| Hockwell Ring | |
|---|---|
  Hockwell Ring Location withinBedfordshire | |
| Population | 4,000 (est.) |
| OS grid reference | TL0523 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LUTON |
| Postcode district | LU4 |
| Dialling code | 01582 |
| Police | Bedfordshire |
| Fire | Bedfordshire and Luton |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| UK Parliament | |
| |
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Hockwell Ring is a suburb ofLuton in the north-west of the town, inBedfordshire, England. The area is roughly bounded by Brickly Road to the north, High Street and Torquay Drive to the south, theM1 motorway to the west, and Vincent Road to the east.
Hockwell Ring mostly consists of a 1950s and 1960s-builtcouncil estate. The estate was built as part of thepost-war expansion of Luton, at a similar time toMarsh Farm. Hockwell Ring is not a particularly large estate. The area ties into much of the neighbouring1930s developments and is reasonably well connected to the rest of the town.
The estate is dominated by four large towers, which are of similar design, 14 stories high, and top out at 44.20 m each, these can be seen clearly from the M1 motorway southbound carriageway just before Junction 11, which passes close to the estate.
Thetower blocks were constructed in 1965–1966, at roughly the same time as the rest of the estate and are typical examples of theBritish approach to 1960shigh-rise living. They dominate theskyline of that part of the town, and along with the towers inMarsh Farm andPark Town are the tallest buildings in the town and county. At the centre of the estate is a small shopping centre, park, and other facilities, doctors and dentist.The tower blocks are undergoing some refurbishment to the exterior.[citation needed]
Like many other estates of the 1960s, Hockwell Ring was seen as a vision for the future; however, by the 1990s the reality was very different. House prices in the area had fallen dramatically and the estate had developed a very real image problem. Things have begun to change in recent times. An influx of London commuters to the area due to its proximity to Leagrave train station has led to an increase in house prices.[1] The estate is seeing some improvements. Many of the locals that caused problems and damaged the image of the area have now moved out, and the area as a whole has a much safer image.[citation needed]
Nurseries
Primary schools
Secondary schools
Libraries
Hockwell Ring is withinLeagraveward, which is represented by Cllr Waheed Akbar (Labour), Cllr Maria Lovell (Labour) and Cllr Sameera Saleem (Labour).[2]
The ward forms part of theparliamentary constituency ofLuton North, and the MP isSarah Owen (Labour).
Two weekly newspapers cover Hockwell Ring, although they are not specific to the area.
They are the:
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