A deal has been reached for building the first 900 new homes of the 210 acre Meridian Water development in the south of Enfield, with a detailed planning application and work on the site to begin in the coming months.
The development agreement between Enfield Council and developer Vistry Partnerships (formerly known as Galliford Try Partnerships) follows the granting of outline consent by the council in 2017 and sets in motion the first phase of the overall Meridian Water regeneration, which is intended to eventually produce 10,000 homes and thousands of jobs in the area.
On London reported last year that the project was at last making progress, with the opening of the new Meridian Water London Overground station (next to IKEA and Tesco in Edmonton) and the developer partner being chosen for the first phase.
Earlier plans for Barratt London to develop the entire site fell through in October 2017 and an alternative company was not to the liking of a changed Labour council leadership that took power after the May 2018 borough elections.
The council has previously purchased around two thirds of the site’s developable land, beginning in 2014 after the then London Mayor Boris Johnson had designated Meridian Water part of the Upper Lee Valley opportunity area and a housing zone.
Enfield’s approach under the leadership of Nesil Caliskan has been to retain control of the regeneration’s progress by linking up with developers on a stage-by-stage basis rather than finding just one to deliver the entire project.
Caliskan has again stressed her belief that this process helps ensure that the benefits of Meridian Water are maximised for local people. Half of the 900 homes will qualify as “affordable” and half of those will be council owned and let at London Affordable Rent levels (slightly higher than new social rent tenancies).
“These will be world class dwellings for families in Edmonton,” Caliskan said. “This development will be a shining example of how councils can lead major regeneration projects to deliver real benefits for their residents.” A variety of different kinds of homes, including some suitable for larger families, are planned. The first should be completed in 2022.
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