Agenda for Regeneration & Economic Development Scrutiny Panel on Wednesday, 1st November, 2023, 7.00 pm

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Conference Room, Civic Centre, Silver Street, Enfield, EN1 3XA. View directions

Contact: Email: Democracy@enfield.gov.uk 

Items
No. Item

1.

WELCOME & APOLOGIES

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and introductions were made.

 

Apologies for absence were received from Cllr Hivran Dalkaya who was substituted by Cllr Nia Stevens.

 

Apologies for lateness were also received from the Leader of the Council, Cllr Nesil Caliskan.

2.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Members of the Committee are invited to identify any disclosable pecuniary, other pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests relevant to the items on the agenda.

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest received regarding any item on the agenda.

3.

UPDATE ON ENFIELD'S LOCAL PLAN PROGRESS - TO FOLLOW pdf icon PDF 141 KB

To receive the report of May Hope, Plan Making Manager.

 

(The report and supporting slides will be sent as a To Follow paper)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Brett Leahy, Director of Planning and Growth introduced the report which provided a comprehensive update on the ongoing development and progress of the new Enfield Local Plan (ELP) as it advances through the various stages of planning. Enfield Council is currently in the process of updating its existing Local Plan, which is a crucial document that will guide the spatial development of Enfield Borough up to and beyond 2041.

 

Enfield Council’s housing target in its Local Plan is set to be inflated from 25,000 to 35,000, with suggestions that at least 9,000 will now be allocated to the Green Belt. The original version of the document was designed to deliver 25,000 homes across the borough up to 2039, but the new version, which will be examined by a planning inspector, significantly increases the housing target to 35,000 homes up to 2041.

 

The new Local Plan is currently being revised before a fresh round of consultation starts next month. It includes proposals to release around 13% of the borough’s Green Belt land for development, including large sites at Crews Hill and Vicarage Farm in World’s End.

 

The Green Belt covers around a third of the Enfield Borough and currently protects previously undeveloped land from being built on. Under policies set out in the Local Plan, which was approved in 2021, de-designating the Green Belt is only justified in ‘exceptional circumstances’

 

Following questions on this issue from Members, Brett advised that the Local Plan involved balancing various elements, including housing need, employment, and economic growth. He went on to say that the current Local Plan is out of date and not fit for purpose because it fails the four statutory housing tests. He explained that the consequence of this is the London Plan (finalised in 2021) is also out-of-date as it also fails the four statutory housing tests as set by Government. He added that urban sites alone could not deliver the number of homes, affordable units and family-sized houses needed by the boroughs’ residents.

 

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Nesil Caliskan said that while the London Plan was really critical, the authority also had to work within the framework of national requirements. She added that ultimately a national Planning Inspector would determine whether Enfield’s draft Local Plan is adequate or not.

 

Under further questioning from Members, Officers advised that the new plans for Crews Hill involve building 5,500 homes on a 270-hectare site and that 50% of the site would be developed, with the rest being made up of open space. Vicarage Farm (referred to as Chase Park in the draft Local Plan) is set to deliver 3,765 homes over 167 hectares although landowner Comer Homes has itself suggested building 5,000 here. This would mean more than 9,000 homes being allocated to the Green Belt by the Local Plan in total, up from 6,430 in the previous version of the draft from two years ago. However, these numbers will be confirmed when the revised Local Plan is published next  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

4.

WORK PROGRAMME 2023/24 pdf icon PDF 81 KB

To note the Regeneration & Economic Development Scrutiny Panel Work Programme 2023/24.

Minutes:

NOTED the Regeneration & Economic Development Scrutiny Panel Work Programme 2023/24.

5.

DATES OF FUTURE MEETINGS

To note the dates of future meetings as follows:

 

Tuesday 30 January 2024

Tuesday 26 March 2024

 

All meetings will commence at 7:00pm and will be held in the Conference Room at the Civic Centre.

Minutes:

NOTED the date of future meetings as follows:

 

Tuesday 30 January 2024

Tuesday 25 March 2024