Bell Common
Hamlet in Essex, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bell Common is a hamlet[1] in the Epping Forest District of Essex, England. It lies south of the town of Epping and north of the Ambresbury Banks archaeological site.
| Bell Common | |
|---|---|
Bell Common Cricket Ground | |
  Bell Common Location within Essex | |
| OS grid reference | TL4401 |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
Its former name, Beacon Common, is attributed to a story about an ancient beacon erected at Bell Common by locals to alert them in the event of invasion.[2]
Its green space is retained undeveloped due to the Epping Forest Act 1878[3]
The settlement has a number of listed buildings, including The Black Cottage and 115-7 Bell Common.[4][5][6]
Tunnel
The Bell Common Tunnel is a covered section of the M25 motorway in Bell Common. The tunnel was constructed between 1982 and 1984 using the cut and cover method.[7] The tunnel is 470 metres long.[8] It lies between junctions 26 and 27 on the M25.[9]
The construction of the roadway was protested by campaigns against the M25, including by members of the West Essex Rambler's Association[10] and the Upshire Village Preservation Society.[11] The public inquiry which followed was, per the Epping Forest Guardian, "at that time, the longest public inquiry in road planning history".[11] While the tunnel was under construction the local cricket club were forced to temporarily relocate.[12] The grounds and club were later reinstated.[13]
The tunnel began a £90.4m Highways Agency refurbishment in 2008 to replace various equipment and the ventilation system.[14] It was reopened in March 2010.[15]
A report for the California Department of Transportation by the Western Transportation Institute describes the Bell Common Tunnel as "designed to enable animal movements above a major Highway".[16] A report for Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council also says the covered tunnel "assisted in mitigating the community, landscape and ecological severance caused by running the M25 through Epping Forest."[17]