New footpaths and access points to Enfield Chase planned as well as more trees

Enfield Chase Restoration Project has seen 134,000 trees planted so far

Enfield Council is planning to expand its new Enfield Chase woodland – already London’s largest reforestation project – as well as create a series of new access points to help residents enjoy it.

Enfield Chase Restoration Project has seen 134,000 trees planted between 2020 and 2023, with another 100,000 now set to be added thanks to a new £500,000 grant from the Greater London Authority and an estimated £610,000 grant from the Forestry Commission.

More money, worth another £500,000, will be drawn from developers’ contributions via Section 106 and the community infrastructure levy – bringing the total new investment in Enfield Chase Restoration Project to £1.6million.

In a report detailing its plans for the woodland over the next two years, the council emphasised the need to improve access points so that more residents could enjoy the new green space being created.

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The plans now include a new footpath linking Botany Bay with the London Loop, which runs through the woodland; another path from Botany Bay to Rectory Farm, where a large part of the woodland has been created; plus a new footpath from Crews Hill Station, via Crews Hill Golf Course, to Rectory Farm.

There is a further proposal for a footpath to run underneath Rendelsham Viaduct and through to Gordon Hill Station, but this requires approval by Network Rail which owns the bridge and would need to remove fencing currently blocking access to it.

John Cole, chair of the Friends of Enfield Chase, welcomed the plans from the council and said: “The Friends of Enfield Chase has been working closely with Enfield Council on the woodland restoration project, the eastern gateway access improvements and the wider landscape recovery project. Together they bring a sharp focus on this transformative woodland project in the Green Belt; paving the way for additional woodland planting, enhanced public access, flood mitigation, and enhanced biodiversity.

“We hope that this will also bring the planned crossing on the Ridgeway with enhanced accessibility, the reopening of a path beneath Rendlesham Viaduct and improved access from nearby Crews Hill and Gordon Hill stations, a step closer”.

The council report mentions that a pedestrian crossing over the Ridgeway, where it meets the London Loop, “will be explored”. An earlier phase of the project saw a pedestrian island installed in Hadley Road, where the woodland begins opposite Trent Park.

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