About the District

Statistics

For the latest Forest Heath statistics use the Suffolk Observatory.

Location

Forest Heath is in West Suffolk ,next to the boundaries of Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. It is a predominantly rural area with three market towns, Newmarket, Mildenhall and Brandon and a number of villages and small hamlets. The district has good connections to London and Norwich along the A11 and to the Midlands, Ipswich and the Port of Felixstowe along the A14. Maps of the district are available to download.

Physical environment

The district, which has an area of 380 km2 (144 sq miles), has a rich variety of natural landscape from the chalk downlands of Newmarket, through the rich agricultural fenlands in the west, to the sandy Brecklands in the north, home to the largest 'lowland' forest in the country. Forest Heath contains 72% of the
rare species identified for special protection in the Suffolk Biodiversity Action Plan. Three Special Areas of Conservation; 27 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and 75 County Wildlife Sites (CWS). The historic built environment includes 13 Conservation Areas, over 400 Listed Buildings, some 44 Scheduled Ancient Monuments, numerous archaeological sites and buildings of local interest.

Population

In June 2010, the population of Forest Heath was 64,300, made up of 28,240 households.These figures suggest that Forest Heath has grown by nearly 12% over the last eight years, making it the fastest growing district in Suffolk, the fifth fastest in the eastern region and the 12th fastest nationally. Whilst the population is ageing, the district has a more youthful profile than the rest of the region, with almost two thirds of the population being working age (15-64) and only 5% aged 65 or over.

Forest Heath is the most ethnically diverse district in Suffolk (13.2% of the population was non-white in June 2009, compared to the national average of 12.5%) and has the largest foreign population in the county. The 2009 Annual Population Survey suggested that over 15% of the population are non-UK nationals, compared to a Suffolk average of 4.2%.

The district's diversity and youthful age profile can be attributed to the presence of the United States Air Force in Europe (USAFE) bases in Mildenhall and Lakenheath and the number of migrant workers in the district's horse racing and agricultural industries.

Economy

Forest Heath has a relatively dynamic economy with a large proportion of small businesses as well as some more major employers.

Tourism remains an important part of the local economy, generating over £230m and providing 22% of employment opportunities. For example, Center Parcs holiday village at Elveden which opened in 1989, is a major employer offering a wide range of job opportunities. The district also hosts two major United States Air Force (USAF) bases, RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath. They provide significant amounts of direct and indirect employment and the two bases spend around £33m. a year on procurement of goods and services locally.

Newmarket dominates the local economy in the south of the district and is also a hub for several surrounding Cambridgeshire villages. It is the
'Home of Horseracing' and a globally important horseracing centre. There are more racehorses, trainers, stable staff, stud farms and racing organisations based in and around the town than anywhere else in the world; over 2900
racehorses in training, 89 licensed trainers, 62 stud farms and 2800 acres of fully maintained training grounds. The horseracing industry spends more than £150 million locally and accounts for approximately 33% of jobs in Newmarket.

A combination of attractive rents, rates and land prices coupled with Newmarket's location on the A14 corridor has encouraged companies to consider the town as an alternative to Cambridge. As a result in recent years hi-tech industries have emerged alongside light engineering and service industries. The village of Red Lodge has also been developed with a large number of new homes and employment sites. Large international companies have relocated onto the Kings Warren Business Park which has scope for further innovative employment land opportunities.

During the 2008-9 recession, the district's reliance on non-traditional sectors sheltered it to some extent from the worst impacts, with unemployment rates staying well below the county and national averages.

Safety and wellbeing

The overall level of crime in the district is relatively low and has decreased by 16% since 2007/8. In 2010/11, the crime rate per 1000 people was 68, compared to a national average of 76.

Generally speaking the district is healthy, with the life expectancy of men and women above the national average. In 2008, three quarters of residents said their health was good or very good.