Enfield Council’s Planning Committee resolved to grant consent for the hybrid planning application to redevelopment Colosseum Retail Park in September 2020. A hybrid planning application seeks full planning permission for one part and outline planning permission for another part of the same site.

For Colosseum Retail Park, we have secured consent for a full application for the first phase (this provides full details), and an outline application for the later phase, where details will be submitted at a later date as part of reserved matters applications.  Although full details are not yet provided for the later phase, the future reserved matters applications will be governed by the Design Code that has been approved as part of the hybrid application.  Notwithstanding, an illustrative design was submitted and this shows one way of how the later phase could be developed, in accordance with the Design Code.

The site boundary takes in the whole of the existing Colosseum Retail Park totalling 4.2 hectares.

There is a great need for new homes in the area. The Mayor of London’s new London Plan increases Enfield’s annual housing requirement from 798 homes to 1,246 homes.  The new total ten-year target for Enfield (years 2019/20 to 2028/29) is 12,460 homes. National government policy requires all councils to identify sites for the next five years of housing requirements. Furthermore, if a council has not delivered enough homes in the last three years (assessed by the Government’s Housing Delivery Test), a council must move forward 20% of their total housing requirement into the next five years.  Enfield has failed the recent Housing Delivery Test and it means the five year requirement has increased from 6,230 homes to 7,476 homes.  Enfield’s own evidence indicates that they can deliver only 4,808 homes in this time. Thus, Enfield has a shortfall of 2,668 homes in the five-year period.

This site, when combined with a fall in demand for Big Box type retail units stemming from rapidly changing shopping patterns in favour of online retail, provides an opportunity to deliver a significant number of the new homes.

Furthermore, this site enables us to deliver local shops and other forms of employment as well as homes, making much better use of the brownfield site than currently. Planning policy seeks to promote retail uses in town centres away from out of town locations like as Colosseum Retail Park. However, whilst there will be some on-site retail to support those living in the new development, we have designed our scheme to complement, not compete with, Enfield Town.

This is unlikely. However, we are looking to re-provide the employment space in the form of smaller and more diverse local shops and restaurants; together with a c40,000sqft WorkHub (a co-working space targeted to small and medium sized businesses). These uses will provide significantly more and a much greater variety of jobs than those currently provided on site.

The first phase is planned to commence in 2022, and will see 444 new homes built in a variety of types and sizes both for sale and for rent. The later phase(s) will then have the ability to provide up to an additional 1,356 homes dependant on future reserved matters planning applications.

Yes. 35% will be affordable homes including homes for shared ownership and affordable rent which are genuinely affordable to local people.

Yes – we will be providing 95 2B4P and 3B+ family-sized homes in the first phase, with at least 35% to be family sized in later phases.

Whilst the A10 is a main road, as with other redevelopment schemes in similar locations elsewhere in London, the impacts of the A10 are tested and the scheme then designed to mitigate these so that it meets the UK Air Quality Strategy objectives which have been set for the protection of human health along with guidance provided in the WHO ‘Guidelines of Community Noise’ and BS8233:2014 which relate to internal noise levels. The response to these environmental issues includes a range of technical solutions, and tree planting to help reduce the pollution. In addition to this, over a third of the site (equivalent to 65 tennis courts) is designed to be public open space, this incorporates green space in two new parks and on roofs which will significantly uplift the biodiversity on site.

Taller buildings are used to mark key spaces throughout the site. They also allow more public open space, and maximise sunlight & daylight into those spaces.

These tall buildings will be modern, with exemplary, thoughtful design. They are designed with the safety and comfort of future residents at the forefront, and will all have sprinkler systems.

The site location itself is ideal for tall buildings as it marks a key junction in the Borough with good transport links, it has no impact on the strategic views identified by the Council , has no heritage assets nearby and the nearest homes are some distance from the development.

The tallest building on the site is planned to be 29 storeys this sits within the first phase of development and marks the junction of the A10 and Southbury Road, it also sits at the main entrance to the site. The other tall buildings are 24, 18 and 16 storeys. Having taller buildings on the development helps provide more homes on the site, and in turn enables a significant provision of much needed affordable housing.

The development plan offers a range of residential and affordable tenures including Build to Rent, intermediate and affordable rented accommodation, which responds to local need. The scheme has been designed tenure blind whilst the housing quality and amenity will also meet relevant standards and policies and be of the highest standard, meeting all requirements in terms of inclusivity and safety.

There is also recognised to be a growing need for smaller more affordable homes for both newly forming and concealed households who are unable to access private sale housing due to large equity deposits and mortgage repayment requirements. As a result, the affordable housing tenure, which leans towards intermediate housing, responds accordingly to this local need.

The tallest building on the site is planned to be 29 storeys within the first phase of development and comprises the build to rent element. Given the values achievable via building at height, the taller elements of the scheme prioritise homes for open market sale. Furthermore the introduction of height also ensures that open space at ground is maximised on site.

Reflecting changing trends, particularly in London, London-wide policy enforces a minimal approach to car parking. Spaces will be provided for residents at a ratio of 20% provision per unit. This is in line with the Mayor’s Transport Strategy (2018), which aims for 80% of all trips in London to be made by walking, cycling or public transport by 2041. Spaces will be provided for car clubs, allowing people to get access to a cars for when they really need one, without having to own one, which is more environmentally friendly, cost effective, and encourages people to explore other modes of travel. Disabled parking spaces will also be provided for those who need them and are eligible.

Reducing the amount of parking space allows us to design a pedestrian focused environment, that is not dominated by cars. To support this, residents will be encouraged to use more sustainable forms of transport such as walking, cycling and public transport through the provision of a ‘Transport Hub’ on the site. This Transport Hub will provide live public transport information, vouchers for use on public transport or towards a car club, as well as information on areas to hire a bike or charge an electric car. A financial contribution will also be made towards improved bus services around the site, improved traffic signals across the A10 to help pedestrians get across, as well as an improved pedestrian crossing at Southbury station.

The existing site is currently generating traffic and congestion, associated with people using the existing retail park. Once complete, the plans will remove this traffic and replace it with residential vehicles, resulting in a total net reduction of around 61 vehicles across the morning and evening peak hours. The site will have a restricted number of parking spaces for the residents, meaning there will be limited opportunities for the site to generate more congestion. There will be no parking for the commercial uses meaning it will generate very few vehicles, being limited to managed deliveries only.

The site will also provide wider improvements to pedestrian, cyclist and public transport facilities in the area, encouraging people to not travel by car. These improvements will benefit existing people in the area, as well as new residents, providing opportunities for people to make more sustainable choices about the way they travel.

In summary, the development of the site will significantly reduce the number of car trips currently being generated, as well as providing more sustainable transport alternatives for people in the area.

The development includes ‘the Heart’ which will become a focal point for the local community. The Heart, delivered within the first phase, is an area of high-quality public space where a range of daytime and weekend activities can take place. The Heart is open to the whole local community to use and enjoy. This public space will be ringed by local shops and restaurants with pedestrian links through to the surrounding area.

In addition to the heart, two new parks will be created equivalent to 65 tennis courts together with enhanced landscaping throughout and around the perimeter of the site that will include children’s play areas in addition to areas to sit and relax. We want our development to complement Enfield Town, which is less than a mile away, and a short 20-minute walk.

We have undertaken a detailed assessment to understand the potential impact of the new development on school places in the local area. The analysis has shown that the number of children that will live on the development when complete does not warrant a new school on its own. This also highlighted that demand for school places for Phase 1 can be met within existing provision, although there is a requirement for a crèche to be provided on site and this will be delivered as part of the first phase of development.

Enfield Council are responsible for overseeing the supply of school places across the whole borough and it is up to the Council to provide the schools to meet demand. As part of the planning process, we will contribute funds to Enfield Council for them to spend on additional social infrastructure including schools that will be secured by legal agreement.

We have undertaken a detailed assessment to understand the impact of the new development on healthcare facilities in the local area. Based on this assessment we are providing space for a healthcare facility on site, which will mitigate the total demand generated by the scheme and should take pressure off of the existing facilities in the area.

A development of this scale will take years to complete. We are planning to phase the development, with the first phase seeing around 444 homes built and the Heart developed.  This means that new connections are developed first whilst the remaining retail park continues to trade. Phase 1 would commence in 2022. The rest of the scheme will be built out in phases following this.

The application does not propose the redevelopment of nearby sites. However, it may act as a catalyst for the regeneration of the surrounding area, but separate applications would have to be submitted by the landowners of these sites in accordance with the London Borough of Enfield’s development plan policies.

Engagement has taken place on the plans for Colosseum Retail Park since Summer 2018, in conjunction with formal pre-application discussions with officers at the London Borough of Enfield and the GLA, ward councillors and the Design Review Panel. It has involved existing tenants of Colosseum Retail Park, local residents, community groups, business groups and other key stakeholders. Full details of all consultation undertaken ahead of the submission of the planning application can be found in the Statement of Community Involvement on Enfield Council’s Online Planning Portal here.

Engagement included two public exhibitions held in November 2018 and July 2019, attendance at the 2019 Turkish Cypriot Cultural Festival, and a dedicated project website, which has allowed visitors to leave their comments on the plans.

Taking all methods into account, we have contacted over 10,000 people and over 200 people actively participated in this consultation process, including Enfield councillors, and representatives of the North London Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise Enfield, Enfield RoadWatch Action Group, The Enfield Society, and CPRE London. We are still organising and holding meetings with a variety of local stakeholders following submission of the planning application.

We have submitted a planning application to the London Borough of Enfield after two rounds of consultation with the local community and key stakeholders. The Council will undertake their own consultation, and you can give your views on their website here. The application will come to committee later this year for determination.