Designation by the New Towns Taskforce would mean at least 10,000 homes being built on the Green Belt, reports James Cracknell

Crews Hill and (inset) post-war new town Telford (credit Simon Hark via Wikimedia Commons)

Crews Hill is likely to be named by a government taskforce as one of twelve ‘new towns’ across the country where housing development will be “accelerated” with additional investment and support.

The Labour government’s New Towns Taskforce was established a year ago with the aim of “unlocking economic potential in constrained areas” by designating a series of locations – including “urban extensions” – that would benefit from better co-ordination and infrastructure provision.

An announcement on the taskforce’s preferred locations for new towns is due to be made shortly – with reports now suggesting Crews Hill will be one of them.

Independent news website OnLondon reported this week that “several well-connected sources” had confirmed Crews Hill as one of two areas in the capital – alongside Thamesmead in the south-east – where the government wants to accelerate development.

Enfield Council already has its own plans for the Green Belt around Crews Hill, with 5,500 homes allocated to the area in the draft Local Plan currently being examined by a government-appointed planning inspector.

However, if designated as a new town, Crews Hill would be expected to deliver a minimum of 10,000 homes, aided by additional investment in infrastructure such as new schools and public transport links.

Crews Hill is London’s northernmost settlement but – despite having a railway station with trains into central London – currently has a very small population of only a few hundred people.

The area is known primarily as a centre for horticulture, however, and one of the key revelations from the Local Plan examination this year was the admission by Enfield Council’s barrister in July that several garden centres and other Crews Hill businesses would be subject to compulsory purchase orders – essentially forcing them out to make way for new homes.

The draft Local Plan could still be subject to substantial revisions before being approved by the Planning Inspectorate and adopted by the council – which is expected to now happen next year.

But if Crews Hill is designated as a new town by the government in the meantime, it would represent a significant boost to the council’s plans.

For this story the Dispatch has attempted to verify the reports that Crews Hill is likely to be recommended by the New Towns Taskforce as a suitable location for 10,000 homes. One unknown factor is whether the departure from the government last week of Angela Rayner and the arrival of a new housing secretary, Steven Reed, will have any bearing on the plans.

But even with this uncertainty, the Dispatch understands that the report by OnLondon is substantially true and that Crews Hill is likely to be named as a new town either this month or next.

Famous post-war new towns such as Telford and Milton Keynes grew to become large urban centres and even cities, but attempts to revive the concept in the 21st Century have largely faltered, with both the Labour government of Gordon Brown and the Conservatives under David Cameron trying and failing to develop them.

The Labour government under Sir Keir Starmer, however, views new towns as central to its mission to grow the economy. In an interim update on the initiative last February, the New Towns Taskforce explained: “By providing a substantial number of homes, including social rented homes, we expect new towns will play a role in improving housing affordability over time.

“The planned nature of new towns offers an opportunity to better coordinate essential infrastructure and public services, creating communities where housing, transport, utilities, and healthcare are integrated from the outset.”

Both the council and the government have declined to comment.

Part of the newly-published masterplan for Crews Hill's development — Part of the newly-published masterplan for Crews Hill’s development

Meanwhile, the council has this month launched twin consultations on two masterplans for thousands of homes at both Crews Hill and Chase Park, the council’s other major Green Belt housing site included in the draft Local Plan.

The consultations are separate to the Local Plan process and instead seek feedback from residents on more detailed design concepts for both areas. Should the Local Plan be approved in its current form, with 5,500 homes at Crews Hill and 3,700 at Chase Park – a greenfield area centred around Vicarage Farm in World’s End – these masterplans would then form the basis of their redevelopment.

On its consultation page, the council states: “The Local Plan sets out the broad planning principles for these areas. This is sometimes called a spatial framework – essentially a high level map showing where new homes, open spaces and facilities could go.

“The council is now progressing this work to develop more detailed masterplans, which will set out how growth can be delivered in a coordinated way to achieve high quality development and place-making.”

As part of the two-week consultation, a public exhibition is taking place at Enfield Town Library on Wednesday, 17th September, from 3pm-7pm, with the public invited to “come along to view the proposals, ask questions and share your ideas in person”.

Take part in the consultation on Crews Hill and Chase Park:
Visit https://letstalk.enfield.gov.uk/CHCP

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