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Planning

Renters need a national landlord register - sign the open letter

10 November 2021

Overstretched local councils provide the safety net in our broken renting system. They step in when private renting fails to protect renters who are unfairly evicted from their homes, faced with homelessness or living in dangerous conditions. A register would help councils better enforce the law when things go wrong.

Further criticism of Green Belt housing plans as consultation deadline nears

09 September 2021

In the run-up to the end of the current consultation phase for the Enfield Local Plan (the deadline is Monday 13th September), the Enfield Society has published its response to Enfield Council's draft document. While welcoming some aspects, the Society completely rejects the idea of housing or other types of development being built on all but a very few small parts of the borough's Green Belt land. Another newly published response, from Enfield Climate Action Forum, voices similar criticisms from a primarily environmental sustainability perspective.

How should the council deal with planning breaches?

05 August 2021

In line with the recommendations of the government's National Planning Policy Framework, Enfield Council has drawn up a draft Planning Enforcement Plan, which is currently out for consultation until 17th September. The plan will specify how the council will deal with breaches of planning regulations, developments that do not meet national and local polices, or a failure to comply with enforcement action taken by the council.

Criticism of Green Belt housing proposals aired at climate forum meeting

04 August 2021

The July meeting of Enfield Climate Action Forum included presentations by Enfield Road Watch and Better Homes Enfield criticising Enfield Council's proposal to allow housing construction on Green Belt land.

Civic groups unite in opposition to council green belt and tall buildings plans

14 July 2021

With eight weeks remaining for residents to provide feedback on the draft Enfield Local Plan, two of the borough's civic groups have joined forces to campaign against the council's proposals to declassify several areas of green belt land in the borough to allow their use for large-scale housing developments. A third group says that the draft plan will not solve the borough's chronic shortage of family-sized and affordable homes.

Read the full article and forum comments

Confirmation that Enfield's Green Belt is threatened

03 June 2021

Draft Enfield Local Plan documentation published this week confirms that the administration in the Civic Centre envisages large-scale housebuilding on Green Belt land at Crews Hill and to the east of Trent Park.

Read the full article and forum comments

Plans submitted for redevelopment of key site in Palmers Green

02 June 2021

The summary description of planning application 21-01230-FUL relating to 88 Green Lanes N13 5UP gives little clue to its significance, but this is a key site for Palmers Green in terms of both its history and its location.

Read the full article and forum comments

Threat to Enfield's Green Belt becomes a reality

26 May 2021

Developers' proposals to build up to 5000 new homes on farmland to the east of Trent Park have made it clear that concerns about the threat to Enfield's Green Belt land have not been exaggerated. The plans were revealed only a few days after a coalition of civic society groups issued a report labelling the idea of building homes on this protected land 'a huge mistake' and calling on concerned residents to write to their councillors and MPs expressing their opposition.

Local civic activist recognised as a Woman of Influence

23 March 2021

A local civic sector activist has been named as a Woman of Influence by a professional planning journal in view of her contribution to the development of an innovative method of involving the wider community in shaping local development proposals.

Read the full article and forum comments

Enfield Town shopping centre survey ends on Thursday

16 March 2021

The Enfield Society's survey about views on redevelopment of Enfield Town's shopping centre ends on Thursday. The Society considers that the proposed Palace Square development, incorporating six tower blocks of between 12 and 26 storeys, would neither be compatible with the historic town centre's conservation area status, nor provide the right mix of housing needed by families.

Meridian Water: Not enough greenspace for the planned population?

24 February 2021

A newly published report by a group campaigning for improvements to housing conditions in Enfield says that current plans for new housing on brownfield land at Meridian Water, Upper Edmonton, will not provide an adequate amount of 'greenspace' for the 30,000 people that the council envisages living there.

Gambling arcade opposition gathers momentum

24 February 2021

A campaign opposing the opening of a 24-hour gambling arcade in Palmers Green has gained substantial support from local residents. By Tuesday evening, four days after its launch, nearly 2700 people had signed a petition to Enfield Council calling for a review of the gambling licence granted last month to a new branch of Merkur Slots in Green Lanes. The campaign has also attracted the backing of Enfield Southgate MP Bambos Charalambous, who has stated that he is "appalled" at the plans and has raised questions about the spread of high street gambling with the culture secretary.

Read the full article and forum comments

Winchmore Hill ward forum minutes published

23 February 2021

The draft minutes of the Winchmore Hill ward forum on 11th February are now available online. Topics discussed included the Fox Lane LTN and the new care home at Reardon Court.

What's your vision of our borough's future?

15 February 2021

As part of the process of developing a new local plan for the borough, Enfield Council is currently running an important consultation which asks people about their vision for Enfield in the future. The deadline for responding is 24th February.

Gauging opinions about the redevelopment of Enfield Town's shopping centres

02 February 2021

People who live in or visit Enfield Town are being asked to give their opinions about the proposed Palace Square development and, if they are not keen on it, what alternatives they would favour. A survey, running until 18th March, has been set up by the Enfield Society in collaboration with the national charity Civic Voice, and a public webinar is planned. The proposals unveiled by the developer last year include six tower blocks of between 12 and 26 storeys.

Read the full article and forum comments

Making the best use of Enfield's 'blue and green assets'

11 January 2021

How do Enfield Council's ideas for protecting and enhancing the borough's 'green and blue assets' measure up against the challenges of providing a healthy and pleasant environment, good jobs and, above all, halting climate change and mitigating its effects? In its consultation response, Enfield Climate Action Forum praises the draft strategy's ambition, its 'laudable goals and intentions' and 'real strengths', but concludes that it neglects some important opportunities and that overall it lacks a 'long-term all-embracing strategy to fulfil the admirable ambitions'.

Draft Blue and Green Strategy 'worthy and ambitious', but fears for future of Green Belt remain

19 December 2020

A campaigning group set up to defend the borough's green belt and open spaces has published its submission to the council's consultation on a new 'blue and green strategy' for Enfield. While calling it 'ambitious with some worthy goals', Enfield RoadWatch is concerned about omissions from the draft - in particular with regard to agriculture and horticulture - and remains anxious about the possibility of development on Green Belt land. It is encouraging individual residents to register these concerns when responding to the consultation, which runs until 11th January.

Aldi moving into former Homebase store

16 December 2020

On Tuesday Enfield's planning committee voted unanimously in favour of an application to convert the former Homebase store in Station Road, New Southgate into two smaller units, one to be occupied by an Aldi supermarket, the other by a branch of 'variety store' B&M.

Campaign launched to defend the historic heart of Enfield Town

14 December 2020

The Enfield Society, in line with its motto "Conserving our heritage and environment", has launched a campaign to prevent the construction of multiple high-rise buildings - including one 26 storeys high - in the centre of the Enfield Town Conservation Area.

Read the full article and forum comments

Council should be building affordable family-sized homes on publicly owned land, say campaigners

02 December 2020

The campaigning group Better Homes Enfield says plans for construction of new homes on two areas of publicly owned land are not in line with Enfield Council's own policies on the need for family-sized homes and affordable housing. It calls on the council to seize the opportunity to relieve overcrowding in Edmonton by building fewer, but larger, homes at Meridian Water. With regard to the development of former hospital land at Chase Farm, in addition to the questions of housing size and affordability, it criticises outline planning permission granted for homes built at density levels normally seen in more urban settings, but neighbouring on the green belt and without the urban style amenities (shops,cafes etc) which normally support such dense development.

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