Aveley is an area located in Essex, it is surrounded by South Ockendon, Thurrock and Grays. Aveley High street goes through this area, and it is surrounded by popular local amenities such as Aveley Public Hall, Aveley Library and Aveley Village Hall. Each of these places has its own distinctive history which culminates to create a strong collective historical and cultural identity in Aveley. Unlike inner city London, Aveley has many open public spaces such as Belhus Woods Country Park where you can feed their ducks or partake in fishing.

The neighbourhood area of Aveley was found in the Domesday book with various spellings, with most scholars agreeing the name means ‘Aelfgyth’s wood clearing’. Aveley was a large and growing village from the 11th to the 17th century, starting with a population of 30 in 1066. The area had 84 houses in 1670, yet over the next two centuries growth in Aveley was slow due to large areas of parkland restricting building potential. By 1801, the population grew to 543. After World War 2, the population grew rapidly to absorb London’s overspill. In 1835, local Parishes that surround the area of modern day Thurrock were amalgamated together to form The Orsett Union. The Orsett Union was a social justice project, following the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, which acted to provide provisions for the local poor residents of Thurrock.

In 1964, the remains of a pre-historic elephant were found in an excavation site in Aveley, and are now in the Natural History Museum.

British crime writer, Martina Cole, is from Aveley.

According to police reports Aveley is one of Thurrock’s most dangerous areas for crime. Aveley’s ethnic make up is majority white, which means the area lacks the benefits of multiculturalism.

There are controversial plans to develop a plot of Green Belt land into a new primary school. Primary the driving factor in the council’s approval of the project was the need for educational facilities in the area, locals have criticised the fact that the proposal seems to ignore many policies regarding development on Green Belt land. Additionally, the council has been working closely with land developers Carter Jonas and property and land developer Scott Properties on a new housing development for south Aveley, which could be capable of delivering up to 2,000 new dwellings, as well as new retail and employment floorspace, among other things. In Summer 2022, the council also announced its desire to relinquish ownership of the Aveley Children’s Centre in Stifford Road, giving community groups priority in the transfer process so the facilities may be moved to a socially-oriented organisation.

South Ockendon was also earmarked as one of the areas that will see improvements to the A13 corridor, which the council considers a vital part of the region’s transport network. Works concerning the widening of the A13 have already begun, with a final budget estimation between £115 to £120 million. While this is certainly far more than the original £79 million budget, the project is considered to be necessary and rated as providing high value for the investment, which should mean that in the future the benefits will be well worth the cost. Works are expected to reduce congestion, improve journey times and support further economic growth in the area.