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save the date 12th october 450pxThe debate about a petition demanding adequate debate about the new Enfield Local Plan has been rescheduled and will now be held at 7pm on Wednesday 12th October at a newly convened meeting of Enfield Council. Campaigners are asking supporters to fill the public gallery and, if available, any overspill capacity in the Civic Centre.

The petition, organised by Action for Enfield's Future, a coalition of community groups, gathered more than 4000 signatures. It asks for there to be adequate time between publication of the revised version of the draft local plan and its being put to full council for approval. It specifies a 12-week period during which people can consider the proposals and provide feedback to their ward councillors.

Several aspects of the initial draft of the local plan have been controversial, in particular the suggested maximum height of new buildings in some locations and the proposal for large-scale housebuilding on land currently designated as Green Belt. But there are many other respects in which community groups consider that the draft fails to meet future challenges.

The request for supporters to attend the meeting and to lobby councillors was posted on the Enfield RoadWatch website and is copied below. Note that there are guidelines that specify no heckling, placards or leaflet distribution.

Read the text of the petition

Petition accepted! Please join us on Wednesday, October 12, at the Council meeting

15/9/22   Good news on the petition!  A quick decision was made to allow us to present our case to the full Council. This was originally scheduled for September 21, but that council meeting has since been designated as a tribute to the Queen, so our petition will be debated at a newly-scheduled extra council meeting at 7pm on Wednesday, October 12, at the Civic Centre.

The public gallery will be open and we have asked for an overflow room to accommodate supporters who’d like to attend. We hope you will!  The meeting starts at 7pm so please arrive in good time.

We expect to be the first item on the agenda, soon after 7pm. We will be given 5 minutes to present the petition at the meeting and the petition will then be discussed by councillors for a maximum of 15 minutes. The Council will decide how to respond to the petition at this meeting. They may decide to:

  1. Take the action the petition requests
  2. Not to take the action requested for reasons put forward in the debate
  3. To commission further investigation into the matter, for example by a relevant committee or
  4. Where the issue is one on which the council executive is required to make the final decision, the Council will decide whether to make recommendations to inform that decision.

After the meeting, we will receive written confirmation of the decision, which will also be published on the Enfield Council website.

Over 4,000 people signed the petition, which is a phenomenal response.  Thanks to each and every one of you and especially to the volunteers who worked door-to-door and at events.  We couldn’t have done it without you!

We hope to see many of you at the Civic Centre on October 12.  We’ve been given guidelines as to what is and isn’t allowed.

No leaflets or handouts are allowed to be issued at the meeting or prior to the meeting.  No signs or placards are allowed inside the Civic Centre. No vocal support or heckling is permitted.

Whether or not you plan to attend, please do email your ward councillors before October 12 and urge them to agree to the simple requests in the petition:

  1. Bring the revised local plan to the full council for a free and open debate
  2. Allow sufficient time at that council meeting for the councillors to debate the plan’s merits
  3. Ensure that each councillor has a chance to vote for or against the plan and, in the interests of transparency, subject this vote to a ‘Roll Call’ so there is a public record of how each councillor voted
  4. Publish the revised plan in fully-accessible formats at least 12 weeks before the council meeting to allow all the councillors, especially those who are new, to engage with their constituents in a meaningful and productive consultation about plan, which will affect every aspect of life in the borough for the next 15 years.

You can find your ward councillors’ contact details here.

Just in case there is another change, please check the website before heading to the Civic Centre. We will post any last-minute information there.

Thanks for your continued support.

Source: https://enfieldroadwatch.co.uk

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PGC Webmaster posted a reply
05 Oct 2022 19:41
https://www.pgweb.uk/images/2022/save_the_date_12th_october_450px.webp

The agenda for the council meeting on 12th October has now been published (see this earlier report ).

The petition will be the first item of new business, with 15 minutes set aside to debate it. The next item is Opposition Priority Business. The Conservative Group are proposing a motion which also concerns the procedures for developing and adopting the new local plan.

A further item of important business concerns the borough's Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Partnership Strategy 2023-27.
PGC Webmaster posted a reply
12 Oct 2022 22:48


News from the public gallery at tonight's council meeting:

The petition’s asks were all agreed by both parties. In addition, the Labour administration also agreed an opposition request to set up a cross-party working group to help develop the next version of the Local Plan.

(See higher up this thread to read what this is all about.)
PGC Webmaster posted a reply
20 Oct 2022 01:12


As briefly reported here last Wednesday evening, the full council meeting that the Debate the Local Plan petition was presented to, agreed to its content and council leader Nesil Caliskan said she would set up a cross-party working group.

A more detailed report from the meeting by local democracy reporter Simon Allin is on the Enfield Dispatch website.
PGC Webmaster posted a reply
26 Oct 2022 22:00


Enfield Roadwatch has sent a message to its supporters which neatly summarises where the success of the petition to Enfield Council leaves us with regard to the next steps:

Dear Supporters

Our presentation to the full council in front a packed public gallery went very well and the council leader agreed to all three of our requests. Thanks again to the 4,000+ people who signed the petition and helped to collect signatures. You can read more about the council meeting here.

When the next version of the local plan comes forward, it has been agreed that:

1. The revised local plan will come to the full council for a free and open debate with sufficient time allowed for the councillors to debate the plan’s merits
2. Each councillor will have a chance to vote for or against the plan and, in the interests of transparency, this vote will be subject to a ‘Roll Call’ so there is a public record of how each councillor voted
3. The revised plan will be published in fully-accessible formats at least 12 weeks before the council meeting to allow all the councillors, especially those who are new, to engage with their constituents in a meaningful and productive consultation about plan, which will affect every aspect of life in the borough for the next 15 years.

The Action for Enfield’s Future coalition has been very effective and we propose to continue working with the other organisations and groups moving forwards.

The next version of the Local Plan is expected to be released early next year. It's good news that a cross-party working group will be set up to work on the plan but the administration remain committed to at least some Green Belt release. We still maintain that this is unnecessary and very short-sighted so we will be ready to continue the fight for Enfield's Green Belt
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