Green Belt / Local Plan

Hadley Wood is surrounded by Green Belt, which is protected from most forms of development.
Councils can remove land from the Green Belt, or add to it, through their Local Plan.
Enfield's draft Plan (here) removes the Duchy of Lancaster owned fields off Crescent West from the Green Belt, for housing:

The Forum, HWA and many residents objected to the proposal in the 2021 consultation, as it is wrong to sacrifice valuable Green Belt when there are available 'brownfield' sites (= previously developed land) in more sustainable development locations.
We had reason to believe that the fields would be dropped from the proposals, but the Plan continues to develop the land here, as well as Chase Park (at Vicarage Farm, opposite the Pick Your Own farm) and Crews Hill.

Proposed development sites (source: Enfield Council draft Local Plan, Appendix C)

The proposals to build 9,000+ homes on current Green Belt land near us were insisted on by Labour Councillors, even though their position does not align with the London Plan or the government's proposals - the fields here are not 'brownfield' or of lower quality and visually less appealing ('grey belt'), nor are improvements to local infrastructure planned.
Enfield Council submitted their final draft Plan for examination in August 2024 and Mr Steven Lee was appointed as the independent examiner by the Secretary of State.

An added complication is that, as part of its target 1.5 million new homes, the government has on 12 Dec '24 updated the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the highest level of planning regulations. A key aspect is the weakening of protections of the Green Belt, and the downgrade of some parts to 'grey belt' (note: the site in Hadley Wood is high performing Green Belt, not 'grey belt'). As expected, the thousands of comments submitted during the consultation were largely ignored - our comments here.

Examination & Public Hearings

After reviewing (but ignoring) the consultation feedback, the Council submitted its Plan to the Secretary of State, who appointed Mr Steven Lee from the Planning Inspectorate as independent examiner ('Inspector').
The examination assesses the Plan's legal compliance and soundness, by looking at whether it is:
- Positively prepared (strategy to meet the objectively assessed needs).
- Justified (chosen strategy is evidenced and reasonable alternatives considered).
- Effective and deliverable.
- Consistent with national policies/laws.
The Stage 1 hearings took place 22-30 January 2025, and focused on the process followed, legal compliance and higher level issues.
The Stage 2 hearings will take place 16 June - 22 August 2025, and will deal with the individual sites. Detais here.
The above-mentioned NPPF update is relevant because, provided the Plan continues to completion, it is considered against the previous (2023) version. If it were to require redrafting it would be assessed against the updated NPPF.
We are participating in the hearings. Legal counsel and/or expert advisers will be used as appropriate and as our budget allows.
The examiner's final report will have both optional changes and required modifications that are binding.

View of the Green Belt north of Waggon Road, with Cockfosters Road in the foreground.

The process included two consultations by Enfield Council: 'Regulation 18' in 2021 and 'Regulation 19' in 2024.
In 2021 we were copied on ~1,000 responses by local residents. In 2024 that number doubled to 2,100!
Residents mostly objected to the proposals to build on current Green Belt land, something even the GLA / Mayor of London have objected to - see here.
We wrote detailed representations, prepared with the help of expert consultants, including legal counsel.
Our (2024) Regulation 19 representation and supporting docs can be viewed by clicking on:
Our (2021) Regulation 18 submission was:

Playing field off Bartrams Lane, with the development site in the background.