Issue - meetings

To receive a report of the Executive Director - Place on the Edmonton Leeside Area Action Plan.                              (Key Decision Reference Number:  4982)

(Report No: 164)

Council is asked to approve the formal adoption of the Edmonton Leeside Area Action Plan to form part of Enfield’s Local Plan.

Cabinet is to be asked to recommend this for Council approval at their meeting on 22 January 2020.  The Cabinet decision will be reported to the meeting on the green update sheet. 

Councillor Caliskan proposed and Councillor Ian Barnes seconded a report from the Executive Director Place recommending formal adoption of the Edmonton Leeside Area Action Plan (ELAAP).  (Report No:  164)

NOTED

1.            Cabinet recommended approval of the plan to Council at their meeting on 22 January 2020.

2.            This represents the final stage in the adoption of the Edmonton Leeside Area Action Plan and will help the Council realise its vision for Meridian Water. 

3.            It will help encourage major stakeholders, provide affordable housing and good public spaces to improve the quality of life for people living in the area.

4.            It includes promotion of high quality design, the low carbon network with 40% affordable housing.  Adoption of the plan gives planning weight to these issues. 

5.            The ELAAP covers a 12 year period, not the full 20 year Meridian Water project.

6.            Great progress has been made in providing employment through meanwhile uses.

7.            The action plan has been agreed and modifications made following comments from the planning inspectorate.

Councillor Edward Smith proposed and Councillor Joanne Laban seconded the following amendment to recommendation 2.1 in the report. 

“That Council agrees the significant modifications recommended in the Planning Inspector’s final report (Annex 1) needed to make the Edmonton Leeside Area Action Plan sound and legally compliant.”

1.            The Opposition wanted to make explicit the way the plan had had to be altered to meet the requirements of the planning inspectorate. 

2.            The response from the Leader that the action plan to be adopted already included the planning inspector’s amendments and that technically this was the plan. 

3.            The view that the plan would not meet the affordable housing needs of the community and that it was a glorified gentrification project.

4.            The revised plan had significantly less housing than the Labour Group had wanted, that the administration had been slow to act and that it was important to recognise the inspector’s work as in the amendment. 

Following the debate, the amendment was put to the vote and not agreed with the following result:

For: 13

Against: 38

Abstentions: 0

The debate continued: 

NOTED

1.            Assumptions that the original plan would have be ratified were unrealistic as the opposition were always clear that the GLA would not agree to release the strategic industrial land and that the sites the Council had put forward to replace this such as Deephams Sewage Works would not be accepted.  There was also no guarantee that Tesco and Ikea would give up their land for homes.  The number of homes proposed in the plan had now been halved.

2.            There was also concern that there had been no proper account of flooding taken or provision of flood mitigation schemes. 

3.            Ward Councillor Ergin Erbil said that this would provide much needed housing, attention and investment in this poor part of the borough and was welcomed by Edmonton ward councillors. 

4.            The opposition view that poor management was to blame for the failures and for the decrease in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10

A report from Sarah Cary, Executive Director Place, is attached.  (Key decision - reference number 4982) 

                                    (Report No: 164)

Councillor Nesil Caliskan (Leader of the Council) introduced the report of the Executive Director – Place (No.164) recommending the Edmonton Leeside Area Action Plan for adoption. 

NOTED

1.            The background to the development of the Edmonton Leeside Area Action Plan as detailed in the report.

2.            That the Edmonton Leeside Area Action Plan (ELAAP) would form part of Enfield’s Local Plan and would specifically deliver the spatial vision and land use strategy for the first phases of the Council’s flagship regeneration area of Meridian Water, as set out in the report.

3.            The Plan would also encourage other private stakeholders within Meridian Water to join the Council’s vision and aspirations with for example, the provision of affordable housing; public spaces; low carbon heat network; and, high quality design standards. The Plan covered a period of 12 years. The Council’s borough-wide approach to the use of strategic industrial land was also highlighted.

4.            A detailed discussion took place on the development of the ELAAP; the processes which had been followed and the desired outcomes, as set out in the report and appendices. Members noted the issues which had been raised by the Inspector and how the points raised had been addressed.

5.            The Council’s target for the delivery of 5,000 new homes over the next 12 years. Members noted that the development of Meridian Water was over a 25-year period. The proposals for meanwhile uses for the land were also noted.

6.            Members questioned how the Plan would address the issue of climate change. It was noted that the Plan contained specific policies with regard to connecting to the Council’s low carbon heat network; which would help to address the issue of climate change in the Borough.

Alternative Options Considered: None considered as having an adopted and comprehensive planning framework for the area provided a basis for setting the area specific planning policies by which decisions on development would be guided. This was essential to support the Council’s regeneration programme, particularly in light of on-going as well as future investment opportunities.

DECISION: The Cabinet agreed to

1.            Note receipt of the Planning Inspector’s final report (set out in Annex 1 of the report) that concluded the Edmonton Leeside Area Action Plan was “sound” and legally compliant subject to the Main Modifications being incorporated into the final plan.

2.            Recommend to Council formal adoption of the Edmonton Leeside Area Action Plan (Annex 2 to the report) to form part of Enfield’s Local Plan.

Reason: NOTED, the reasons for the recommendations as set out in section 4.1 of the report.

(Key decision – reference number 4982)