Key Facts

• Enfield council withdrew from the government’s new towns programme, stopping plans to build 21,000 homes at Crews Hill and Chase Park.
• The new towns scheme is a major government plan to build many new homes across England to address housing shortages.
• The project faced strong local opposition because it involved building on protected green belt land, which includes garden centres and family businesses.
• The Conservative party took control of Enfield council recently and promised to protect the green belt by halting the new town plans.
• The new council leader, Alessandro Georgiou, said they will work with the government but focus on developing brownfield sites (previously used urban land) and town centers instead.
• Many private landowners in the planned area did not want to sell their land for housing development.
• Local business owners near the proposed site welcomed the withdrawal, feeling relieved about the future of their businesses.
• The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said it would continue to consult the public and work on the national new towns programme.