Enfield Council’s Draft Local Plan is deeply flawed not ‘deeply green’.
Enfield Council has made an unnecessary decision to build on the Green Belt and is presenting its plan as the only solution to meeting the borough’s housing and employment needs. THIS IS NOT TRUE. There are alternatives. Here are some myth-busters the Council would rather keep secret.
- They say they must build on the Green Belt because they are already making the maximum use of brownfield [previously-developed] sites – NOT TRUE – they have ignored sites with good potential that would bring homes, jobs and investment in public services to urban areas and avoid building on the Green Belt. The Facts
- They say it’s a choice between building on the Green Belt or building skyscrapers everywhere and not being able to prevent them – NOT TRUE – the Council decides where tall buildings get built and how high they can be. The Council admits that alternative building forms, such as lower-rise mansion blocks, can achieve a similar number of homes as tower blocks. Read 7.6.4
- They say their plan is the only way to meet Enfield’s housing need – NOT TRUE – in fact their plan will not deliver housing that most local people need . What Enfield needs are affordable homes in areas with existing public services and good transport links, not unaffordable and sprawling executive homes in rural locations that use land inefficiently and increase car-dependency. Needs not Numbers
- They say Enfield’s population will grow by 50,000 people by 2039 – NOT TRUE – population projections are educated estimates at best. The number quoted by the council does not reflect the latest projections from the Office of National Statistics and does not account for the impact of changing migration patterns or Covid and could be a big over-estimate. Why sacrifice the Green Belt for a guess? Let’s wait for the 2021 Census results to become available in 2022 and get some reality into the plan.
- They say the plan will provide for new and improved open space and green infrastructure – NOT TRUE – removing 10% of the borough’s open space, including farms that could produce local food for local people and grasslands that are helping to fight against climate change, can never be outweighed by a few new footpaths and pocket parks. Enfield’s Green Belt is At Risk report
- They say the plan will protect and enhance the borough’s biodiversity and habitats – NOT TRUE – areas of the Green Belt that are targeted for development are home to endangered species and rich mosaics of biodiversity, which cannot be replaced.
- They say the plan will preserve statutorily recognised character areas and heritage and historic assets – NOT TRUE – historic Enfield Chase is a unique and beautiful landscape that is now targeted for more than 12,500 homes, while the proposed siting of unnecessary tall buildings will mar protected views and heritage areas. Dr. Langton Enfield Chase letter
The plan is not ‘deeply green’ as they would have you believe. It is just deeply flawed and we need to reject it with a resounding NO!