Newsletter Q1 2026

April 2026                  

PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

Cockfosters Station Car Park

As previously reported, the LB Enfield Planning Committee approved the revised scheme for this development on 24 February 2026. The revised scheme increases the number of homes from 351 to 373, driven largely by updated building safety regulations requiring two staircases in buildings over 18 metres.  The development is a joint venture between TfL/Places for London and Barratt London.  Parking will be reduced from 407 spaces to 47 (12 Blue Badge and 35 first come/first served) and 7 spaces for short-term drop off.  

Before construction can begin, the scheme still requires approval from the Building Safety Regulator, viability confirmation by the developer and 6 months’ notice of closure of the existing car park.  Then there should be consultations with the residents of proximate Enfield and Barnet roads regarding the potential introduction of Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs).

To recap, we believe that these subsequent approvals will not be finalised until next year. Also, we have been promised that there would be at least 6 months’ notice of closure of the existing car park. Any decision to proceed will depend on the viability of the scheme and this is uncertain against the current and deteriorating industry outlook.

We are in regular contact with Barratt, who are taking the plans forward.  CLARA will keep members advised of how things progress.

Metro Point - Potential Development

The former Sovereign offices on the southern corner of Chalk Lane have been empty and decaying for around 5 years, since they were sold to the developer Winners Property. They have been unsuccessful in finding short-term tenants while exploring redevelopment schemes for the site. We had been told to expect a Planning Application on several occasions and we expected a new high-rise residential development.

It is unclear whether any tangible plans are on the table with LB Enfield. However, we have heard credible reports that agents have recently been appointed to explore a sale of the property, presumably without the benefit of planning approval. We are looking to confirm these reports.  The property is likely to remain in its present dilapidating condition for the foreseeable future.

Enfield Local Plan

The Inspector’s independent examination of Enfield’s Draft Local Plan continued with further hearings in March. The most contentious aspect of the sites nominated by the Council in western Enfield were several key sites in the Green Belt.  These include Vicarage Farm near Oakwood (now termed Chase Park), sections of Crews Hill and land to the North-West of Hadley Wood. An additional section of Trent Park between the Hockey Club and Bramley Road was also proposed by TfL very late in the process.

Concurrently with the examination of the Draft Plan, this Government is proposing changes to the National Planning Policy Framework which would involve a presumption of development in sites within 800m of stations and the downgrading of certain sites from Green Belt status.

Proposed ‘New Town’ - Crews Hill and Chase Park

In 2025, it was announced that a Government Task Force had identified this large site for a new town of some 21,000 homes across most of Crews Hill and Chase Park, including the intervening land. It was confirmed in March 2026 that this ‘New Town’ had progressed to a shortlist. It would involve the removal of many of the businesses and the Golf Course at Crews Hill. Notwithstanding a number of serious concerns about the plans, they are being actively promoted by Enfield Council. 

Our colleagues at Enfield Road Watch (ERW) are working with The Enfield Society and Better Homes Enfield (BHE) to oppose aspects of the proposals, particularly the destruction of Green Belt land. We encourage you to find out more about the progress of the Local Plan and the ‘New Town’ at the ERW site: https://enfieldroadwatch.co.uk

We would draw your attention to the flyer below produced by ERW. 

And the new report produced by BHE at:   

https://betterhomes-enfield.org/2026/04/08/enfield-council-is-avoiding-scrutiny-of-its-new-town-bid/ 

EVENTS IN TRENT PARK

There is no change to our previous report that no Major Events are planned for Trent Park for 2026. Discussions to date confirm that this situation is unlikely to change, based on experience from prior years. We will advise you if this policy continues after the May elections.

CRIME AND POLICING 

CLARA attends the Cockfosters Ward Panel which deals with Crime and Policing in the Cockfosters Ward. We actively support the Neighbourhood Watch (NHW) network which now covers all roads in the Ward and several adjacent roads in the East Barnet Ward part of Cockfosters.

Although each road has a nominated NHW coordinator, these are not covered in every case by a resident. More coordinators are needed and we need more households to join.

CLARA has conducted an analysis on roads vs membership of the NHW scheme in Cockfosters.  We will be supporting the overall lead coordinator of Neighbourhood Watch, Simone Strauss, to recruit more roads, more coordinators and more households on to the existing NHW scheme in order to further optimise the excellent scheme that we have. This recruitment drive is likely to occur across the months of May, June and July 2026 and will include house to house leafleting amongst other recruitment initiatives.

The level of car theft and burglary (in some cases to obtain car keys) continues to be the major concern. Burglaries are frequently done via access to the rear of the property and residents are encouraged to assess whether particular improvements to their security are needed. Burglaries are sometimes attempted at night when residents are at home.

The continuing theft of various makes of cars, especially higher-value models continues. There are several sensible precautions that the police advise. However, Lexus and Toyota vehicles are particularly vulnerable to what is termed a CANbus hijack where thieves can quickly access the cars control wiring through (for example) the wheel-arch. Recent thefts have used exactly this method. Installation of a Ghost or similar immobiliser, as well as trackers, is a sensible precaution.

The local Cockfosters Police Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) have confirmed that they can advise residents on specific measures if they are contacted on sntye-.cockfosters@met.police.uk or Cockfosters@contact.metengage.co.uk.  You can find out further details by clicking on this link www.metengage.co.uk/Content/LocalArea/79579/Cockfosters.

Those who are members of Hadley Wood Security can contact them for a complimentary security survey.

The regular NHW updates via WhatsApp provide advice on security measures for vehicles and homes. Additionally, residents can consider the following further measures:

• Where the property is already alarmed, does it have a perimeter protection setting, so that the alarm can operate when the resident is at home?

• Explore the possible addition of alarm sensors to detect garden intrusion. Various models are available.

• Is the rear of the property resilient to break in? Measures could include upgrading locks (since many existing euro-cylinder locks are vulnerable to lock-snapping or drilling) or the fitting of security film to vulnerable doors, bi-folds or windows.  This video illustrates the vulnerability of euro-cylinder locks.  https://youtube.com/watch?v=pHtQf7cFuXM&si=Ye4KdGsSdVFXx2gy

•  Superior modern locks can often be simply retrofitted by homeowners. Fit the best.

OTHER EVENTS

The Lakeside Concerts on Hadley Common will take place again this year:

Saturday, May 16th

Sunday, June 14th

Sunday, July 12th

Saturday, August 8 

The Organisers and Monken Hadley Common Trust are hoping for a repeat of previous years’ excellent attendance. Further details can be found at

https://www.mhctrust.org.uk/2026/02/28/2026-concerts/.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

Litter, road surfaces/potholes and street drainage are a continuing concern. We will take this up with our respective Councillors after the May elections.

LOCAL ELECTION – MAY 7th

The Local Council Elections will take place in Enfield and Barnet on Thursday, May 7th.  

When these elections were last held in 2022, the turnouts were around 40 percent. Both turnouts were above the London average.

We encourage all residents, whatever your political leanings, to use your vote again. Importantly, we would further encourage you to make your choice substantially on local issues. These councils affect residents in many ways, such as housing, planning and development, schooling, social care, roads, cleaning and the public realm. They should be judged on their performance and the commitments they are making in each local policy area - there are clear choices for you to make if you compare their respective manifestos (AI can be quite helpful for you to compare and contrast their commitments).

We thank our Cockfosters Ward Councillors Cllr’s Alessandro Georgiou and Ruby Sampson and East Barnet Ward Councillors Simon Radford, Phil Cohen and Edith David for their past help. This has included campaigns against the Cockfosters Station Car Park development, supporting the removal of Major Events in Trent Park and many other issues in Cockfosters. We wish them every success and look forward to working with whoever is successful in the elections on May 7th.

2026 ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION TO CLARA

For those who have not yet paid, the CLARA annual contribution for calendar year 2026 is again set at £10. You can make your payment online to:

Bank:                        Santander

Account Name:       Cockfosters Local Area Residents Association

Sort Code:               09-01-55

Account Number:   94725704

Please state your full name as the payment reference.

With best regards

CLARA Team

27 April 2026