Temporary homeless shelter made permanent

Committee members backed council plans to continue housing homeless people at John Wilkes House in Ponders End despite concerns over antisocial behaviour, reports Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter

A temporary homeless shelter in Ponders End will be made permanent after a council report found public worries about the facility “are not supported by evidence”.

Last year John Wilkes House, a former council office building in Ponders End High Street, was reopened on a temporary basis as a shelter for up to 36 single homeless men.

Last week, councillors on Enfield Council’s planning committee voted to make the shelter permanent.

The facility was opened in 2025 for a two-year trial period – a reduction on the five years that had initially been sought, after planning committee members heard concerns about the impact the shelter would have locally.

The Ponders End facility has split opinion, with some residents concerned that the local authority has not properly accounted for perceived negative impacts in the surrounding area.

In January Robert Brassett, chair of the Friends of Durants and Ponders End Parks group, criticised the council proposals to make John Wilkes House a permanent homelessness shelter, describing the move as “crazy” given the probation period for the site has not yet been completed.

Brassett also argued that the shelter was contributing to increasing antisocial behaviour nearby. This, he said, was occurring away from the security present at John Wilkes House and included drug deals in Ponders End Park.

But in a council report prepared ahead of the planning committee meeting, council officers argued: “There is compelling evidence of an acute and ongoing homelessness crisis at both a London-wide and local level, with increasing rough sleeping and sustained demand for temporary accommodation.

“The facility has been operational since March 2025 and has demonstrated strong performance, successfully supporting a significant number of individuals into independent living with no substantiated adverse impacts on the surrounding area.”

A statutory public consultation on plans to make the shelter permanent ended on 29th January.

In their report, local authority staff discuss concerns raised in the consultation, especially in relation to crime and antisocial behaviour, but argued “these concerns are not supported by evidence”.

They said that neither “operational data” nor data from the Metropolitan Police support these claims and that it is, instead, “indicating no increase in incidents”.

The report added: “The scheme incorporates robust management measures, including 24-hour staffing, controlled access, CCTV, and a structured referral and risk assessment process. The development has also achieved secured by design accreditation.

“Overall, the proposal is considered to represent a sustainable form of development that meets an identified need, delivers significant social benefits, and accords with the development plan when read as a whole.”

Committee members voted the plans through last Tuesday (30th June).

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