Dear Neighbours,

Something unprecedented is happening in Enfield — and not for the better. Our peaceful, well-established community is under threat from massive, profit-driven overdevelopment.

Two enormous high-rise housing schemes are being proposed by NEAT Developments — schemes could permanently alter the character and liveability of Southbury Road and the wider Enfield area.

🏗️ The First Blow: Colosseum Retail Park

Back in 2020, NEAT Developments was granted planning permission to build 1,800 homes at the former Colosseum Retail Park. This included four towering blocks — 29, 24, 18 and 16 storeys high. Yet five years later, not a single brick has been laid. The B&Q car park stands abandoned, now home to car meet-ups and antisocial behaviour — a potential warning sign of what’s to come.

⚠️ The Next Threat: Southbury Leisure Park

Now, Royal London and NEAT Developments have teamed up to push through a scheme at Southbury Leisure Park — currently home to Cineworld, Wagamama, Five Guys, Pizza Hut, and surrounding parking.

They’ve held two consultations, and plan to submit a formal application this autumn. Their long term plan - Over 1,000 new homes, packed into a dense cluster of concrete tower blocks, with around 500 Build-To-Rent units in the first phase alone.

🏢 The Masterplan: Towering Over Our Community

This so-called regeneration includes:

1 x 26-storey landmark tower
3 x 16–20 storey blocks
4 x 9–12 storey blocks
5 x 3–5 storey linear blocks
This is not thoughtful urban design. It’s vertical sprawl.

More info: https://futureofsouthbury.co.uk/

🚫 What’s at Stake

While we welcome sensible redevelopment and improvements, these proposals go too far and will have serious, long-term consequences to Enfield and the local community:

📉 Quality of Life

• Tower blocks looming over homes will block light, destroy privacy and skyline, and create wind tunnel effects. Just visit the new tower blocks dotted around Ponders End Station to experience this phenomenon.
  
  
• Construction noise and dust for years to come will disrupt daily life.
  Increased traffic and congestion, with new entrances via Bryn-Y-Mawr Road changing flow of the traffic.
  
  
• Pressure on public services — already overstretched GP surgeries, dentists, NHS services and public transport.
  
  
• Overshadowing Kingsmead School, affecting learning environments and pupil wellbeing.
  
  
• Parking provision and CPZ (Controlled Parking Zones) risk and potential impact on local parking. Under provision of parking for this development.
    

🛑 Community Impacts

• Loss of cherished amenities: Cineworld, restaurants. Also the loss of associated jobs.
  
  
• Tower block safety fears with high-density living — especially post-Grenfell.
  
  
• Crime and antisocial behaviour risks with overpopulation. Police are already overstretched, and struggle to attend crimes (such as burglaries)
  
  
• Destruction of mature trees along Bryn-Y-Mawr Road
   

🗣️ The Bigger Picture

We recognise that Enfield needs homes. But we don’t need:

• Tower blocks in low-rise residential areas.
  
  
• Build-to-rent  (BTR) with little long-term benefit to existing residents and wider social impact.
  
  
• Reckless attempts to hit unrealistic GLA housing targets at any cost.
  
  
• There are plenty of alternative brownfield sites in the borough that could accommodate homes more sensibly — without wrecking the heart of our community.

✊ Let’s Stand Together

What’s happening here in Southbury is happening across London’s suburbs — but we can stop it here.

We call on Enfield Council to:
✅ Reject this over-scaled proposal
✅ Commit to lower-density housing (3–5 storeys max) that respects the existing area
✅ Prioritise real community needs over developer profits

We call on you, the residents of Enfield and surrounding areas, to:
🖊️ Sign this petition
📢 Share it with your neighbours
🗣️ Speak out during the planning consultation and complete the online survey 
https://futureofsouthbury.co.uk/#haveyoursay