Dear Enfield Council
Response to the Local Plan Issues and Options Consultation
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this important consultation.
While I support housing development and support the ambition to meet Enfield’s housing needs, I strongly object to the proposal to release Green Belt for housing or other purposes. I believe that there are alternatives available to meet housing targets and that the Green Belt is a precious resource that should be protected and preserved for future generations.
I am concerned that Crews Hill has been singled out for release from the Green Belt. The garden centres and other businesses there provide employment and a resource for people from Enfield and beyond. Instead of losing Crews Hill for housing, its horticultural activities should be encouraged and enhanced so that it can once again be a hub for food and plant production.
Enfield’s ambitious housing targets can be accommodated on previously-built land [brownfield]. I refer you to the report, Space to Build, Enfield which was recently published by CPRE-London, Enfield RoadWatch and The Enfield Society. It provides evidence of sites for at least 37,000 homes, mostly in areas that need regeneration and would benefit from public transport and other infrastructure upgrades.
The Green Belt is too valuable to lose for all the many environmental, ecological, economic, public health and other reasons that have been identified. The Council has a duty of care for the Green Belt, in accordance with the London Plan and the NPPF, and any intentions to release parts of it should be taken out of the local plan.
The comments provided in this response to the consultation are my own views.
Regards
NAME:
ADDRESS: