Report by Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter

Residents will vote on a major regeneration project that could see 2,000 new homes built.

Enfield Council gave the nod to the £770million redevelopment of Joyce Avenue and Snells Park estates in Angel Edmonton, near the borough border with Haringey, but will give residents the final say.

Under rules brought in last year by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, all major regeneration schemes involving the demolition of social homes must have the backing of existing residents before they can receive funding from City Hall.

Council leader Nesil Caliskan said: “Residents have told us that their experience of living on these estates is not positive and that they feel this area of Edmonton has been abandoned.

“Every regeneration scheme in this borough should benefit its residents first and foremost, and this will be the case at Joyce and Snells with a project led and controlled by Enfield Council.

“Our plans allow every existing resident to have a home on the estate. There will be a new home for all council tenants, an offer for resident leaseholders and the ability for existing private renters to access new build-to-rent apartments.”

The plans involve demolishing the existing buildings, which date back to the 1950s and 1960s. The council wants to replace the estates’ 795 homes and build more than 2,100 new ones. Half of the homes would be designated as ‘affordable’, including 395 as social rent for existing residents. Some homes could also be offered to ‘key workers’ such as doctors and nurses.

Maintenance costs for the ageing flats are expected to rise as more repair works are needed. Both estates also suffer from anti-social behaviour problems, which could be reduced by designing new buildings to improve security.

Although the scheme could involve building on part of the neighbouring Florence Hayes Recreation Ground, the small park has been closed for many years because of problems with anti-social behaviour. Some of the open space could now be redesigned and reopened.

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