This area is made up of the neighbourhoods of Newbury Park and Aldborough Hatch, in the eastern London Borough of Redbridge. It is a semi-rural area, but closer to Newbury Park, the area is more urban, with numerous restaurants lining the high street. These include the Mirage Steakhouse, a local and well reviewed favourite. The neighbourhood is well-connected, with the Newbury Park Underground station. The area has a number of well-reviewed schools, making it a great place for families seeking more space and tranquillity than can be found in central London.

The neighbourhood name of Aldborough Hatch is thought to have derived from the Albourgh family who occupied the manor in the Middle Ages. Daniel Lysons described the manor and hall as “a capital mansion situated in the forest”. ‘Hatch’ derives from the Old English word hæcc (‘a hatch gate’), which originally gave access to Hainault Forest when it stood here. Hainault Forest used to be some 3,000 acres, serving as a royal hunting forest full of venison for the King’s table. However, it was mostly destroyed in 1851, and over 100,000 trees were torn down.

The bus shelter attached to the Newbury Park station is Grade II-listed, but the station itself isn’t. In addition to this interesting fact, locals also enjoy strolling by the Ilford War Memorial Gardens, which is the Borough’s main Memorial Site honouring local men who died in the Great War.

Unfortunately, this neighbourhood’s aesthetics can be seen as a bit drab by some. There are regeneration projects occurring and new builds being constructed that will help give the area a facelift. It is also reported as being fairly quiet and residential, but this could be quite the positive for some.

With the 2022 arrival of the Elizabeth line at nearby Ilford and Seven Kings stations, Redbridge Council is in the process of developing this area into a thriving district centre, while maintaining its architectural heritage. The Council aims to develop and improve the centre of nearby Gants Hill with new retail and shops, adding vitality and viability to the daytime economy. There are also plans to build taller and higher density housing while redeveloping existing vacant and underused low-grade office spaces. All in all Redbridge Council wish to bring 500 new homes, 8,000sqm of new retail space, and 2,600sqm of employment space to Gants Hill, to accommodate 600 new jobs. Closer by, the Castlehaven Group are in the process of building 11 new apartments at Tring Close, and Countrywide Developments are building a handful of modern apartments on Oaks Lane on the site of 2 former rundown houses. An unnamed developer has also bought 13,000sqft of land for a large mixed-use development in the area. There are also plans for around 800 homes at a former 1970s landfill site along Billet Road, however locals are fearful that the potentially cancer-causing industrial pollution that has infiltrated the land, found by numerous soil tests, will seep into surrounding land exposing locals and wildlife to the hazardous waste. Costs and viability issues mean developers are unwilling to pay for an expensive decontamination process, but have suggested capping the site with layers of additional soil to potentially prevent seepage, however locals remain unhappy with the plans.