The government must hear local people's views on Enfield 'new town'

Enfield North MP Feryal Clark explains why she now wants the new town to be scaled down

Enfield North MP Feryal meeting with housing minister Matthew Pennycook — Enfield North MP Feryal Clark met this week with housing minister Matthew Pennycook

Recently, there have been several significant developments regarding the proposed ‘new town’ at Crews Hill and Chase Park, in my Enfield North constituency.

Having listened to residents across Enfield North and considered planning inspector Steven Lee’s response to the Enfield Local Plan, I have reflected carefully on what these developments mean for our community.

I believe the way forward must be guided by two equally important principles: addressing the genuine housing pressures facing local families, while ensuring that any development of this scale only proceeds with the infrastructure, environmental protections and community involvement that residents rightly expect.

I have always supported the need for new homes. Every week I hear from constituents struggling with overcrowding, high rents, homelessness and the lack of affordable housing close to family and support networks. Those challenges are real and cannot be
ignored.

Thousands of children in the borough, including those whose parents work full-time to provide for them, are homeless or living in substandard and unsafe accommodation that is too small for them to grow and thrive in.

Anyone who thinks this situation can be allowed to continue or can be solved by only building on disused factory sites or vacant carparks is, at best misunderstanding the reality of the issue or at worst misleading people as to the stark reality and scale of the challenge facing current and future generations in Enfield.

Development on a scale is needed to ensure the thousands of families who are homeless in the borough have a safe and secure home for themselves and their children.

We should all acknowledge there are merits to bringing forward major regeneration proposals rather than relaying on a piecemeal, site-by-site approach that amounts to little more than a sticking-plaster approach to the issue.

At the same time, residents have raised legitimate concerns about the impact on the Green Belt, roads, public transport, schools, healthcare services and the character of our area.

The new town includes 'Chase Park', better known locally as Vicarage Farm — The new town area includes ‘Chase Park’, better known locally as Vicarage Farm

My position has remained consistent: if change on this scale is to happen, it must be accompanied by the right infrastructure, robust environmental safeguards, high-quality design and meaningful community involvement, which to date has been lacking.
Decisions that could shape Enfield for generations require broad public participation and local voices must be heard.

Having finally seen a proposed site boundary and listened to residents, community groups and local stakeholders, I have concluded that the current proposal is simply too large.

This week I met with Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook and I have made my views directly to him.

The current new town proposal envisages around 21,000 homes. That level of development is excessive. By removing Chase Park and other areas of high-quality Green Belt, the number of homes could be reduced while still making a significant contribution to housing need and reducing the impact on valued green spaces.

I have also been disappointed by the way the government’s consultation was conducted. Taking place partly during a holiday period and failing to be as wide-ranging and comprehensive as a proposal of this scale deserves inevitably limited public engagement.

Although I formally requested an extension to allow more residents to participate, that request was declined.

Looking ahead, residents deserve far greater detail on infrastructure, transport, healthcare, schools, environmental impacts, governance arrangements and any potential development corporation.

Significant questions remain unanswered, and local people must be given a genuine opportunity to scrutinise and influence proposals through a more detailed consultation before any final decisions are taken.

I have also argued that any future development corporation must include strong representation from local communities, businesses and voluntary organisations, rather than being dominated solely by government bodies. The ministry has assured me that such representation can form part of future governance arrangements.

The consultation results are expected in August and I will continue engaging constructively with ministers, residents and local organisations.

However, based on the information currently available, I do not believe sufficient assurances have yet been provided on the infrastructure, environmental protections and public services needed to support a development at the proposed scale.

With a new prime minister likely within weeks, it is also sensible to understand the wider direction of national housing policy before irreversible decisions are made.

So, I will continue pressing the new prime minister, housing ministers, the New Towns Taskforce and all relevant agencies for greater clarity, stronger guarantees, and meaningful engagement with local communities.

Residents deserve transparency. They deserve to be heard. And they deserve confidence that any future development will provide funding for essential infrastructure and vital public services alongside new homes.

As I have always said, I remain committed to ensuring that the voices of Enfield North residents are at the heart of this process every step of the way.

Feryal Clark is the Labour MP for Enfield North. Local constituents can get in touch:
Email [email protected]

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