Comment

LB Enfield Local Plan: A revised programme to meet ambitious targets

The London Borough of Enfield (LB Enfield) remains one of the outer London boroughs to watch in 2021 and beyond. With its flagship regeneration project at Meridian Water having made significant progress in 2020, developers and the council alike have started focusing on the significant growth potential other parts of the borough can offer.

Having originally consulted on its new Local Plan almost two years ago, it has since been relatively quiet about next steps or indeed progress made on this new overarching policy direction for Enfield. However, as the recently published Local Development Scheme 2020-2024 (December 2020) (hereafter: “LDS”) now highlights, the first consultation work back in 2018/19 “indicated the need to provide greater level of evidence. The Council's challenging growth target from the London Plan from previous requirements means that land must be used intensively and growth well managed to fit within the existing built up areas also managing the impact on local character”.

The annual housing target contained in the Publication London Plan (2020) of 1,246 new homes for LB Enfield becomes particularly challenging when considering the council’s immense Green Belt pressures (with almost 40% of the borough falling within this designation), limited growth potential on sites impacting its local or historic character and substantial undersupply in recent years (only meeting 77% of its current targets over the past three years^[1]).

However, it also opens up opportunities for both developers and the council to identify existing low-density, underutilised brownfield sites capable of accommodating good growth including its opportunity areas (such as the Lea Valley or New Southgate) and the A10 corridor, in proximity to transport hubs or potentially as part of a comprehensive approach to reviewing or consolidating its industrial areas (following the directions set out in the latest version of the emerging London Plan). Not only has the resolution to grant planning permission for the 1,800-unit scheme at Colosseum Retail Park in September 2020 shown that LB Enfield is a forward-thinking and ambitious borough, it also demonstrates that the only way forward is making best possible use of, and achieving optimum density levels on, any available, deliverable and currently underutilised brownfield sites.

As such, the LDS now outlines a revised programme for the preparation of the new Local Plan which anticipates another Regulation 18 consultation this summer, followed by the publication of the proposed Submission Plan (Regulation 19) and a final round of consultation in summer 2022. With the plan’s examination expected to last from late 2022 until late 2023, the council currently targets adoption in early 2024.

Whilst this revised timetable is a significant delay to its originally envisaged programme, it provides the council with more time to clearly consider where and how it anticipates delivering its ambitious growth targets, whilst developers can make full use of participating in a (future) Call for Sites and/or promoting individual opportunities through the plan-making (or planning application) process.

The preparation of and consultation on a revised CIL Charging Schedule is anticipated to run concurrently with the Local Plan, i.e. similarly targeting adoption in early 2024.

In addition, the updated LDS confirmed that the council intends to consult on a new Meridian Water SPD in the summer with its adoption targeted for late 2021. A similar adoption target is anticipated for the Hadley Wood Neighbourhood Plan, which will have to undergo further public consultation and examination in the spring and summer, respectively, if the council wishes to achieve this target.

For further information or to discuss specific aspects of this article please contact Christopher Schiele.

15 January 2021

[1] According to the Government’s 2019 Housing Delivery Test (February 2020), https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/housing-delivery-test-2019-measurement