49-461: Epping Forest District is a local government district in Essex , England. It 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
98-434: A borough or district council. In these cases local government functions are divided between county and district councils, to the level where they can be practised most efficiently: Many districts have borough status , which means the local council is called a borough council instead of district council and gives them the right to appoint a mayor . Borough status is granted by royal charter and, in many cases, continues
147-425: A district will consist of a market town and its more rural hinterland. However districts are diverse with some being mostly urban such as Dartford, and others more polycentric such as Thurrock. Non-metropolitan districts are subdivisions of English non-metropolitan counties which have a two-tier structure of local government. Two-tier non-metropolitan counties have a county council and several districts, each with
196-457: A style enjoyed by a predecessor authority, which can date back centuries. Some districts such as Oxford or Exeter have city status , granted by letters patent , but this does not give the local council any extra powers other than the right to call itself a city council . By 1899, England had been divided at district level into rural districts , urban districts , municipal boroughs , county boroughs and metropolitan boroughs . This system
245-491: A type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties (colloquially shire counties ) in a two-tier arrangement. Non-metropolitan districts with borough status are known as boroughs , able to appoint a mayor and refer to itself as a borough council. Some shire counties now have no sub divisions so are a single Non-metropolitan district such as Cornwall. Typically
294-474: A unitary authority or those that transferred from one county to another, including those that changed name. Nor does it include unitary authorities that have been abolished ( Bournemouth and Poole ). Chipping Ongar Chipping Ongar ( / ˈ tʃ ɪ p ɪ ŋ ˈ ɒ ŋ ər / ) is a market town and former civil parish , now in the parish of Ongar , in the Epping Forest District of
343-635: Is approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) northeast of Chipping Ongar. Opened in 1943, it was used by both the Royal Air Force and United States Army Air Forces. During the War it was used primarily as a bomber airfield. It was closed in 1959 after many years as a reserve airfield. Chipping Ongar Infant School, originally housed in Victorian school buildings off the High Street (behind Budworth Hall on
392-535: Is at the convergence of several old roads, between Chelmsford and Epping on an east–west axis and between Dunmow and Chigwell (beyond which is London ) on a north–south axis. To the southeast lies Brentwood , on the old road to the former River Thames ferry crossing at Tilbury , though the building in the 1970s of the M11 and M25 motorways means that Ongar is no longer directly on a principal route for petrol tankers (and other less prominent vehicles) travelling from
441-549: Is based at the Civic Offices at 323 High Street, Epping. When 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
490-701: Is buried at the United Reformed Church in Ongar. There is a memorial window to Father Thomas Byles in St Helen's Catholic Church. He was parish priest in Chipping Ongar from 1905 and perished on RMS Titanic in 1912, refusing to leave in a lifeboat and staying to pray with the remaining passengers. Ongar Grammar School in Chipping Ongar, a private school for boys, was opened as a boarding school in 1811 by William Stokes M.A. By 1845
539-600: 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 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
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#1732783872692588-866: 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
637-401: Is situated in the west of the county, bordering north-eastern Greater London . The administrative headquarters of Epping Forest District Council are in 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
686-523: 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 -
735-604: The District Councils' Network , special interest group which sits within the Local Government Association . The network's purpose is to "act as an informed and representative advocate for districts to government and other national bodies, based on their unique position to deliver for local people." This is a list of two-tier non-metropolitan counties and their districts. All unitary authorities are also non-metropolitan districts, which, with
784-466: The Epping Forest District . Several of the small private-sector businesses that operated through to the closing decades of the 20th century have closed down or relocated as the economic focus of the region has been redirected, especially since the opening of the M11 motorway in the 1970s, to larger towns in west Essex, especially Harlow and Brentwood. Local planning policies have focused increasingly on residential development, and Ongar, like very many of
833-606: 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
882-543: The (little chronicled) Saxon period. This historic thoroughfare is lined with over 70 listed buildings and protected by the Chipping Ongar Conservation Area, one of the first to be designated by Essex County Council nearly 50 years ago. The wide high street is used to permit some 'no charge' short-term parking that benefits the local shops. The high street does, however, retain a very narrow stretch, with shops and houses either side very close to
931-486: The 11th century and shows signs of Norman work. A small window in the chancel is believed to indicate the existence of an anchorite 's cell in medieval times. The Gothic Revival architect C. C. Rolfe added the south aisle in 1884. St Andrew's Parish Church in Greensted , 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Ongar, is believed to be the oldest wooden church in the world. David Livingstone lived in Chipping Ongar on
980-541: The High Street in 1838 to "receive instruction from Rev. Richard Cecil, the Ongar Congregational minister, while training for the ministry". In 1961 the parish had a population of 1673. The civil parish of Chipping Ongar was abolished in 1965 when the new parish of Ongar was created, also incorporating the former area of the Greensted and Shelley civil parishes. The parish was part of Epping and Ongar Rural District until 1974 when it became part of
1029-519: The additional Saturday trains from May 2012. The nearest London Underground station to the town is Epping , 7 miles (11 km) away, the terminus of the Central line . The closest railway station is Brentwood , also 7 miles (11 km) away, which is now served by the Elizabeth line . Harlow Town Station, a National Rail station operated by Abellio Greater Anglia , is 9 miles (14 km) to
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#17327838726921078-509: 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)
1127-454: The areas for Wales and England had been enacted separately and there were no Welsh metropolitan areas, the term 'non-metropolitan district' does not apply to Wales. A similar system existed in Scotland , which in 1975 was divided into regions and districts, this was also abolished in 1996 and replaced with a fully unitary system . In England most of the district councils are represented by
1176-625: 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 ,
1225-450: The closure of the Central line branch between Epping and Ongar in 1994, there is no longer a commuter train service to/from the town. The Epping Ongar Railway operates steam and diesel heritage services on the former Central line track, from North Weald Station on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays every hour to Ongar Station . It first operated (Sundays and Holidays only) between 2004 and 2007, and then after refurbishment again with
1274-512: The county of Essex , England. It is located 6 miles (10 km) east of Epping , 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Harlow and 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Brentwood . In 2020 the built-up area had an estimated population of 6420. The name "Ongar" means "grass land" (cognate with the German word Anger ). "Chipping" is from Old English cēping , "a market, a market-place", akin to Danish købing and Swedish köping ;
1323-487: The current Dartford Crossing and the Thames Estuary oil refineries. The civil parish of Ongar , which has a town council, includes from north-to-south Shelley , Chipping Ongar and Marden Ash , with Greensted to the southwest. The central part of Ongar High Street comprises a widened main street of the type found in many older English towns whose status as market towns is believed to have originated during
1372-499: 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 the Rivers Lee and Stort , which connect
1421-478: 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 is home to a flight training centre within
1470-405: 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 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
1519-459: 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
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1568-566: 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,
1617-842: 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
1666-487: The exception of those of Berkshire , are coterminous with non-metropolitan counties. For a full list of districts of all types including unitary authorities, metropolitan districts and London boroughs , see Districts of England . This is a list of former two-tier districts in England which have been abolished, by local government reorganisations such as the 2009 structural changes to local government in England . It does not include districts that still exist after becoming
1715-724: 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. Non-metropolitan district Non-metropolitan districts , or colloquially " shire districts ", are
1764-443: The road due to pavements that are barely adequate for two people to pass each other. Much of the surrounding countryside is occupied by large mechanised farms devoted, for the most part, to arable agriculture. During the 20th century the proximity of London encouraged dairy farming, but the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s were characterised by the removal of hedges and an increase in average field sizes as cattle numbers diminished. This policy
1813-486: The same element is found in other towns such as Chipping Norton , Chipping Sodbury , Chipping Barnet and Chipping (now High) Wycombe . Ongar was an important market town in the Medieval era, at the centre of a hundred and has the remains of Ongar Castle , which was a Norman castle built in c. 1086 and demolished between 1558 and 1603. The Church of England parish church , St Martin's , dates from
1862-542: The school was known as 'Ongar Academy' (not connected to an academy school in the 21st-century sense). It was a private grammar school by 1874, Chignell Grammar School by 1882, and was closed in 1940, before the introduction of secondary education under the Education Act 1944 and the Tripartite System . RAF Chipping Ongar (also known as Willingale) is a former World War II airfield. The airfield
1911-519: The site of today's Sainsbury's), was re-located in the mid-1980s, merging with Chipping Ongar Junior School at Greensted Road, at the southern edge of the town, forming Chipping Ongar Primary School. A further primary school, Ongar Primary School, is beyond the northern end of Chipping Ongar in Shelley . Also within Shelley is The Ongar Academy , providing secondary education for Ongar. Chipping Ongar
1960-435: The smaller towns in the green belt around London, can be viewed primarily as a dormitory town for commuters to London, Brentwood, Harlow and Chelmsford. However, the single-track railway branch line that connected Ongar to Epping (and thereby to London), operated by the London Underground, was closed in 1994. Ongar has a range of retail shops. Jane Taylor (1783–1824), who wrote the words of " Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star ",
2009-490: The speed limit "inappropriate, as drivers would feel 30 mph (48 km/h) is not adequate and would not comply". The main destinations served by buses are Brentwood, Chelmsford , Harlow and Epping. Routes are operated by Arriva Shires & Essex , First Essex , Trustybus, Stephensons of Essex and SM Coaches. Epping Ongar Railway also operate a limited number of heritage bus services between Ongar and North Weald and also Epping on weekends and Bank Holidays. Since
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2058-535: The town centre where a 20-minute no-return 2-hour scheme applies. Three pay-and-display car parks are available with a total 530 capacity. Local residents have previously called for lowering of the current national speed limit between The Mulberry House and the Four Wantz roundabout on the A414 Chelmsford-bound. However, Essex Police's senior traffic management officer, Adam Pipe, deemed lowering
2107-526: The two-tier structure, but reforms in the 1990s and 2009 reduced their number to 192. A further 55 non-metropolitan districts are now unitary authorities, which combine the functions of county and borough/district councils. In Wales , an almost identical two-tier system of local government existed between 1974 and 1996 (see Districts of Wales ). In 1996, this was abolished and replaced with an entirely unitary system of local government, with one level of local government responsible for all local services. Since
2156-714: The woodland of Epping Forest to 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
2205-691: Was abolished by the London Government Act 1963 and the Local Government Act 1972 . Non-metropolitan districts were created by this act in 1974 when England outside Greater London was divided into metropolitan counties and non-metropolitan counties. Metropolitan counties were sub-divided into metropolitan districts and the non-metropolitan counties were sub-divided into non-metropolitan districts. The metropolitan districts had more powers than their non-metropolitan counterparts. Initially, there were 296 non-metropolitan districts in
2254-458: Was designated a Grade II listed building in 2017. The north-east of 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
2303-410: 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 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
2352-422: Was gradually reversed from the 1990s with schemes to replant hedges and trees. The subsoil is of heavy clay, rendering the land too soggy in winter for sheep. Ongar is less than 25 miles (40 km) from Central London, 6 miles (9.7 km) from M11 Junction 7 Harlow and 8 miles (13 km) from M25 J28 Brentwood. The A414 runs from Chelmsford, through Ongar, to Harlow. Parking restrictions operate throughout
2401-464: 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 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
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