Enfield and Greenwich shortlisted for new towns

Two areas in London have been shortlisted for the construction of new towns under the housing secretary’s plan to “get Britain building again”.

Crews Hill in Enfield and Thamesmead in Greenwich have been put forward for development, and construction of the Enfield town could begin before the next general election.

Enfield Council leader Ergin Erbil said the 21,000-home development would include infrastructure such as GP surgeries, schools, leisure facilities.

The council’s local plan identified Crews Hill as an area that could accommodate a high proportion of new family housing, however those opposed to the announcement raised concerns about building on greenbelt land.

House building in Crews Hill is part of Labour’s wider plan to create 12 new towns across the country and with it 300,000 new homes.

The chosen sites will be subject to environmental assessments and consultation, and the government is expected to confirm the final locations and funding in the spring.

Erbil said 6,000 of the homes built in the Crews Hill and Chase Park area of Enfield would be council homes.

“We get 500 families a month come to our civic centre, homeless,” the Labour councillor said.

“When I became a councillor eight years ago, we weren’t getting 500 families a year, let alone a month.

“It’s so important that we’re building. I’m 30 years old, I’ve got two small children living in a tiny flat. People of my generation have been locked out of home ownership, so we’ve got to get building.”

Erbil said the focus was on “family-sized affordable homes”, and added: “We will build the infrastructure. There will be GP surgeries, schools, leisure facilities.

“We will have lots of nice public parks, lots of nice public amenities, local shops, so it’s not just going to be homes, it’s going to be a brand new town.”

But the Campaign to Protect Rural England said too many countryside and greenbelt areas were being lost to development and said the definition of affordable homes needed rethinking.

Enfield resident Alison told BBC Radio London it would be a “disaster” to build on and “destroy” the greenbelt.

“There’s a lot of brownfield sites in the area, which is what they should be looking to develop on first, if there is a requirement to develop,” she said.

“Instead what they’re looking to do is build on beautiful green belt land, destroy our countryside, destroy some of the many beautiful areas of Enfield that makes it a great place to live.”

Another resident added: “We don’t have the infrastructure to deal with the housing that’s proposed.

“Schooling, medical, the Chase Farm A&E can’t cope as it is, so I think all of these things need to be considered before planning is approved.”

A third said: “The roads can’t cope. It’s already busy enough as it is, and if more houses are built, it’s just going to be carnage.”
Ben Twomey from Generation Rent, which campaigns for private renters, said the town-building plans were part of the solution for the cost of living.

“Londoners are being squeezed so tightly by the cost of rent, that we find ourselves pushed into poverty, homelessness and debt before we even have a chance to find somewhere else to live,” he said.

“The most important thing for us to see is that there are affordable homes.

“Building them as quickly as possible, safely and with the right environmental assessments, will be crucial because there’s so much pressure on Londoners right now, which is pushing people either out of the city altogether or even into temporary accommodation.”

Tom Copley, deputy mayor of London for housing, said the announcement from the government was “fantastic news”.

“With the right infrastructure, particularly the right transport infrastructure, tens of thousands of homes and entirely new communities can be built for Londoners,” he said.