The neighbourhood of West Loughton is located in the county of Essex, known for its large open green spaces such as Epping Forest to its West. The area is well located from central London as it takes less than 30 minutes to get to Liverpool Street from Loughton Underground station, yet at the same time their residents have the advantage of taking an evening stroll across one of its many open green spaces. The area is a meld of classic suburban England and a contemporary urban locale. The area’s many historical influences have meant that the neighbourhood has adopted a variety of cultural and creative influences such as the famous East 15 Acting School created by Joan Littlewood or the St John Church Parish which has been a part of the area since 12th century.

Epping Forest which occupies a great swathe of the locality is home to a 500BC Iron Age hillfort, Loughton Camp, as well as Loughton Cricket Club which was formed in 1879, almost 140 years ago! Between the 17th century and 1800s Loughton grew from a small village to a bustling town due to it becoming an important stopping point on coach journeys between London and Cambridge. The introduction of the Loughton railway in the 1800s helped to boost the popularity of this unique Essex town. From 1821 to 1831 Loughton’s population increased from 979 to 1,269 and today the population sits at over 30,000.

The Epping Forest Act of 1878 prohibited any further expansion of the town into the forest. Loughton Hall is a famous building based on Loughton political history, located on the High road and built in 1884, because a local family (the Willingales) fought off a planned enclosure by the Lord of the Manor leading to the creation of this historic building. In 2010, the neighbourhood got its primetime break, when Loughton appeared on our screens in ITV’s The Only Way is Essex.

Anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual crime makeup more than two-fifths of Loughton’s reported crime from 2017-2018 according to local police statistics. Although less than 30 minutes from central London on the tube, the cheaper alternative to tubes which are TFL buses are usually said to run inefficiently.

Essex County Council is investing £315 million into expanding school places, some of which have gone towards creating 150 spaces for Roding Valley High School in Loughton. In terms of private development, local residents have expressed outrage over plans for more than 400 luxury homes and a wellness centre to be built in Loughton despite the council initially refusing proposals. This development is planned to be spread out over two different sites, although the plans do not include any infrastructural or built environment for the community at large. One resident also expressed concerns about the “continued gentrification of the area”. These potential changes to the neighbourhood are likely to re-emerge in different forms in the future, with land at Epping Forest College and Borders Lane Playing Fields recently purchased by Fairview New Homes.