The debate at Enfield Civic Centre came after councillors were moved to another room because of disruption caused by protestors in the public gallery

Labour and Conservative councillors clashed in a bad-tempered debate over the future of Enfield’s green spaces – while also disagreeing on the merits of golf.

At a full council meeting last night (Wednesday 24^th) the opposition Tory group presented a four-page paper which laid out what they claim are the many and varied threats to open spaces across the borough, but faced an angry riposte from Labour’s deputy leader who said the Conservatives had “misinterpreted” council plans and were playing down the need for new homes.

Before the debate began however, all 63 councillors were forced to move to a different meeting room at Enfield Civic Centre because of disruption caused by pro-Palestine protestors.

After several councillors began the meeting by paying tribute to former long-serving Labour councillor Del Goddard as well as former mayoress Sylvia Jackson, who both recently died, around 25 demonstrators sat in the public gallery overlooking the chamber interjected to demand time to discuss the ongoing war in the Middle East.

When this request was refused, the protestors began chanting slogans including “ceasefire now” and “shame on you” with much of the anger being directed at the Labour Party for not backing recent ceasefire calls. They also unfurled a Palestinian flag from the gallery.

Members of the public are not allowed to speak at council meetings unless invited to do so. As it became clear the disruption would continue regardless, Enfield mayor Suna Hurman led councillors to another room – the Dispatch was also allowed to continue covering the meeting as it recommenced elsewhere.

As the meeting restarted, Cllr Hurman read a statement addressing the ongoing conflict in Gaza. She said: “I look forward to everyone living in safety and security and enjoying equal rights, fundamental freedoms and democracy.”

Tory councillor Julian Sampson then introduced the opposition’s paper on “protecting Enfield’s green spaces”, which lists threats to Brimsdown Sports Ground, St Anne’s School Playing Fields in Enfield Town, Kenninghall Open Space and Church Street Recreation Ground – both in Edmonton – as well as woodland surrounding Sainsbury’s in Winchmore Hill and open space at a number of council estates.

Referring to the allocation in the council’s draft Local Plan for a cemetery to be created on a four-hectare area of Church Street Rec, Cllr Sampson said: “There won’t be much recreation going on there if it becomes a crematorium.”

He claimed that because of its financial pressures the council was being forced to generate £7.5million per year over the next five years, and £10m beyond that, from “asset sales” which would mean “the very fabric of the borough” being sold off to private firms – with many other local sports and leisure facilities also coming under threat.

Referring to cabinet member for finance Tim Leaver, Cllr Sampson added: “I know he is a sensitive soul and it would grieve him to sell these assets but if a Section 114 [effective bankruptcy] notice did arise, the administrators would have no such scruples.

“These assets should not be sold – they are assets for the whole community.”

As well as Church Street Rec’s crematorium allocation, Enfield Council’s draft Local Plan allocates 225 homes to Brimsdown Sports Ground – which has been fenced off and disused for several years – as well as 368 homes to woodland surrounding Sainsbury’s in Winchmore Hill.

But Labour councillors still disputed many of the threats to green spaces listed by the Conservatives.

They denied there were any plans for housing at Kenninghall Open Space, which falls with the Meridian Water regeneration zone but is not allocated any housing in the Local Plan, as well as the possibility of new homes being built on the playing fields of St Anne’s Catholic School – although part of the school is allocated for housing in the Local Plan, the playing fields fall outside the area outlined.

Deputy council leader Ergin Erbil said: “The opposition business paper has either intentionally or unintentionally misinterpreted the Local Plan.

“We are unwavering in our commitment to new green spaces in Enfield. We are the greenest and most eco-conscious administration in the Enfield’s history.”

A debate around the merits of golf later ensued, as the Conservatives accused Labour of launching an “attack” on the sport in the borough. Whitewebbs Park Golf Course has already been shut down and is now set to become a women’s football academy for Tottenham Hotspur with artificial pitches, while the council has included Crews Hill Golf Course in its plans for nearly 10,000 homes to be built on the borough’s Green Belt.

Cllr Sampson warned: “If you let these go, you will open the floodgates to all the leisure facilities in the borough.”

Ridgeway councillor Andrew Thorp added: “This council has a ‘blue and green strategy’ – but they should rename it the blue and grey strategy, after the colour of concrete.”

While some Tory councillors claimed golf courses offered wider environmental and wildlife benefits beyond being used for recreation, Cllr Erbil shot back: “I am a hobby beekeeper, and let me tell you, my bees prefer wildflower meadows to golf courses.”

On the inclusion in the latest draft Local Plan of 9,651 homes on existing Green Belt land, after the original draft proposed 6,430, the Tory group’s housing spokesperson Lee Chamberlain said: “The Local Plan is asking us to make a false choice between green spaces and new homes.

“This is a heavily green-washed plan that wants to see many chunks of green going grey – and it ignores the vast bulk of residents responding to the consultation who opposed building on Green Belt.”

Labour councillor Josh Abey responded: “They would do well to actually read what they are attacking next time […] residents of my generation struggle to even imagine owning a home in the place where they grew up.”

Using their majority in the chamber, Labour councillors subsequently voted down the Tory group’s opposition paper.

The draft Local Plan is set to be further debated by councillors in March before undergoing a final six-week public consultation and then a review by an independent planning inspector.

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