Despite being a small town nestled in the south of Hertfordshire, many cinephiles would claim that Borehamwood is the heart of British cinema. As the hometown of several film and television studios, it has helped produce some of the most famous films of all time. But to local residents, the neighbourhood is much more than a blockbuster factory. Fully equipped with a useful shopping park, two industrial parks for local industry and a well-connected Thameslink train station, Borehamwood has the perfect balance of reliability and countryside idyll alongside a small smattering of Hollywood sheen.

The key area of Borehamwood’s history has to be its connection to the film industry. Due to the creation of the first studio in the town in 1914, by the 1920s Borehamwood became one of the core hubs of British film and television – it was even called the “British Hollywood” for a while. Classics including Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and The Shining (1980), as well as the Star Wars trilogy, were all made in the suburban town of Borehamwood.

However, movie icons aside, actual residents started living here primarily in the 1940s after the war. The local council established 1500 homes here between 1945 and 1956 to house those forced out of the damaged inner city, and this is reflected in the neighbourhood’s post-war architecture.

Lead singer of The Kinks, Ray Davies, lived in Borehamwood around the late 1960s. Ray wrote their most famous song Lola, about a romantic experience with a transgender woman.

Borehamwood residents have expressed significant concerns regarding the threat of overdevelopment which may destroy the luscious nature of the green belt. This is a worry felt by many long-standing local communities living in the conservation area across Greater London in general.

Despite backlash there have been recent new developments such as the 28 new “container homes” on Crown Road. This will likely be joined by a new 850-home community on the outskirts of Borehamwood which will include a country park, and additional teaching space for the local college. While many residents oppose new housing in the area, there has been enthusiasm surrounding these new educational facilities, with locals demanding a guarantee that plans for a new primary school will be confirmed if these new homes are to be built.