An area of Green Belt the size of 20 football pitches is under threat after Fairview Homes announced on their website that the land is ‘available for development’.[1] Local campaigners are petitioning the council today 11 November.

The land south of Enfield Road has not been identified for development in the existing local plan, nor has the new draft local plan – currently under consideration – yet been published. London campaigners are therefore greatly alarmed about how and why Fairview believes this area of Green Belt is open for development. Green Belt is meant to be permanently protected and only changed exceptionally through a Local Plan.

Fairview’s claim follows their submission of an EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) Scoping Application to the council ahead of applying to develop the land for housing and a secondary school. [2]

Alice Roberts, Green Spaces Campaigner at CPRE London [3], said:

“We are still waiting for details on the new draft local plan, so we want to know why a developer thinks it can announce on its website that this land is available for development and that ‘work could start on site in the autumn of 2016’. On what basis do the developers think this land is available? Do they know something we don’t?”

“This land is highly valued by local residents [6] [7] and is currently afforded the highest level of protection through its Green Belt status. The council will presumably reflect this by enforcing its protected status. In the meantime, as far as we are concerned, this land is categorically not available for development. End of.”

Ms Roberts continued: “We also want some answers from Enfield Council. Will they tell Fairview Homes that this land is not available for development? We have written to the Leader and sincerely hope the response will be clear.” [4][8]

NOTES

1. http://www.enfield-road.com/why-site (Text copied at the end of this email for ease)

2. Over 13 Ha of Green Belt is now under threat as Fairview Homes are looking to buy the land and build an 8 form entry secondary school, 4 form entry college and up to 300 homes. Application details: 15/03795/SCOP, Request under Regulation 13 of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England) Regulations 2011 (as amended) for a EIA Scoping Opinion for the erection of an 8 form entry secondary free school, with a 4 form entry sixth form college built to Education Funding Agency standards with additional theatre and sporting facilities together with a residential development of up to 300 dwellings. | Land To The South Of Enfield Road Enfield EN2 7HX

3. CPRE London campaigns to protect and enhance London’s Green Belt and its parks and green spaces. The results of CPRE London’s recent research into threats within the Greater London boundary to Green Belt and Metropolitan Open Land (which has the same protection as Green Belt) is set out here. http://www.cprelondon.org.uk/resources/item/2288-protect-london-map

4. CPRE London has written to Enfield Council. The letter can be found here. http://www.cprelondon.org.uk/resources/item/2295-green-belt-land-is-available-for-development-letters

5. Enfield Borough’s current Development Management Document was adopted in November 2014 and the field was included in the Merryhills Brook Valley section of Enfield’s Green Belt which was described as “an important area of high quality open landscape with a special character which is highly valued.”

6. The Land to the South of Enfield Road, known locally as the Glebe Land, is an important open space used and loved by the local community and wildlife. The area formed part of the original London ‘green girdle’ in 1934, ensuring its protection from a proposed development in 1944. In 1947 the area was officially designated as Metropolitan Green Belt in Enfield’s Development Plan, once again ensuring its protection from development.

7. Enfield Road Watch feels that residential development at the Glebe land is “unjustified and will be strongly opposed. This land is green belt and an area of special character as confirmed by Enfield Council in November 2014.” As well as continuing to fulfil its green belt function today, the local residents have recorded a range of wildlife using the Glebe Land, from hedgehogs, bats (filmed on Halloween!), muntjac deer, owls and other birds. It is also the home to horses that graze the land and supports the health and wellbeing of the community as an oasis for local residents. There is significant local opposition to the proposal to build on this piece of Green Belt land and, at the time of writing, 3,903 people have signed a petition to protect it. https://www.change.org/p/enfield-local-authority-protect-the-green-belt-land-and-the-wildlife-at-enfield-road

8. Enfield Councillor reported as saying Green Belt land could be under consideration for development in the draft Local Plan.  http://www.enfieldindependent.co.uk/news/13934934.Enfield_facing_housing_crisis_as_population_sets_to_rocket_above_400_000/

ALSO SEE

August 2015. Mythbusting: Myth 2: The Green Belt is safe from development. http://www.cpre.org.uk/what-we-do/housing-and-planning/green-belts/in-depth/item/3027-green-belt-myths

August 2015. Green Belt Poll  On the 60th anniversary of Green Belt becoming government policy, a poll commissioned by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) finds that nearly two-thirds of people surveyed believe that Green Belt land should not be built on [1,2]. http://www.cpre.org.uk/media-centre/latest-news-releases/item/4033-60th-anniversary-poll-shows-clear-support-for-green-belt

March 2015. There is particularly serious pressure in the Metropolitan Green Belt around London: houses planned in this area have nearly tripled since August 2013. http://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/housing-and-planning/green-belts/item/3894-green-belt-under-siege-the-nppf-three-years-on

August 2015. Planning campaign briefing: Green Belt  This is designed to help branches and members understand the main changes and developments in key areas of policy. CPRE (national office) has updated the briefing on Green Belt to incorporate some key recent case law and the launch of CPRE’s August 2015 campaign. http://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/housing-and-planning/planning/planning-campaign-briefings/item/2998-planning-campaign-briefing-2-green-belts

WHY THIS SITE? (copied from Fairview Homes website)

As part of the consideration of a suitable school site, Iceni Projects looked at land within the borough that has previously been built on. Taking into account the necessary criteria, two options were assessed:

• St Anne’s Catholic School, Enfield Town – the site is not large enough and already has parking pressures.

• Chase Farm Hospital site, The Ridgeway – Outline planning permission has been granted by Enfield Council for a mixed health, residential and primary school development.

Beyond the built up areas, 14 sites have been identified. These have been assessed for their constraints, availability and accessibility.

• Four sites were identified as ‘red’ i.e. Green Belt sites that adjoin built up areas, which are neither accessible nor available.

• Seven sites that are in accessible locations but are occupied by private leisure uses and are unavailable.

• Two agricultural sites that are accessible, but not available, or suitable for development due to their landscape setting;

• One site, Trent Park, is available but has a Public Transport Access Level rating of zero, which means the site’s connectivity to public transport is very poor. As such, the site would not be suitable to provide a new secondary school with community facilities, where many pupils, teachers and the wider community will use public transport to access the site.

• The remaining site is Enfield Road, which is publicly accessible, in the centre of the ‘Sustainability Catchment’, and available for development.

• The residential development will be used to subsidise the delivery of the school, in addition to grant funding from the Education Funding Agency.