The list of nine land and property assets are projected to raise “many millions” and will help plug ongoing budget holes, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

The Parker Centre in Edmonton is being put up for sale by the council

Enfield Council will put a further nine land and property assets up for sale in the hope of raising “many millions of pounds” – while admitting adding an arts centre to its list in error.

An adult day care centre, a retail park, school, barn, two plots of land and three car parks were all agreed to be sold at a cabinet meeting held yesterday (Wednesday 11th).

A previous version of the disposal list published last week featured two other properties, including Grade 2*-listed Salisbury House, a Tudor manor house in Bush Hill Park currently used as an arts centre.

However, Nick Denny, the council’s director of property, said these were “inadvertently” added due to an “administrative error” and it was “not correct” for them to have been on the list.

Nick said the council regularly reviewed its portfolio and its assets to consider for disposal. Although Salisbury House had been considered, it was agreed not to proceed with the sale at the current time.

The sales that will be going ahead form part of the first of three waves of disposals taking place over the next decade as part of the council’s ten-year capital disposals programme.

Although the total value of the properties and land listed has not been disclosed, cabinet member for finance Tim Leaver said the move would contribute “many millions of pounds”.

A longer disposal list of mostly smaller land and property assets was also agreed earlier this year.

Cllr Leaver said: “This is part of our approach to right-size the assets of the council. We’ve got assets we use to support the services the council provides and we’ve got others we’ve acquired but we’ve moved on, and no longer require them.

“These assets we’re trying to maximise revenue on.”

Among the most contentious properties on the new list are likely to be The Parker Centre in Edmonton and Ford’s Grove Car Park in Winchmore Hill. The former is run by Age UK Enfield as a dementia day care centre but the council states that the building is “not fit for purpose”.

Also on the list is the leasehold for ‘Southbury Corner’, which includes Cineworld and four adjacent retail outlets, and St John’s School, a private boys’ school in The Ridgeway.

Regarding some of the properties on the list, Cllr Leaver said: “There are a number of assets here, and we all recognise this is sensitive, we can review the property values, but suffice to say this will contribute many millions of pounds to our finances.

“It will allow us to pay down debt, and also allow us the flexible use of capital receipts, and support the council in reshaping its assets and services.”

Nick said that some of the nine assets were “simply surplus”, such as a plot of land in Hadley Wood, and that the council could “maximise value”. Both he and Cllr Leaver both highlighted that the council had gone through the list “quite extensively” and were prioritising “suitability”.

At the same cabinet meeting a series of financial reports were discussed, detailing a £39.4m overspend in 2023/24 and ongoing overspends on the current budget, highlighting the need for capital receipts to plug the gaps.

Following discussion, the cabinet agreed to proceed with the asset sales listed.

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