Chase Park [Vicarage Farm]
Chase Park covers over 167 hectares (over 400 acres) of land to the east of Trent Park, between Enfield Road and Hadley Road. It is currently protected as Green Belt and fulfills all the functions that the Green Belt was set up to achieve, plus many more environmental, health and biodiversity benefits. It was originally ‘christened’ ‘Chase Park’ by property developer Comer Homes, who acquired Vicarage Farm speculatively in 2005, for a mere £2,750,000.
Vicarage Farm is also part of the last remnants of the historic Enfield Chase. Enfield Chase was recorded as Enefeld Chacee in 1325 and includes historic field patterns, ancient trees and hedgerows.
Retaining these for future generations should be important to our leaders.
Chase Park Spatial Framework Prepared for London Borough of Enfield October 2023
The proposal in Enfield’s Local Plan would turn Vicarage Farm into a housing estate with 3,700 homes and the New Town proposal would expand this area of housing all the way from Oakwood to the M25, including Crews Hill, for a total of 21,000 more homes
View east along the Merryhills Way from near the entrance to Trent Park. If the Council’s ‘Chase Park’ proposals become a reality, all the countryside in the middle distance as far as The Ridgeway would be developed for housing.
View along the Merryhills Way where the Public Right of Way crosses the old track to Vicarage Farm. Shaw’s Wood at Trent Park is visible in the distance. The Merryhills Brook Valley slopes up to the Enfield Road through paddocks on the left and through arable fields on the right up to Williams Wood/Trent Park.
Vicarage Farm has two Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINCs), important for birds, insects, mammals (including bats) and reptiles.
In October 2025 residents reported that Comer Homes had begun to remove hedgerows despite no plans yet being approved.
Photographs: Enfield Dispatch & The Enfield Society
Crews Hill
“Crews Hill has a unique identity derived from its historic horticultural and agricultural land use, the undulating topography and its hilltop location” Enfield Council
Crews Hill’s current population is 500-600. Surrounded by open farmland, it forms part of the Enfield Chase Heritage Area of Special Character.
It is one of the UK’s most important horticultural centres, often described as “Britain’s Horticultural Mile”. including several garden centres and plant nurseries, pet shops, with reptile and bird specialists, as well as a popular equestrian centre.
The garden centres, many of which have cafes and stock a wide range of other merchandise are popular all year round. Crews Hill attracts visitors from across London and beyond and functions as a local economy in its own right.
Photograph: Enfield Garden Centre
The area also has a number of nationally listed heritage assets and Enfield Council recognises that a heritage impact assessment was required.
Enfield Council’s Local Plan includes proposals for 5,500 new homes in Crews Hill, which would require compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) of the businesses that do not wish to sell.