The firms all say they’ve had no contact from the council and are being “left in limbo” over the fate of their livelihoods, reports James Cracknell

Simon Aylward, owner of Aylwards of Crews Hill

Business owners in Crews Hill say they’re being kept in the dark about plans for thousands of homes in the area – amid fears a proposed ‘new town’ will end their livelihoods.

Crews Hill is currently a major industrial centre in Enfield with scores of horticultural businesses employing several hundred people, but the council is already planning to issue compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) to buy up land for new housing.

While the council’s draft Enfield Local Plan earmarks 5,500 homes at Crews Hill, yesterday (Sunday 28^th) the government announced it wants the area – as well as another major Green Belt site – to become a new town with 21,000 homes. Labour ministers also want “spades in the ground” by 2029.

Like many local business owners, Simon Aylward, owner of bespoke fencing and decking firm Aylwards of Crews Hill, says he’s never received any direct communication from the council – despite new homes being planned for the area since at least 2021.

Simon, who launched the business with his father Tim in 1987, told the Dispatch: “We are really alarmed, worried, disappointed.

“The council is trying to force us out against our will. Local people are horrified this will all be built on.”

He adds: “We have not had a single piece of correspondence from the council. Not a letter or email or anything. The only place I have got any information is from you [Enfield Dispatch].

“My whole working life has been in Enfield and the council is riding roughshod over us. There are so many small businesses that will be displaced.”

Aylwards is one of several businesses based within the larger Culver Garden Centre site in Cattlegate Road, where a total of 84 people are employed. The landowner is Nina Barnes, whose father established it in 1973. When Nina’s father died in 1998, she took over and has been running the business with help from mum Nellie ever since.

“The council can’t seem to get their heads around it,” Nina says. “There are 13 businesses here [at Culver] and we can’t just pick them all up and move them somewhere else. They don’t want to start over again.”

Nina explains that Crews Hill’s reputation as a “golden mile” for garden centres is part of the appeal of being based there, and this will be lost if they are all forced to relocate. “There are businesses here with large machinery which would cost £20,000 to move,” she says. “Some of these businesses have built their name from being in Crews Hill.”

Like Simon, Nina says she has not had direct communication from the council. One of the major uncertainties is whether any CPO to purchase the land would include compensation for tenants and leaseholders. Another financial concern is the cost of relocation and loss of trade during the moving period.

Even if the CPO does cover all these costs, Nina says many businesses will struggle to maintain their customer base after leaving Crews Hill. “We can’t really think about where to go until we know what the final settlement will be,” she adds. “It’s the not knowing.”

Also based here is Emma Breeze and her firm Three Counties Garden and Leisure Buildings, which specialises in sheds and gazebos. Similar to Nina, Emma took over the business after her father died in 2005. She told the Dispatch: “We have got this impending doom of being demolished.

“We have got people [customers] asking about it and not wanting to buy because they don’t know if we can guarantee their warranties.

“It is a worrying time, you don’t want to make any solid investments when you’re not sure what will happen. We are in limbo – it is hideous.”

Emma has also had no contact from the council. “We are tenants so we don’t know where we stand with them,” she adds. “I don’t know who to ask, I don’t know who to turn to.”

Enfield Bird Centre owner Trevor Wyllie is in a similar position. “It’s ludicrous,” he says. “We started the business in 1985. There has been a decline in the garden centres but it still busy here. I had an open day in August and 1,886 people came here from all across the south-east. But I still need the footfall.”

Trevor says he will close his business down if he can’t stay in Crews Hill. “It will be the end of an era. But I’m not going anywhere until they force me out.”

Trevor Wyllie, owner of Enfield Bird Centre

For this story the Dispatch asked the council when it would start making contact with business owners like Simon, Nina, Emma and Trevor, and whether it could clarify if CPOs will include compensation for tenants and cover all their moving costs.

The council did not respond.

Alessandro Georgiou, leader of the opposition Conservatives at Enfield Civic Centre, has long made clear his opposition to building new homes on the Green Belt in Enfield.

Asked for his reaction to the publication of the New Towns Taskforce report, which more than doubles the number of proposed Green Belt homes, Cllr Georgiou told the Dispatch: “It was a shock to all of us. It is disgusting that they have gone over the heads of residents while we are going through the Local Plan process.”

Regarding local businesses at Crews Hill, Cllr Georgiou added: “I am on the side of the business owners in Crews Hill. Let’s be honest what this is – the loss of 1,000 jobs and businesses that have been in families for generations. This will destroy local families, destroy local businesses and destroy local livelihoods.”

The Enfield Society has also raised concern over the news. In its statement today the society pointed out that 15,000 representations were made as part of the council’s Enfield Local Plan process “demonstrating the depth of local anger” to building on the Green Belt.

It continues: “Quite apart from the threat to urbanise a large part of the Green Belt to the north and west of Enfield Town, this proposal comes in the middle of the Local Plan examination being conducted by [government inspector] Stephen Lee, with the next stage scheduled to start in mid October.

“We are very concerned that this announcement may cause major difficulties for the inspector.”

In his statement yesterday, council leader Ergin Erbil accused the Tories of “scaremongering” and said: “We are fully committed to keeping Enfield as one of the most beautiful boroughs in London and improving that status.

“Where we do develop Green Belt land we are committed to doing so as attractively and sustainably as possible, and we are committed to a 25% increase in green coverage by 2041.”

Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan, who ended his opposition to Green Belt development earlier this year, also reacted positively to the news. A mayoral spokesperson said: “The mayor is delighted that Crews Hill and Chase Park has been shortlisted as a new town – delivering green development and helping to address the capital’s housing need.”

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