CPRE responds to Enfield council withdrawal from new towns programme

CPRE has responded to the decision by Enfield Council to withdraw from the government’s new towns programme due to proposals linked to development on Green Belt land at Crews Hill.

The government invited councils across the country to submit proposals for the development of large-scale communities as part of its plan to boost housing.

While we support the delivery of well-planned new towns and the need for genuinely affordable homes, brownfield land should be prioritised for development rather than valued countryside and Green Belt land.

Roger Mortlock, CPRE chief executive, said: 

‘The decision by Enfield Council reflects strong local feeling about building on valued Green Belt land at Crews Hill. The Green Belt is the wrong place for any of the government’s new towns.

‘We support the government’s ambition to deliver well-planned new towns, and welcome that most proposed sites focus on brownfield and regeneration-led development.

‘The government should deliver on its brownfield-first promise. There are plenty of brownfield sites within Greater London that are far more suitable for development.

‘Schemes such as the Meridian Water regeneration programme in Enfield offer better potential to provide the genuinely affordable homes that we so desperately need, without sacrificing countryside on the edge of towns and cities.’