Forcing the local plan process into the daylight: Sign the petition to Enfield Council

Text of the petition to Enfield Council

Councillors: We voted for you. Please speak up for us. #Debate Enfield's Local Plan

We the undersigned welcome our 63 councillors (of whom 29 are newly elected) and petition the council to:

1. Bring the revised Local Plan to a Full Council meeting, as promised by a majority vote of councillors at an Extraordinary Council Meeting held on 9 June 2021.
2. Allow sufficient time for councillors to debate the merits of the Local Plan for the first, and only, time at Full Council before it is submitted to the National Planning Inspectorate for consultation as part of the Regulation 19 process.
3. Ensure that each councillor has the chance to vote either for or against the plan and, in the interest of transparency and public accountability, subject this vote to a “Roll Call” so that there is a public record of how each councillor voted.
4. Publish the revised Local Plan, in fully accessible form for residents (length, format, physical copies) at least 12 weeks before the date of the proposed Full Council meeting to enable councillors, especially those who are new, to properly consider the contents of the plan and to engage their constituents in a meaningful and productive consultation about their aspirations, their homes and their environment before the debate at Full Council at which councillors can decide whether to submit the plan to the National Inspectorate and proceed to a formal public consultation.
   

This petition seeks an opportunity for councillors to participate in a debate about Enfield's Local Plan, the most significant and important policy choice that can be made by local governments.

Enfield Councillors have never voted on the merits of the Local Plan 2019 – 2039 but did agree to bring the final version of the Local Plan back to a Full Council meeting.

• On 9 June 2021, the then council debated whether to consult on the "DRAFT REGULATION 18 ENFIELD LOCAL PLAN: 2019-2039“.
• They decided to do so and the consultation took place; councillors should examine, publicly, the revisions resulting from the consultation.
• Councillor Nesil Caliskan moved the report with two minor amendments

1. to have a twelve week consultation period on the Local Plan, and
2. following the consultation, to bring the final version of the Local Plan to back to a Full Council meeting.

We are asking that the council fulfils this commitment.

The Local Plan affects

• What gets built where.
• How brownfield sites are identified, prioritised and used.
• Whether the countryside is protected for future generations.
• The health and well-being of Enfield's residents.
• The quality of the air we breathe.
• Employment opportunities.
• How Enfield responds to the challenges of climate change.
• The number and type of homes built as well as the design and quality of new buildings.
• The size of tower blocks that would be permissible and where these could be built.
• What happens to Enfield’s parks, greenspaces, allotments, sports facilities and playing pitches.
• What happens to Enfield’s town centres, high streets, shops and supermarkets and transport.
• Where industrial sites are located.
• How wildlife and biodiversity are protected and enhanced.
• How Enfield's character and heritage are protected and enhanced.

Committing to a debate supports the “Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill” outlined in the recent Queen’s Speech to parliament which seeks to strengthen neighbourhood planning and community engagement with the Local Plan.

We feel this is an opportunity for Enfield. We urge this new, young, diverse Council to take the lead in making the forthcoming legislation fit for purpose: open, transparent and consultative when it holds the well being of future generations in its hands.

Thank you.

This Petition deadline has been extended until 1 September 2022.