Many councils in the UK are working on updates to or new versions of their Local Plan. These documents help to establish the planning policies for new developments in the area. Enfield is one area in the headlines for their plans. We want to have a look at them today and why the argument has gotten fierce. Then, if you need guaranteed rent in Enfield you can rely on us.

A long journey

Enfield’s new Local Plan has been in the works for six years. This includes time for drafting, public consultation, amendments, and awaiting approval. An initial draft was ready in July 2021. There was then a gap until December 2023 when a revised version was published.

On Tuesday 19th March there was a debate about the plan at the Enfield Civic Centre. It was a three hour marathon with arguments between the Labour Councillors in control of the council and the Conservative Councillors in opposition. There were also plenty of people in the public gallery to witness the debate.

The debate got confrontational at several points with conflicting viewpoints from the Labour and Conservative Councillors. Cllr Elisa Morreale for Southgate Ward even had to apologise for claiming Labour’s Local Plan would be “murdering” the borough.

However, the vote outcome at the end of the debate was to give approval to the Local Plan. There will now be a six week final round of consultation. It begins on 28th March. After that point there may be further revisions. So, the plan could come into force in the next few months. That could have an impact on investments and lead more people to look at guaranteed rent in Enfield.

Key points

The Local Plan has a number of crucial points, hence the fierce arguments for and against. Let’s look at them.

One of the most important is the council wants to allow the construction of 34,000 new homes in the next 17 years. To do this though, they will de-designate some areas of Green Belt land in the borough. Notable sites that could have a change in designation are Crews Hill (to allow 5,500 homes) and Vicarage Farm (3,700 homes).

The Conservatives argue that building on the Green Belt land will concrete over large parts of the borough. It will have an impact on the people and heritage of the area. However, Labour argues Brownfield developments alone won’t provide enough housing. Green Belt developments are necessary to deliver homes to help resolve the housing crisis.

Labour also argues that the Local Plan will provide additional benefits. For example, there will be a “25% increase in accessible green space”. The developments will create over 300,000sq/m of new commercial space and 40,000sq/m of offices. It could lead to 16,000 new jobs, including in the film industry.

Another bone of contention is high rise developments. This Local Plan will allow more of them, including towers up to 13 storeys in Enfield Town. Labour says they are also necessary to boost housing supply. Again the Conservatives criticised the impact on the area.

Relying on guaranteed rent in Enfield

It will be interesting to see if Enfield’s new Local Plan does come into force. If it does, it could bring some massive changes and also unlock developments across the borough. In turn that would improve the supply of housing, commercial space, and more. It could attract lots of investors.

If all of that does happen and you need help with investment properties, you can rely on us. We specialise in rent guarantees, so we ensure landlords get money without fail for their assets. Our knowledge and ability to arrange guaranteed rent in Enfield for various types of property makes us a great company to work with.

So, if you want some help, please speak to us. We can even review your current holdings if you want to see if we could give you some extra benefits.