‘Supporting sustainable development;
preserving our character and natural environment;
strengthening protection of the Green Belt'
The Neighbourhood Plan was officially adopted by Enfield Council on 22 November 2023.
After 9 years it is therefore now finalised, finished, completed, done........!
Latest news
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The Neighbourhood Plan received 95.4% support in the referendum of 2 November 2023.
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Enfield Council therefore formally adopted the Plan on 22 November 2023.
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They were due to also debate an updated draft of their Local Plan, but that has been delayed to 7 March 2024.
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The Neighbourhood Plan's policies will as of now be considered by the Council in the assessment of planning applications and will remain in place until 2039.
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The final Plan is accessible via the button below:
Why did we want a Neighbourhood Plan?
Neighbourhood Plans give communities a direct say in planning decisions that affect the locality. When assessing planning applications, Enfield Council will now consider the NP's policies alongside its own. The Hadley Wood NP was developed by a group of residents on the basis of feedback from the community, and aims to:
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Protect Hadley Wood's character and natural environment.
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Help safeguard the local Green Belt.
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Provide clearer policies and guidelines for planning applicants.
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Result in more sympathetic and considerate development for neighbours.
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Direct 25% of CIL development fees to local priorities.
Referendum - 2 November 2023
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649 (= 95.4%) of the 680 valid votes cast at the referendum were in favour; 1 form was incorrectly completed and rejected.
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The 30% overall turnout was in line with the national average; the response/turnout rate for postal votes was 53%.
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The referendum only asked one question: 'Do you want Enfield Council to use the neighbourhood plan for Hadley Wood to help it decide planning applications in the neighbourhood area?'
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The Neighbourhood Plan Area, as established by Enfield Council, is shown below (red outline):
Neighbourhood Plan policies
Some NP policies better reflect our local area, while others reinforce Enfield policies that residents have said are important to them. They now sit alongside national, London and Enfield policies and guidelines, and will be used by the Council when they assess planning applications for Hadley Wood.
Inevitably, some policies and priorities contradict each other, such as the need to build new homes and the desire to protect trees and the environment. Therefore, planning officers weigh up the benefits of development against any resulting harm for each specific application.
Planning applications that follow NP and Enfield policies simplify the application process and provide greater likelihood that permission will be granted. It is also considerate to neighbours and the wider community.
Key policy points
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Setting, character & views (HW-1): maintain distance from the boundaries to keep views to trees in gardens.
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Front boundaries (HW-2): keep solid walls to 0.5m height and max total height to 1m (per existing Enfield policy).
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Front gardens (HW-3): keep a minimum of 25% of the front area as vegetated garden space, i.e. unpaved.
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Off-street parking (HW-4): specifies number of parking spaces for apartment developments.
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Local Green Spaces (HW-6): designates certain land, including the HWA leased fields, as LGS, which provides protection similar to Green Belt.
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Trees and natural environment (HW-7): trees lost as a result of development to be replaced on a 2-for-1 basis.
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Apartments (HW-11): outlines considerations for replacements of family dwellings with apartments.
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High-quality built environment (HW-12): buildings must have regard to character, sizing, building height, etc.
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Back garden development (HW-14): outlines additional considerations for these sensitive developments.
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CIL allocations (HW-19): 25% of CIL payments to be used to fund local priorities.
The Plan supports 'Good Growth' that protects the natural environment and views that define much of the character and setting of Hadley Wood.
The Plan does not propose any changes to the Green Belt boundaries. Although additional housing is needed, we believe that can be accommodated without release of land from the Green Belt in and around Hadley Wood.
I very much welcome and support Hadley Wood’s Neighbourhood Plan, which is a powerful tool for the community to have a direct say in the planning issues that affect them.
I would like to thank all the residents who helped in the making of the Plan, including those who voted in the referendum.
Alessandro Georgiou
Councillor, Cockfosters Ward
