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 council is based in the town of Epping. The district also includes the towns of Loughton, Ongar and Waltham Abbey and surrounding rural areas. The district is situated in the west of the county, bordering the north-eastern edge of London.
The neighbouring districts are Broxbourne, East Hertfordshire, Harlow, Uttlesford, Chelmsford, Brentwood and the London Boroughs of Havering, Redbridge, Waltham Forest and Enfield.
History
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 the same time: Chigwell Urban District (which included Loughton and Buckhurst Hill as well as Chigwell itself) Epping and Ongar Rural District (except the five parishes of Blackmore, Doddinghurst, Kelvedon Hatch, Navestock and Stondon Massey, which went to Brentwood) Epping Urban District Waltham Holy Cross Urban District
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: In 1994, , which now form Enfield Island Village, were transferred to the London Borough of Enfield In 1995 a small area around Grange Hill and Roding Valley stations was transferred to the London Borough of Redbridge.
Governance
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.
Political control
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:
Leadership
The leaders of the council since 2001 have been:
Composition
Following the 2023 election, the composition of the council was:
Two of the three independent councillors sit together as the "Grange Hill Independent Community Group". The next election is due in 2024.
Premises
Epping Forest District Council 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: Council Offices, Old Station Road, Loughton from Chigwell Urban District Council. 25 Hemnall Street, Epping from Epping Urban District Council. 323 High Street, Epping from Epping and Ongar Rural District Council. Town Hall, Highbridge Street, Waltham Abbey from Waltham Holy Cross Urban District Council.
The council subsequently built a large new building called 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.
Geography
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 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 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.