Concerns around a proposed high-rise development in the area were central to the debate, reports Richard Cubitt

Clockwise from top left; Mueez Abdurrahman (Green), Rick Jewell (Labour), Penny Heathwood (Conservative) and Robert Landragin (Reform)

Candidates standing for one of the most pivotal wards in next month’s local election have addressed residents at an online hustings event – with an unpopular development becoming the hottest topic of debate.

Southbury sits on the boundary between the traditionally Labour-held areas of eastern Enfield and the more Conservative-leaning west of the borough and, for that reason, is seen as one the key wards which could determine control of Enfield Council at the local election on Thursday, 7th May.

The ward elected three Labour councillors in 2022.

Keen to hear the views of candidates from Labour and the Conservatives, as well as the Greens and Reform UK who could play a key part in the result, an election hustings event was this week hosted by Southbury Residents’ Association.

The four candidates in attendance were Mueez Abdurrahman (Green), Penny Heathwood (Conservative), Rick Jewell (Labour) and Robert Landragin (Reform UK).

Cllr Jewell currently serves on the council as a cabinet member for transport and waste, having first been elected in 2018, while Heathwood previously served as a councillor for Enfield Lock between 2002 and 2006.

The debate was dominated by the development plans for Southbury Leisure Park, with seven of the nine questions addressing the controversial scheme, including all four of the questions submitted by voters.

At the start of this year plans were submitted by Royal London Asset Management Property and Neat Developments for 1,150 new homes at Southbury Leisure Park, in buildings up to 29 storeys tall – with the existing Cineworld not being replaced.

All four Southbury candidates at the hustings seemed concerned by the development, particularly around its height, the impact on parking and access to the existing leisure centre.

Green candidate Abdurrahman called for a public consultation on the development to happen again and said he thought it should be “affordable, provide alternative community spaces, have enough parking and [be] evidence-based” but added he was “not anti-housing”.

Tory candidate Heathwood said she did not think the development would support community cohesion and that high-rise developments were not a good fit with the area. She added: “While we need houses, I think it needs to be the right sort of houses. And I think we need to think about the infrastructure for people living there, for residents in the local community, for those that are going to come in.”

Landragin, of Reform, said he opposed the development completely, as roads are too congested, and also raised concerns around access to Kingsmead School. He said: “If we build high-rise flats, all we’re doing is we’re putting people into little boxes. Nobody will talk. Society breaks down.”

Cllr Jewell did not seek to defend the development but clarified that it was a proposal from the owners of the site and that the council could not block the development if it aligned with the borough’s Local Plan document. “This planning application can be a lot different by the time it eventually gets to the planning committee,” he said.

The Labour councillor also stressed that the council was concerned about the proposed height and that the developers would likely be aware of how to minimise disruption to the school.

A question was also asked on notifying residents about future developments, to which every candidate responded by stressing the importance of social media, as well as local councillors meeting with and being available to their constituents.

Cllr Jewell said he was campaigning to get more community notice boards fitted around the area, which Landragin also felt there were not enough of.

Abdurrahman said leafleting was important, while Heathwood felt that it was crucial that messaging was tailored to different age groups. The Tory candidate said: “I have to say that our present leader of the council is very good at telling us what he’s doing, even if he sometimes contradicts himself.”

Moving on from the topic, a question was then asked on how to promote a cohesive community and challenge racism and discrimination.

All of the candidates disavowed racism, with Abdurrahman, Cllr Jewell and Landragin all suggesting that they felt that bigotry was on the rise.

Cllr Jewell suggested that social media was partially responsible, while Abdurrahman said: “We can’t deny that these are often the result of foreign policies that often boil down to our council.”

Landragin claimed that people in smaller communities did not tend to mix with others, and Heathwood suggested that people being “afraid of the unknown” was often a cause for hostility.

All candidates felt that more opportunities for different communities to meet were important in creating a cohesive society. Abdurrahman also called for it to be easier to report incidents of racism, discrimination and exclusion.

The issue of fly-tipping was also discussed.

Green candidate Abdurrahman said that there needed to be an expansion of pre-existing furniture collection schemes to carry more items, and that more prosecutions of fly-tippers needed to take place.

Heathwood said the Conservatives would reintroduce weekly bin collections and that roads would be swept more regularly if the party gained control of the council.

Cllr Jewell said that cleaning up fly-tipping was his passion, and that the main culprits were pedestrian fly-tippers. He called for more policing to deal with this issue.

Reform candidate Landragin said: “I believe that the only way to stop this is to start at the very beginning and educate the people.”

He also suggested that reuse and recycling sites should be more accessible to taller vehicles.

In his closing statements, Abdurrahman said that “we need to prioritise the community” and promised to be a voice for Southbury residents.

Heathwood emphasised that she lived in the ward and said: “It seems that we’re all pretty much on the same page about the concerns that residents have about the huge buildings.”

Cllr Jewell warned that local councillors can never please everybody but said: “I like to think we’re all decent people that just want to do the best we can. We just look at it from different sides of the table.”

Landragin said: “I want to see Enfield cleaned up. I want to see more help for social housing, youngsters, people that have got mental health [issues].”

Asked about candidates from other parties not appearing at the hustings, Southbury Residents’ Association explained that representatives of the Liberal Democrats and Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC) could not be reached.

The 90-minute Southbury hustings event can be watched in full here. Three councillors will be elected to represent the ward on Thursday, 7th May.

The full slate of Southbury candidates is as follows:

Mueez Abdurrahman (Green)
Betty Achayo (Conservative)
Hanim Akdemir (Labour)
Mahmut Aksanoglu (Labour)
Nick Bromley (Lib Dem)
Milcho Danailov (Reform UK)
Stephen William Driver (Lib Dem)
Antonio Favata (Green)
Penny Heathwood (Conservative)
Rick Jewell (Labour)
Paul Kershaw (TUSC)
Robert Landragin (Reform UK)
Andrew Law (Reform UK)
Benny Neza (Conservative)
Steve Rawlinson (Green)
Syed Saboor (Lib Dem)

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