Project:

Moorfield Family Centre,2 Moorfield Road, Enfield

Client: London Borough of Enfield

Proposed Development:

KEW Planning was appointed via a Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) to act as the planning officer for an application for the demolition of the existing building, a former NHS medical facility, and the erection of 100 new affordable residential units, delivered across a 12, 8 and 3 storey blocks.

The application had been lodged in 2020 and a scheme was presented to Planning Committee in March 2022, which comprised of 106 affordable units in the form of a monolithic 9 storey building. The application was refused for:

1. Detrimental impact on the amenity of neighbouring residents.

2. Overdevelopment of the site, by virtue of the proposed siting, bulk, mass, lack of defensible space, poor quality outlook and proximity to existing and proposed replacement trees.

3. Absence of a legal agreement.

4. Unacceptable impact on existing trees.

Result:

KEW Planning worked with the applicant to address these, provided dedicated resourced to liaise with consultees and the application. We liaised with Members to explain how the previous reasons for refusal had been addressed.

KEW Planning demonstrated through evidence that the housing need in the borough is even more pressing than in March 2022; the offer of 100% affordable housing at social rent is significant and was attributed significant weight in the planning balance. This, together with the numerous improvements on the previous scheme, the presumption in favour of approving sustainable development and the balance in favour of approving schemes for residential development, resulted in KEW recommending approval.

The application was approved at planning committee by Members in September 2023.

KEW Planning is appointed to finalise the wording of the planning conditions and prepare the legal agreement.

Service deliverables:

– Site visit

– Pre-application meetings (2 in total) with written responses.

– Members briefings

– Review of planning application documents

– Post-submission meetings with the design team for feedback on application.

– Liaison and feedback from statutory consultees.

– Committee report preparation.

– Committee presentation.