In 2009/10, Enfield Council claimed over 2,500 new homes would be built at Meridian Water by 2023/24. However, only 20 have been completed – that’s less than 1% of the projected number. [1,2]
The council’s projections for housing delivery at Meridian Water were based on ‘extensive work’ and ‘conservative’ start dates, and were accepted by a planning inspector, yet over 99% of the expected homes have not been built.
The scale of the shortfall has had consequences for Enfield:
- Social Rent housing was lost at a faster rate than it was replaced.
- The type of family sized homes Enfield needed were not built.
- Rates of homelessness in Enfield increased to amongst the highest in England.
- Jobs lost as a result of land clearances were not replaced.
- The council’s financial exposure increased, leading to cuts in services.
- A failure to meet housing targets left the borough vulnerable to unwanted development.
Looking at each of these in more detail …
Social Rent housing was lost at a faster rate than it was replaced.
Around 1,000 ‘affordable’ homes should have been built at Median Water by 2023, including 680 social rent homes, but just 20 were completed. Across the same period, hundreds of social rent homes were demolished, causing Enfield’s social rent housing stock to reduce.
The type of family sized homes needed were not built.
In 2010, it was estimated that over 60% of new homes in Enfield should have three or more bedrooms to reflect the needs of the borough’s families, but less than 20% actually met this criterion. One reason for the shortfall was the failure of Median Water to deliver the family homes projected.
Homelessness in Enfield increased to be amongst the highest in the country.
Enfield has one of the highest rates of homelessness in England. Since 2011/12, the number of households living in temporary accommodation increased by 1,164 – this could have been significantly lower if Meridian Water delivered the ‘affordable’ homes expected.
Jobs lost as a result of land clearances were not replaced.
Office blocks and industrial units were demolished at Meridian Water to make way for new homes and employment spaces, but neither were built. As a result, there is now less employment in this part of the borough than before the Meridian Water project begun (see https://betterhomes-enfield.org/2023/10/04/meridian-water-is-not-working/).
The council’s financial exposure increased, leading to cuts in services.
The council have borrowed huge sums of money to fund Meridian Water and planned to use income from the sale of homes to manage the debt, but delays have meant the money has not materialised. As a result, more money needed to be borrowed, in part to manage the existing debt.
The lack of affordable homes also had financial implications. For instance, £66 million was spent on temporary accommodation in Enfield in 2019, which equates to £330 million over 5-years. Tens of millions could have been saved had the homes at Meridian Water been built.
The holes in the council’s finances have had led to cuts in services.
A failure to meet housing targets left the borough vulnerable to unwanted development.
Enfield has failed to meet housing targets for a number of years. According to planning rules this makes it harder to refuse planning applications. If Enfield had met its projected targets at Meridian Water, it would have been in a stronger position to decide planning applications based on local needs, as it would not have failed the Housing Delivery Test.
The Meridian Water project serves as a cautionary tale of unrealistic expectations and the importance of proper planning and execution. The project is currently under review by Enfield Council, and it is hoped this will help identify reasons for the project’s failure and lead to better outcomes in the future.
REFERENCES
- Enfield Council (2009): Enfield Housing Trajectory 2010/11 – 2024/25. Available at: https://www.enfield.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0024/5649/planning-policy-information-housing-trajectory-justification-paper.pdf. [Accessed: 23/11/23]
- Enfield Council 2023: Supplementary Agenda Council 22 November 2023. Available at:
- https://governance.enfield.gov.uk/documents/b26074/SUPPLEMENTARY%20AGENDA%20-%20NOVEMBER%20COUNCIL%2022nd-Nov-2023%2019.00%20Council.pdf?T=9. [Accessed: 26/11/23]
Better Homes Enfield 