Enfield New Town Plan Faces Green–Tory Challenge in 2026

Key points

• Enfield Council is now under no overall political control following the 2026 local elections, with Labour losing its majority in the borough.
• The UK Labour government has shortlisted Crews Hill, in north London’s Enfield, as a site for a “new town” of up to 21,000 homes on Green Belt land.
• The plan forms part of the national pledge to deliver 1.5 million new homes in England by 2029, with Crews Hill identified as one of the most promising sites for large‑scale housing.
• Negotiations are ongoing over which parties will lead Enfield, including the possibility of Green–Conservative cooperation.
• Local green‑belt campaigners and conservation groups have pledged to fight the development, arguing the land is ecologically valuable and poorly connected by transport.
• If the Labour scheme cannot secure political backing at the borough level, or if the local authority is led by a coalition that opposes the “new town”, the project’s timeline and viability could be delayed or diluted.

Enfield (North London News) May 16, 2026 – Labour’s planned “new town” of up to 21,000 homes on Green Belt land at Crews Hill faces fresh political uncertainty after the local elections left Enfield Council under no overall political control, as reported by multiple outlets, including the Evening Standard and PlanningResource.

What has changed in Enfield’s politics?

As outlined by the Evening Standard’s political coverage, Enfield was one of seven London boroughs that fell into no overall control in the May 2026 local elections, ending Labour’s previously dominant position on the council.

Negotiations over which grouping will run the authority are still ongoing, with the Standard noting that unusual cross‑party alliances are being discussed, including the possibility of Green councillors working with Conservatives to block certain Labour‑backed initiatives.

The PlanningResource analysis of the housing situation in Enfield underlines that the 2026 result has created a “hung” council, meaning that any major policy—such as a large‑scale development on Green Belt—will now depend on securing support from smaller parties and independents.

What is the Crews Hill “new town” plan?

The wider background to the Crews Hill proposal is detailed by the BBC, which reported in September 2025 that Crews Hill in Enfield and Thamesmead in Greenwich had been shortlisted as potential new‑town sites under the government’s housing‑strategy task force.

The BBC’s political correspondent explained that the Crews Hill site could see up to 21,000 homes, along with medical facilities, schools, and recreational spaces, aiming to create a “family‑focused community” rather than just a housing estate.

Ergin Erbil, Enfield Council’s leader, has described the scheme as a major opportunity to deliver “affordable family‑sized homes” and has estimated that around 6,000 of the future homes in the Crews Hill and Chase Park area would be council‑owned.

The BBC notes that the development is part of a nationwide plan to build 12 new towns across England, which would contribute roughly 300,000 additional homes.

How does this fit into Labour’s 1.5 million homes pledge?

The national context for the Crews Hill project is set out in the government’s core housing‑target commitment.

As reported by the BBC in September 2025, Housing Secretary Steve Reed has insisted that the government is “absolutely committed” to delivering 1.5 million net new homes in England by 2029, a pledge carried over from Labour’s 2024 election manifesto.

The Guardian‑linked fact‑checking organisation Full Fact has clarified that the government’s target refers to “net additional dwellings” across England and is measured in housing‑stock data, not planning approvals alone.

By mid‑2026, Full Fact calculates that around 342,100 net additional homes have been added since the July 2024 election, representing roughly 23 per cent of the 1.5 million target.

BBC and Standard coverage both stress that the Labour government has framed the Crews Hill and Thamesmead sites as “early wins” to demonstrate momentum behind the 1.5 million‑home promise.

Why are Green and Conservative councillors in a pivotal position?

The immediate political drama in Enfield centres on how the new council balance will affect the Crews Hill scheme.

As the Evening Standard political team notes, the loss of Labour’s outright majority has opened the possibility of a Green–Conservative bloc that could vote against Labour‑led proposals, particularly controversial Green Belt developments.

Reporting in the planning‑policy journal PlanningResource highlights that Enfield’s draft local plan had previously suggested that the Crews Hill area could host up to 5,500 homes, while adjacent Chase Park was mooted for additional housing allocations.

The same article points out that if the council’s leadership is not aligned with central government—if, for example, a Green–Tory coalition emerges and resists the “new town” concept—the borough‑level planning framework could be revised or delayed.

Environmental and local‑group campaigners have also warned that any change in the council’s leadership could give them a stronger foothold to challenge the project through the planning consultation and democratically elected channels.

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What are opponents saying about the Green Belt element?

Conservationists and local environmental groups have been vocal in challenging the use of Green Belt land at Crews Hill. Evening Standard environment and local news coverage quotes activists who accuse the government of using “smoke and mirrors” to downplay the ecological value of the 884‑hectare site.

The Yahoo News UK‑syndicated report on the Crews Hill “new town”, drawing on conservation‑group statements, notes that groups such as Enfield RoadWatch and CPRE London argue the land is rich in wildlife, relatively poorly connected by public transport, and an essential buffer of open space around the borough. These bodies have pledged to mount legal and planning‑law challenges if the project proceeds toward permission.

The new‑towns task‑force report, cited by both the BBC and Yahoo News UK, describes the Crews Hill location as “poor‑quality Green Belt land” with adequate transport links, but campaigners dispute this assessment and warn of increased car‑dependency and pressure on local roads and the Oakwood Tube station.

How might the project be governed and funded?

National and planning‑policy reporting indicate that the Crews Hill scheme is likely to be taken partially out of the hands of Enfield Council if it proceeds.

As the new‑towns task‑force–linked coverage in Yahoo News UK explains, a government‑backed development corporation could be established to drive the project, similar to previous large‑scale housing‑development models.

Such a corporation would be able to take planning‑consent decisions and coordinate infrastructure, potentially reducing the influence of the local council.

BBC and government‑source reporting add that the government intends to announce final decisions and funding for the first new‑town sites in the spring of the result‑year, with the possibility that Crews Hill could begin construction ahead of the next general election.

At the same time, the BBC notes that the government has promised that around half of the homes at Crews Hill would be affordable, contributing to its “family‑focused” rhetoric.

Background: How we got here

The idea of building “new towns” in London has a long planning history but has been given fresh political impetus by the current Labour government’s 1.5 million‑homes pledge.

The BBC’s 2025 report on the new towns shortlist explains that the national task force was set up to identify locations where large‑scale, infrastructure‑rich developments could be delivered faster than through conventional incremental planning.

Crews Hill and Thamesmead were put forward because they sit on relatively underused land with existing rail links, in boroughs that have long struggled with housing shortages.

Enfield’s own local plan has previously earmarked the Crews Hill and Chase Park area for substantial housing growth, albeit at a more modest scale than the 21,000‑home new‑town proposal.

The legal and political context for the 2026 Enfield election shift is that several London boroughs have moved away from Labour control amid dissatisfaction over local‑service cuts and housing‑policy disputes. The Evening Standard has chronicled how this broader pattern has now spilled into Enfield, where the composition of the council could directly shape whether the borough actively supports or obstructs the national government’s flagship housing project.

Prediction: What this could mean for different audiences

For Enfield residents, the critical impact will be on local infrastructure, housing prices, and the look of the borough around Crews Hill. If the council remains or becomes hostile to the new‑town plan, the development could be scaled back, delayed, or routed through a national‑level development corporation, which may limit local input. In that scenario, residents might see fewer immediate housing‑supply benefits, but supporters of Green Belt protection may view the delay as a victory.

For London‑wide housing‑seekers, the fate of Crews Hill matters because it represents one of the largest single‑site contributions to the national 1.5 million‑home target. If the project stalls or is reduced, the government may need to rely more heavily on other sites or intensified use of brownfield land to meet its goal, potentially affecting the type and location of future homes across the capital.