The London commuter belt is the metropolitan area surrounding London from which it is possible to commute to work in the capital. It is alternatively known as the London metropolitan area[1] or the Southeast metropolitan area.[2] It should not be confused with Greater London or the Greater London Urban Area.
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Scope
The boundaries are not fixed; they expand as transport options improve and affordable housing moves further away from London.[3] The commuter belt currently covers much of the South East region and part of the East of England region, including the Home Counties of Kent, Surrey, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex. The population of Greater London and these adjacent counties was 13,945,000 in 2001.[4]
Green belt
Much of the undeveloped part of this area lies within a designated Metropolitan Green belt so further significant urban development is generally resisted by local authorities and the Planning Inspectorate. It was expected that had this policy not been adopted during the 1940s and 1950s the area now perceived as the commuter belt would have been fully urbanized by about 1980, and the administrative boundaries of Greater London might well have been more extensive. The Green belt currently covers nearly all of Surrey, eastern Berkshire, southern Buckinghamshire, southern and mid Hertfordshire, southern Bedfordshire, south-west Essex, and western Kent.
Future
The approval, in principle, of a second runway at Stansted Airport and the introduction of domestic train services along High Speed 1 between St Pancras railway station, Stratford International station in East London and stations at Ebbsfleet and Ashford in Kent are expected to pull the area's limits outwards in north easterly and south easterly directions respectively bringing greater symmetry to the commuter belt as seen from space.
Definitions
Travel to Work Area
The London Travel to Work Area, defined by the Office for National Statistics as the area for which "of the resident economically active population, at least 75% actually work in the area, and also, that of everyone working in the area, at least 75% actually live in the area."[5] has a population of 9,294,800 (2005 estimate).[6]
Environs of Greater London
There are seventeen local government districts that share a boundary with Greater London in the East and South East regions. Most districts have sections within the bounds of the M25 motorway or are within 15-20 miles (24-32 km) of Charing Cross. Adjacent districts often share some characteristics of Outer London such as forming part of the continuous urban sprawl, being served by the London Underground, being covered by the London telephone area code and until 2000 forming part of the Metropolitan Police District. These districts are:
| Region | Districts |
|---|---|
| East | Hertfordshire: Three Rivers, Hertsmere, Welwyn Hatfield, Broxbourne |
| Essex: Epping Forest, Brentwood, Thurrock | |
| South East | Kent: Dartford, Sevenoaks |
| Surrey: Tandridge, Reigate and Banstead, Epsom and Ewell, Mole Valley, Elmbridge, Spelthorne | |
| Berkshire: Slough | |
| Buckinghamshire: South Bucks, Wycombe |
ONS Greater London Urban Area
The Office for National Statistics includes the following urban sub-units from adjacent regions in their "Greater London Urban Area" :
|
South East Region |
East Region |
East of England commuter belt sub-region
The East of England London commuter belt sub-region is defined as:[7]
- Brentwood
- Broxbourne
- Dacorum
- East Hertfordshire
- Epping Forest
- Harlow
- Hertsmere
- North Hertfordshire
- St Albans
- Stevenage
- Three Rivers
- Uttlesford
- Watford
- Welwyn Hatfield
Further out
Beyond these districts are dormitory towns and ribbon developments which have occurred around major roads and railway lines whose economy relies entirely on the capital. Even further still are other towns with an economy outwith that of London but which nevertheless serve as commuter bases. The vast majority lie within East and South East England. However, the high price of property in the even these bases has forced some commuters to travel into London from towns and cities in locations as far away as the East and West Midlands, South West England and South Wales. In recent years, the rapid growth of low cost airlines has even seen workers commuting to London from the North of England and Scotland.
List of towns
Indicative and by no means exhaustive list of towns in the area:
See also
References
- ^ London Assembly - London in its Regional Setting (PDF)
- ^ Mayor of London - London Plan (PDF, 7.6MB)
- ^ BBC News - The new commuter belt. 18 July 2006.
- ^ Demographia - Southeast England Population by Area from 1891
- ^ Travel to Work Areas (TTWAs) Beginners' guide to UK geography, Office for National Statistics
- ^ State of the Cities Database Report on the Urban Competitiveness Theme for: - London TTWA (LA) State of the Cities Database - Department for Communities and Local Government (Mid year population estimates on page 4 of the report)
- ^ North Hertfordshire - A Housing Strategy for the London Commuter Belt Sub-region 2005 - 2008 (PDF)
