Enfield Business Centre previously housed Enfield Highway Library but is now set to be sold The London Merit Association for more than £2million

Enfield Business Centre in Hertford Road, Enfield Highway

Enfield Council has agreed to sell an office block and former library building to a religious education charity.

Enfield Business Centre is a four-storey office building in Hertford Road which until last summer also housed Enfield Highway Library.

However, following its decision a year ago to close seven libraries, the council has been looking at different options for its various property assets. A decision report published late last month has now confirmed that Enfield Business Centre (EBC) will be sold to The London Merit Association (LMA), which has plans to convert it into a “Turkish Islamic cultural centre”.

Even before agreeing to buy the building, LMA had already begun using its available office space. Until July 2025 the charity was based at Claverings Industrial Estate in Edmonton – another former council-owned site that has now been sold for redevelopment.

The council decision report on the sale, written by the council’s strategic development manager Alister Fawley, states: “The council takes a commercial approach to its land and property assets and reviews performance on a continuous basis. This helps to ensure that the portfolio is ‘right sized’, that the council retains high performing investment and occupational assets whilst simultaneously identifying assets for disposal.

“Prior to LMA occupation, EBC was vastly underutilised. The vacant space within EBC was marketed for hire for three months with no viable interest. This asset has been declared surplus by property services as there is no longer a requirement for internal operational service use.”

Although emphasising that the decision to sell to LMA has been taken on commercial grounds, the report adds: “LMA offers tutoring, mentoring, youth engagement and social value, reflecting the community benefit and alignment with council priorities.”

Another part of the EBC building is used by the council to store archive materials. But this facility will now be relocated to another former library building – Bowes Road in Arnos Grove.

While the value of the EBC deal has not been revealed by the council, LMA has been running a fundraising campaign on its website to help fund the purchase of the building, with a target of £2,300,000.

The LMA website states: “Our journey in education began in 2006, in a modest room within a flat on Fore Street, Edmonton. Since then, we have helped educate thousands of children, supporting their school studies and providing Islamic teachings over the years.

“The time has come for us to unite in dedicating a new house of knowledge for the betterment of our community’s future – a place where we will provide education continue to our children and community members.”

It continues: “Over the course of 19 years, we have helped educate thousands of our children in the Enfield area. We have organised hundreds of social, religious and cultural programmes, community cohesion and assistance, and activities and gatherings for the families in our community.

“Many of the members amongst us today are those students who received their education here from these courses years ago. Now, with our new building, we are embarking on a longer lasting service.”

The sale of Enfield Business Centre is due to be completed on 31^st March 2026.

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