The Government’s decision on whether to proceed with a massive new town at Crews Hill and Chase Park has been delayed yet again.
When the Government published its draft New Towns Programme in March, it promised to confirm the locations by late summer. In September, housing minister Matthew Pennycook pushed the deadline back to the end of 2026.
Now that deadline has slipped too.
Giving evidence to Parliament’s Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee on 11 November, senior government official Tom Riordan confirmed that the Government would not respond to the consultation until early 2027.
He also acknowledged that decisions had not yet been made about how many new towns would be taken forward. Although he indicated that an announcement would follow early next year, it remains unclear whether this will settle the future of all seven proposed locations.
The proposed new town at Crews Hill and Chase Park remains one of those seven locations. It could involve building up to 21,000 homes, largely on Enfield’s Green Belt.
So, despite the considerable publicity surrounding the proposals, nothing has yet been decided.
The Government has not confirmed whether Enfield will be selected, what land would be included or how the enormous infrastructure costs would be met.
For residents, landowners and businesses in Crews Hill and Chase Park, the continuing uncertainty is far from welcome.
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