built a large new building, Epping Civic Offices , adjoining the original converted house at 323 High Street in Epping. The new building was designed by Richard Reid and built between 1987 and 1992. It was designated a Grade II listed building in 2017. The north-east of
448-400: The district include: Most public highways in the district are managed by Essex County Council . The M11 and M25 motorways are managed by National Highways . 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 . A shared-use path runs alongside
476-419: The district is rural and sparsely populated for an area so close to London; this area includes Chipping Ongar and surrounding villages. The south-west of the district closer to the boundary with Greater London is more suburban and is dominated by Loughton, the largest town in the district. Most of the district has a wide range of architectural styles and periods. Loughton adjoins the woodland of Epping Forest to
504-461: The district's town of Waltham Abbey. These 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 . The London Underground Central line passes through the southern portion of Epping Forest. Epping , Theydon Bois , Debden and Loughton stations in
532-847: The eastern portion of the district, with the Lea Valley in the west. 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 . Epping Forest district is bounded by the Harlow , Uttlesford , Chelmsford and Brentwood districts of Essex, the East Hertfordshire and Broxbourne districts of Hertfordshire, and
560-474: The front of the building is a tall red-brick tower, rectangular at ground level, but octagonal in top two stages. The tower has a stone cornice, and minimalist clocks on four sides. North-east of the tower is a brick arch, providing access to the reception area, with a balcony above, and stone steps providing direct access to the council chamber and its gallery. These are in a bow-fronted section, clad in reconstituted stone, with ground floor pilasters. Further to
588-416: The late 1980s, the council needed more substantial offices. The council held a two-stage competition, judged by Piers Gough . It received 51 entries, and the winner was Richard Reid and Associates, with a postmodern design. This incorporated the existing mid-19th century house, No. 323 High Street, which the council occupied, and an office block, built in the 1970s, which the council also occupied. Work on
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#1732797924203616-672: The local authority which governs the Square Mile - since the Epping Forest Act 1878 . The district is divided into 28 civil parishes . The parish councils of Epping, Loughton, Ongar and Waltham Abbey take the style "town council". The five parishes of Bobbingworth, High Laver, Little Laver, Magdalen Laver and Moreton share a grouped parish council called Moreton, Bobbingworth and the Lavers Parish Council. Epping Civic Offices Epping Civic Offices
644-422: The new building started in 1987. Ove Arup and Partners acted as the structural engineers , and the building was completed in 1992. In 2021, the council refurbished the building, removing some corridors to create open-plan offices, and creating a community hub and new meeting and conference spaces. Following the refurbishment, the council sought to let the top floor to private companies. The central part of
672-486: The north-east is a seven-bay section with two oriel windows , and then a four-bay section placed further forward, again clad in stone, containing the staff canteen and council members' room. After the building was completed a series of letters criticising the design appeared in local newspapers. However, the project won a Regional Award (East Anglia) from the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1993, and
700-458: The same time: The new district was named Epping Forest after the ancient woodland of that name, much of which falls within the district. The woodland is in turn named after the town of Epping. Since 1974 there have been some changes to the district's boundary with Greater London : Other parties (26) Epping Forest District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Essex County Council . The district
728-504: The town hall got into financial difficulties and the council had to use temporary facilities for its meetings, before relocating to Hawthorn Lodge on the opposite side of the High Street. Hawthorn Lodge continued to serve as the headquarters of the council for much of the 20th century, but ceased to be the local seat of government when the enlarged Epping Forest District Council was formed at No. 323 High Street in Epping in 1974. By
756-485: The town of Epping. Neighbouring districts are Brentwood , Broxbourne , Chelmsford , East Hertfordshire , Enfield , Harlow , Havering , Redbridge , Uttlesford and Waltham Forest . In 2021 it had a population of 134,909. The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 , covering the whole area of three former districts and most of a fourth, all of which were abolished at
784-681: The west and is 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 River Roding runs through
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