Shenfield is a former civil parish that sits within the borough of Brentwood, situtated to the north-east of Brentwood’s centre, and represents its suburban heart. In many ways, the layout of Brentwood is markedly similar to that of London, in the sense that Brentwood’s borough is made up of a collection of villages, joined and connected by local infrastructure, but each ‘village’ still possesses its own character and feel. With major transport links owing to the Elizabeth line and the nearby A1023, Shenfield is a popular landing spot for those wishing to have proximity to the metropolitan hub, but the advantages of a more relaxed lifestyle and open countryside. Similar to most of Brentwood, the residential architectural identity is characterised by a mixture of large country houses, classic suburban detached homes, terraced houses, and purpose-built apartment blocks.

Shenfield started as a parish ward, and the St Mary the Virgin church has origins to the early Medieval period, dating from 1249! Although this parish helped start the formation of Shenfield as a village, it’s parish ward status was abolished in 1972, and was subsumed into Brentwood Council. Nowadays Shenfield represents the central suburban core of Brentwood’s identity, and is furnished with shopping districts along the A1023.

Due to the Elizabeth line’s expansion into Shenfield, the council is dedicated to purposeful expansion in the area, focusing largely on retail and residential development. However, a strong focus is being placed within the Adopted Local Plan (ALP) to maintaint the heritage and characteristics of the local area, specifically the proliferation of greenspace. Whilst this is the case, the ALP has allocated resources for the construction of over 800 homes north of Shenfield! This mix-use development is coupled with another development in south Shenfield, with the construction of 75 new homes. The residential development sector is currently booming in Shenfield, and is part of Brentwood’s plan to boost the local area into a new chapter of prosperity.