Epping Forest Epping Forest District | |
|---|---|
 Lopping Hall inLoughton, the district's largest town | |
 Epping Forest District shown within Essex | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | East of England |
| Non-metropolitan county | Essex |
| Status | Non-metropolitan district |
| Admin HQ | Epping |
| Incorporated | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Non-metropolitan district council |
| • Body | Epping Forest District Council |
| • Leadership | Leader & Cabinet (No overall control) |
| • MPs | Neil Hudson Alex Burghart Chris Vince |
| Area | |
• Total | 130.88 sq mi (338.99 km2) |
| • Rank | 106th(of 296) |
| Population (2024) | |
• Total | 137,451 |
| • Rank | 178th(of 296) |
| • Density | 1,050.2/sq mi (405.47/km2) |
| Ethnicity(2021) | |
| • Ethnic groups | |
| Religion(2021) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| ONS code | 22UH (ONS) E07000072 (GSS) |
| OS grid reference | TL455025 |
Epping Forest District is alocal government district inEssex, England. It is named after theancient woodland ofEpping Forest, a large part of which lies within the district. The district covers northeastern parts of theurban area ofLondon, including the suburban towns ofEpping,Loughton,Waltham Abbey,Chigwell, andBuckhurst Hill, as well as rural areas beyond it. The district is situated in the west of the county, bordering north-easternGreater London.
The administrative headquarters of Epping Forest District Council are in the town of Epping. Neighbouring districts areBrentwood,Broxbourne,Chelmsford,East Hertfordshire,Enfield,Harlow,Havering,Redbridge,Uttlesford andWaltham Forest. In 2021 it had a population of 134,909.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under theLocal 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:[2]
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.[3]
Since 1974 there have been somechanges to the district's boundary with Greater London:
In August 2025, the district council was granted aninterim injunction preventing the housing ofAsylum seekers in the Bell hotel.[6] The decision was reversed on appeal later that month.[7]
Epping Forest District Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Chief Executive (acting) | Andrew Small since 21 February 2025[9] |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 54 councillors |
 | |
Political groups | Administration (26)
Other parties (28)
|
| Elections | |
Last election | 2 May 2024 |
Next election | 7 May 2026 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Civic Offices, 323 High Street, Epping, CM16 4BZ | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Epping Forest District Council providesdistrict-level services.County-level services are provided byEssex County Council. The district is also entirely covered bycivil parishes, which form a third tier of local government.[10][11]
The council has been underConservative 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:[12][13]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 1974–1994 | |
| No overall control | 1994–2006 | |
| Conservative | 2006–2025 | |
| No overall control | 2025–present | |
Theleaders of the council since 2003 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maggie McEwen[14] | Conservative | 18 Feb 2003 | ||
| Michael Heavens[14] | Liberal Democrats | 24 Feb 2003 | 24 Jun 2004 | |
| John Knapman[15][16] | Chigwell Residents' Association | 24 Jun 2004 | May 2006 | |
| Diana Collins[17][18] | Conservative | 18 May 2006 | 18 May 2011 | |
| Lesley Wagland[18][19] | Conservative | 24 May 2011 | 22 May 2012 | |
| Chris Whitbread[19] | Conservative | 22 May 2012 | ||
Following the2024 election,[20] and subsequent changes of allegiance up to September 2025, the composition of the council was:[21][22]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 26 | |
| Loughton Residents Association | 13 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 7 | |
| Independent | 5 | |
| Green | 1 | |
| Labour | 1 | |
| Reform | 1 | |
| Total | 54 | |
Two of the five independent councillors sit together as the "Epping Forest Independent Group".[23] The next election is due in 2026, although this may be affected by plans to reorganise local government within the county of Essex.[24][25]
Since the last boundary changes in 2024 the council has comprised 54councillors representing 18wards, 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.[26][27]
The district straddles threeparliamentary constituencies ofEpping Forest,Brentwood and Ongar, andHarlow.[28]
Epping Forest District Council is based at the Civic Offices at 323 High Street, Epping.[29]
When the council was first created it inherited four sets of offices from its predecessors and functions were initially divided between them:[30]
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 byRichard Reid and built between 1987 and 1992. It was designated a Grade IIlisted building in 2017.[31]
The north-east of the district is rural and sparsely populated for an area so close to London; this area includesChipping 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.[33] Loughton adjoins 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, theRoding Valley andThree Forests Way (one end of theStort Valley Way and the other end connecting to theHarcamlow Way inHatfield Forest and National Nature Reserve,Essex which is north of Epping Forest District.
TheRiver Roding runs through the eastern portion of the district, with theLea Valley in the west.[34][35][36]
Buckhurst Hill, Chigwell, Waltham Abbey and Loughton, although they are not withinGreater London, are included in theOffice for National Statistics definition of theGreater London Built-up Area.[37][38]
Epping Forest district is bounded by theHarlow,Uttlesford,Chelmsford andBrentwood districts of Essex, theEast Hertfordshire andBroxbourne districts of Hertfordshire, and theLondon boroughs ofHavering,Redbridge,Waltham Forest andEnfield.[34]
Roydon railway station on theWest Anglia Main Line is the onlyNational 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 doesWaltham Cross railway station, which serves the district's town of Waltham Abbey. These stations are served byGreater Anglia trains either betweenLondon Liverpool Street andEly, andLondon Stratford andBishop's Stortford, with direct connections to destinations such asBroxbourne,Tottenham Hale,Audley End andCambridge.[34][39]
TheLondon UndergroundCentral line passes through the southern portion of Epping Forest.Epping,Theydon Bois,Debden andLoughton stations in the borough fall inLondon fare zone 6, withBuckhurst Hill inzone 5 andRoding Valley,Chigwell andGrange Hill inzone 4.[40]
The Central line provides the district with direct connections withEast London,The City,the West End, andWest London.Transport for London manages the London Underground network.[40]
A former portion of the Central line between Epping andChipping Ongar, viaNorth Weald andBlake Hall, is part of theEpping Ongar Railway.[41]
Twomotorways meet in the district - theM25 London Orbital motorway and theM11 motorway.
The M25 motorway runs eastbound (clockwise) towardsBrentwood and theDartford Crossing. The motorway runs westbound (anticlockwise) towardsEnfield,Watford andHeathrow Airport. The M11 motorway runs northbound towardsStansted Airport andCambridge, and southbound towards East London. Junctions 5 (A1168,Loughton andChigwell), 6 (M25), 7 (A414,Harlow) and 7A (A1025, Harlow) fall within Epping Forest.[34]
Other main routes in the district include:
Most public highways in the district are managed byEssex County Council.[42] The M11 and M25 motorways are managed byNational Highways.[43]
Local bus services in the south of the district (Buckhurst Hill, Loughton, Chigwell, Debden and Stapleford Abbotts) are red London buses operated byTransport for London. Elsewhere services are run by private operators on a commercial basis, or with subsidy from the county council.
National Cycle NetworkRoute 1 passes along the eastern boundary of the district near Broxbourne, through Harlow, and east-west through the district viaHigh Laver,Moreton andFyfield.[44][45]
Ashared-use path runs alongside the RiversLee andStort, which connect the district with other cycle routes in Hertfordshire and London.[46]
Epping Forest features a network of shared-use forest trails, managed by theCity of London Corporation.[47]
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 theFirst World War.[48]
Stapleford Aerodrome is home to a flight training centre within the district.[49]
Stansted Airport, an international passenger and freight airport, lies in the neighbouring district of Uttlesford, north of the district.[34]
TheLee Navigation and River Stort are navigable rivers which form the district's eastern boundary. They are managed by theCanal and River Trust, and connect with theRegent's Canal in London viaHertford Union Canal.[46]
In terms of television, the area is served byBBC London andITV London with television signals received from theCrystal Palace TV transmitter.[50]BBC East andITV Anglia can also be received fromSandy Heath TV transmitter.[51]
Radio stations for the area are:
TheEpping Forest Guardian is the local newspaper.[53]
Epping Forest District Council has nine naturelocal 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.[54]
SevenSites of Special Scientific Interest on theNatural England register fall within Epping Forest. These are:
Essex Wildlife Trust manages sites at:
The woodland ofEpping Forest partially falls within the Epping Forest district. It has been owned and conserved by theCity of London Corporation - the local authority which governs theSquare Mile - since theEpping Forest Act 1878.[58][59]
The district is divided into 28civil 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.[60]
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