This his portion of Cheshunt, a delightful town just north of Waltham Cross, located Tin the depths of Greater London, is a residential hive of families and community. Comfortable and pretty post-war detached and semi-detached homes line the suburban streets, where children play freely and safely. Local businesses thrive in the semi-industrial warehouses along Delamare Road, whilst Turner’s Hill is the meeting point for residents on a weekend. With the River Lee Country Park right next door, families can engage in activities ranging from wildlife watching to watersports, before tucking into a ham and pineapple at much-loved Vince’s Kitchen and Pizzeria – a local favourite. Despite the strong local economy in town, many residents also make the daily commute into the metropole, utilising the strong transport facilities available in the area, namely the A10 and the Cheshunt overground station.

Cheshunt’s origins hail from the time of the invasion of the mighty Roman empire. The settlement, lying on a key roman road to London, was discovered by archaeological work done by one of TV’s most riveting shows – Time Team. Whilst remaining relatively rural for much of history, Cheshunt has cropped up in a few history books, as being home to Queen Elizabeth I for a short while in the 1500s, as well as the death ground of Richard Cromwell in 1712. As the modern age rolled in, Cheshunt became known for its pioneering developments in horticulture, particularly regarding glasshouse growing techniques, but more recently has been known as being the foundational homes of Debenhams and Lotus Cars.

Local activity spot, the Laura Trott Leisure Centre, was named after famous resident Laura Trott (now Laura Kenny) after a £4 million renovation project in 2014. Winner of 4 Olympic gold medals for GB, she is one of the most successful female track cyclists in history and Britain’s most successful Olympic female competitor in any sport.

Cambridge Road (A10), although very useful for zipping straight into London town, is not the greenest of roads. Residents who live closer to the road do complain of dangerous congestion, alongside air and noise pollution from the busy road. Additionally, the borough overall is dealing with a growing concern about rising homelessness. Homelessness is said to have risen 50 times over since 2010. This also reflects issues of housing in the area, namely that it is increasingly unaffordable and extremely in demand.

While the rural, suburban character of this area, along with greenbelt restrictions, have made development typically slow, Broxbourne council have begun to identify a need for new housing and development in the area. As such, large new sites are being developed in the local area, the foremost of which is Brookfield Garden Village, which will comprise 1,500 homes as well as new offices and civic buildings. Additionally, the construction of a 50,000 square metres of retail space and 15,000 square metres of leisure space in Greater Brookfield is set to provide a significant amount of employment to the area.

Looking further into the future this is an area that should undergo significant change with Crossrail 2 currently planned to stop at nearby Chestnut Station. The new line is currently on hold and will likely be a decades long project, but will make the commute into central London significantly quicker once completed.