A 'New Town' is planned at Crews Hill in north London. Here's what you need to know.
The Government recently produced a shortlist of places it might consider building a 'New Town', part of its efforts to address the housing shortage. Two of those places are in London. We'll look at Thamesmead in another article, but let's have a closer look at the other, larger option, Crews Hill.
What's the plan?
Up to 21,000 new homes are proposed for the Crews Hill area, complete with new schools, GP surgeries, shops and all the other amenities. The plans also include Vicarage Farm, south of Crews Hill, which if developed will go by the name of Chase Park. It really is a town-sized development, the scale of which we haven't seen in London for a long time.
Why's this happening?
In a nutshell: hardly anyone can afford to get on the property ladder in London any more. Build more homes, especially those suitable for families, and the supply/demand equation eases a little.
Where is Crews Hill/Chase Park, anyway?
The extreme north of Greater London, in the 12 O'Clock position, and in the Borough of Enfield.
I've never been. What's there at the moment?
Garden centres and plant nurseries. Crews Hill is famous for them. The area also has a small existing population of about 500 people. Oh, and London's most northerly pub, in the welcoming shape of The Plough.
So, 500 people live there now, and 21,000 families could be moving in. That's a big deal
It certainly is. I mean, here's how it looks at the moment.
Most of what you see is garden centres and nurseries, with some limited amounts of housing and lots of fields. The new development will radically change this landscape (and adjacent areas not shown above).
Hang on. Is this green belt land? Is this allowed?
Yes. And yes. The Government has well-publicised plans to address the housing omni-crisis by building on green belt, when 'brown field' is not available locally. The planning framework has been tweaked accordingly. Crews Hill and Chase Park are a potential beneficiary/victim of this new approach. If chosen, a large chunk of green belt will be sacrificed to provide housing.
Won't somebody think about the animals?
It's not a simple case of 'paved paradise to put up a parking lot'. The New Towns Taskforce — an independent advisory panel looking into these new towns — reckons that "much of the proposed site is currently low value land, comprising commercial nurseries, garden centres, a golf course and lower quality greenfield land". In addition, the plans call for the creation of new public parkland and the rewilding of a large chunk of Enfield Chase, with new wetland habitats and other green spaces. Detailed plans are not yet available, so it's too early to fully weigh up the pros and cons, but it's conceivable that the scheme could provide a net increase in biodiversity and public accessibility, if planned carefully.
What about the housing? Is this going to be unaffordable apartments for overseas investors?
Enfield council has an 'ambition' that 50% of the development will be either 'affordable' or council housing (though this is subject to negotiation, and the usual caveats about 'affordable' being a debatable description). To help local families, the development would include a large number of three- and four-bedroom houses, in contrast to the apartment blocks that make up most new London housing. "Our aim is simple," says leader of Enfield Council, Ergin Erbil, "to make sure people can stay in Enfield, raise families, and build their lives here".
Are there any objections?
There is no way, in the devil's gilded manbag, that such a huge scheme could be proposed without attracting significant opposition. It's early days, but dissenting voices are already easy to find. The Enfield RoadWatch community group have been particularly vocal. They dispute that the existing green belt is 'poor quality', and have serious concerns about the scale of proposals, which go way beyond the already-contentious housing quotas on the local plan. They also assert that "the benefits and advantages attributed to Crews Hill and Chase Park are smoke and mirrors". The Enfield Society airs similar concerns. Meanwhile, many Crews Hill businesses (like those garden centres and the golf course) will be forced to close, and will undergo compulsory purchase to free up the land.
Will local transport cope?
Crews Hill has its own railway station, with trains taking 41 minutes to reach central London (Moorgate). It's currently one of the least used stations in the London area. It will need significant upgrades to support the New Town. The area suffers from an overabundance of motor traffic at weekends, with so many flocking along minor roads to those garden centres. Upgrades to the approach-road network will be necessary. Crews Hill is very close to the M25, so it's always going to be more car-focussed than, say, Dulwich.
What happens next?
The Crews Hill and Chase Park New Town is shortlisted, not confirmed. The Government expects to make a final decision on its New Town locations in the spring of 2026. If given the green light, then construction could begin in the next two to three years (though there would be a mountain of consultation, planning, and probably legal challenges to get through first).
Find out more:
Enfield Council's comments on the proposed scheme.
Enfield RoadWatch's first reactions to the proposal.
The New Towns Taskforce report (September 2025), which first unleashed these proposals.
