Where is the Meridian Water Masterplan?

Publishing a new Meridian Water Masterplan has been a ‘corporate priority’ for Enfield Council since 2018, however it has still not been published, leaving the development’s future direction unclear.

Our report “Where is the Meridian Water Masterplan?” explains why the new Masterplan is so important and recalls what has happened since the council took over as master developer.

Summary

• It is now well over four years since the Council declared the new Masterplan a corporate priority.
• By July 2020, the council had spent £1.2 million of public funds on developing the plan.
• The questions and concerns that have been raised about Meridian Water by several Council scrutiny panels have been brushed aside by reference to the new Masterplan, which has subsequently never been published.
• Commitments to publishing and consulting the public about the new Masterplan have not been kept.
• An update about the direction of the Masterplan was due to be presented at the Cabinet meeting in September, but this was rescheduled to November 2022.

The new Masterplan would help to answer the following questions:

• Will the development deliver the number of homes or jobs promised?
• When will the homes and jobs be delivered?
• Will the family homes, which are desperately needed locally, be delivered?
• Will the affordable homes the borough needs be delivered?
• Will the council’s environmental ambitions be met? (e.g. very low private car ownership/usage)
• Will the greenspace proposed for the development be sufficient for the number of people who will be living there?

An up-to-date Masterplan is now urgently needed to provide clarity about the project’s future. It is also needed to help manage budgets, attract investment, and to encourage local community engagement.

The Council needs to deliver on its commitment to publishing the new Masterplan for public consultation. The vision for the development itself requires clarity, but more importantly, enormous sums of public money have been directed into the Meridian Water development by Enfield Council and we are told this is being done for the benefit of local people. Therefore, local people have a right to be informed and consulted about the development and about how such vast sums of public money are being spent in their name.

The report can be downloaded here: