London metropolitan area


The London metropolitan area includes London and its surrounding commuter zone. It is also known as the London commuter belt, or Southeast metropolitan area.
, the London metropolitan area was the most populated metropolis in the European Union with a population of 14,372,596.

Scope

The boundaries are not fixed; they expand as transport options improve and affordable housing moves further away from the city centre. The belt currently covers much of the South East region and part of the East of England region, including the home counties of Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Surrey, Kent and Essex, and, by several definitions, Hampshire, West Sussex, East Sussex and Bedfordshire.
The population of Greater London and those counties adjacent to the green belt was 18,868,800 in 2011. Much of the undeveloped part of this area lies within the designated Metropolitan Green Belt, which covers nearly all of Surrey, eastern Berkshire, southern Buckinghamshire, southern and mid Hertfordshire, southern Bedfordshire, south-west Essex, and western Kent. In addition, three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty surrounding the Thames basin are within the commuter belt.

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." has a population of 9,294,800.

Environs of Greater London

There are 17 local government districts that share a boundary with Greater London, in the East and South East regions. Most districts are entirely, or have sections, within the M25 motorway or are within of Charing Cross.
Adjacent districts often share 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, forming part of the Metropolitan Police District and having a relatively high employed population working in London.

London's Larger Urban Zone

is a definition created in 2004 by Eurostat that measures the population and expanse of metropolitan areas across European countries. Based on the 2001 census, the population of London's Larger Urban Zone was 11.9 million, ranking it as the most populous metropolitan area in the European Union until Brexit. The districts that are considered parts of this Larger Urban Zone are listed here:. Several large conurbations fall just outside the zone: Reading, Luton, High Wycombe and significant parts of the Aldershot and Crawley Urban Areas.
RegionCountyDistricts within the ZoneDistricts outside the Zone
EastHertfordshire
North Hertfordshire
EastEssex
  • Basildon
  • Brentwood
  • Castle Point
  • Chelmsford
  • Epping Forest
  • Harlow
  • Maldon
  • Rochford
  • Southend-on-Sea
  • Thurrock
  • Uttlesford
  • Braintree
  • Colchester
  • Tendring
    • South EastKent
  • Dartford
  • Gravesham
  • Maidstone
  • Medway
  • Tonbridge and Malling
  • Tunbridge Wells
  • Sevenoaks
  • Ashford
  • Canterbury
  • Dover
  • Folkestone and Hythe
  • Swale
  • Thanet
    • South EastSurrey
  • Elmbridge
  • Epsom and Ewell
  • Guildford
  • Mole Valley
  • Reigate and Banstead
  • Runnymede
  • Spelthorne
  • Surrey Heath
  • Tandridge
  • Woking
  • Waverley
    • South EastBerkshire
  • Bracknell Forest
  • Slough
  • Windsor and Maidenhead
  • Reading
  • West Berkshire
  • Wokingham
    • South EastBuckinghamshire
  • Chiltern
  • South Bucks
  • Aylesbury Vale
  • Wycombe
  • Milton Keynes

    • Urban areas within the commuter belt

    The following table lists urban areas considered part of the London Commuter Belt with populations over 20,000. The commuter belt contains all urban areas within an approximate 40 mile radius of Charing Cross. Some of the outermost towns include Aylesbury, Reading, Aldershot and Maidstone.
    RankUrban AreaPopulation
    		County
    1Greater London Urban Area9,787,426Greater London
    2Reading/Wokingham Urban Area318,014Berkshire
    3Southend Urban Area295,310Essex
    4Medway Towns Urban Area277,855Kent
    5Luton/Dunstable Urban Area258,018Bedfordshire
    6Aldershot Urban Area252,397Hampshire
    7Crawley Urban Area180,508West Sussex
    8Slough Urban Area163,777Berkshire
    9Basildon/Wickford144,859Essex
    10High Wycombe Urban Area133,204Buckinghamshire
    11Chelmsford111,511Essex
    12Basingstoke107,642Hampshire
    13Maidstone107,627Kent
    14Stevenage90,232Hertfordshire
    15Grays/Tilbury89,755Essex
    16Aylesbury74,748Buckinghamshire
    17Royal Tunbridge Wells68,910Kent
    18Maidenhead64,831Berkshire
    19Welwyn Urban Area59,910Hertfordshire
    20Reigate/Redhill56,621Surrey
    21Brentwood52,586Essex
    22Horsham51,472West Sussex
    23Sittingbourne48,948Kent
    24Amersham/Chesham46,122Buckinghamshire
    25Hertford/Ware45,457Hertfordshire
    26Letchworth/Baldock43,529Hertfordshire
    27Hatfield41,677Hertfordshire
    28Fleet38,726Hampshire
    29Tonbridge38,657Kent
    30Canvey Island38,170Essex
    31Bishop's Stortford37,838Hertfordshire
    32Leighton Buzzard37,469Bedfordshire
    33Billericay36,338Essex
    34Hitchin36,099Hertfordshire
    35Haywards Heath33,845West Sussex
    36Windsor/Eton33,348Berkshire
    37Burgess Hill30,635West Sussex
    38Harpenden30,240Hertfordshire
    39Sevenoaks29,506Kent
    40Stanford Le Hope/Corringham28,725Essex
    41Ditton25,982Kent
    42Godalming22,689Surrey
    43Potters Bar22,639Hertfordshire
    44New Addington22,280Greater London
    45Berkhamsted21,997Hertfordshire
    46Swanley21,839Kent
    47Gerrards Cross20,633Buckinghamshire
    48Crowborough20,607East Sussex

    Outer Commuter Belt

    Some estate agents, including James Pendleton and Savills have defined a 'second commuter belt' further out of London and the home counties. The definition includes places up to approximately 55 miles out of central London including Oxford, Hastings, Margate, Milton Keynes and Brighton.