Enfield Island Village
Encyclopedia
Enfield Island Village is a modern village
in the outskirts of the London Borough of Enfield
, North London
, home to a large housing development. Before 1998, Enfield Island Village formed part of the Epping Forest
district of Essex
, but was transferred to the borough of Enfield in Greater London
when the housing development was created.
. It is close to the borders of Essex
and Hertfordshire
and adjacent to the River Lee Navigation
, River Lea, Cattlegate Flood Relief Channel
, Newmans Weir
to the north and open countryside, including Epping Forest
.
The site was decommissioned by the MOD
in 1984 and was sold to British Aerospace (BAe)
. BAe together with Trafalgar House
launched a joint venture company- Lee Valley Developments (LVD). In 1996 the land was sold to the housing wing of Hillsdown Holdings, Fairview Homes.
The housing estate was built by Fairview New Homes between 1997-2003 on a 100 acre (0.404686 km²), brown field
site and comprises a mixture of housing ranging from one bed flats to 5 bed family homes. In line with national standards, 25% of the housing was designated as social housing, and some of the original buildings have been retained. The village has a central parkland area and a small shopping centre. The shops include a small supermarket -Tesco Express, a pharmacy
and a Chinese
take away
. The Island also has its own General practitioner
(GP), private fitness centre , NHS
dental access centre and a new (2003) primary school - Keys Meadow in nearby Enfield Lock. A new library opened in 2008.
Like some of London
's central areas and the Enfield Island's surrounding area, the Island
is on a flood plain. However, the Environment Agency's assessment is that, even without the flood
defences that surround the Island, there is little risk of serious flooding (0.1% or 1 in 1,000 years) compared to the surrounding area (0.5% or 1 in 200 years).
As a private development, residents are responsible for many aspects of life on the Island through the Enfield Island Village Trust. It is responsible for the upkeep of common land, including the ornamental canal and parkland, utilities such as the waste water system, and for enforcing legal covenants covering the development.
There was a campaign against the development by Friends of the Earth
and the Enfield Lock
Action Group in the late 1990s. The campaign resulted in the Enfield RSAF (Royal Small Arms Factory) Review Panel being set up, informed by environmental reports carried out over ten years and including evidence from witnesses including the Head of Land Quality at the Environment Agency and a team of environmental consultants. The review concluded that the site was safe for development and that rumours of dangerous materials by campaigners were untrue.
Planning permission was granted for the development, supported by the European Union
and by the Enfield Enterprise Agency. It was developed as a model brown field
development, with a clay cap at a depth of one metre under the topsoil. Historically inspections have been completed every six months and have now been reduced to annual monitoring only. The most recent inspection was in April 2008.
programme Panorama
into brown field
housing development.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the outskirts of the London Borough of Enfield
London Borough of Enfield
The London Borough of Enfield is the most northerly London borough and forms part of Outer London. It borders the London Boroughs of Barnet, Haringey and Waltham Forest...
, North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
, home to a large housing development. Before 1998, Enfield Island Village formed part of the Epping Forest
Epping Forest (district)
Epping Forest is a local government district of the county of Essex, England. It is named after Epping Forest, of which the district contains a large part...
district of Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, but was transferred to the borough of Enfield in Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
when the housing development was created.
History
Enfield Island Village was built on land previously occupied by the Royal Small Arms FactoryRoyal Small Arms Factory
The Royal Small Arms Factory was a UK government-owned rifle factory in the London Borough of Enfield in an area generally known as the Lea Valley. The factory produced British military rifles, muskets and swords from 1816...
. It is close to the borders of Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
and Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
and adjacent to the River Lee Navigation
River Lee Navigation
The Lee Navigation is a canalised river incorporating the River Lea . Its course runs from Hertford Castle Weir all the way to the River Thames at Bow Creek. The first lock of the navigation is Hertford Lock the last being Bow Locks....
, River Lea, Cattlegate Flood Relief Channel
River Lee Flood Relief Channel
The River Lee Flood Relief Channel is located in the Lea Valley and flows between Ware, Hertfordshire and Stratford, east London. Work started on the channel in 1947 following major flooding and was fully operational by 1976...
, Newmans Weir
Newmans Weir
Newmans Weir is a River Lea weir located near Enfield Lock. The weir has wooden sluice gates within cast-iron guide frames. Reconstructed in 1907 in succession to a series of timber weirs.-Access:...
to the north and open countryside, including Epping Forest
Epping Forest
Epping Forest is an area of ancient woodland in south-east England, straddling the border between north-east Greater London and Essex. It is a former royal forest, and is managed by the City of London Corporation....
.
The site was decommissioned by the MOD
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
in 1984 and was sold to British Aerospace (BAe)
Bae
Bae, also often spelled Pae or Pai, is a unique Korean family name. The South Korean census of 2000 found 372,064 people by this surname, or slightly less than 1% of the population....
. BAe together with Trafalgar House
Trafalgar House (company)
Trafalgar House Public Limited Company was a British conglomerate with interests in property investment, property development, engineering, construction, shipping, hotels, energy and publishing...
launched a joint venture company- Lee Valley Developments (LVD). In 1996 the land was sold to the housing wing of Hillsdown Holdings, Fairview Homes.
The housing estate was built by Fairview New Homes between 1997-2003 on a 100 acre (0.404686 km²), brown field
Brown Field
Brown Field Municipal Airport is located in the Otay Mesa neighborhood of San Diego, California, southeast of Downtown San Diego and named in honor of Commander Melville S. Brown, USN, who was killed in an airplane crash in 1936. Its primary runway is long....
site and comprises a mixture of housing ranging from one bed flats to 5 bed family homes. In line with national standards, 25% of the housing was designated as social housing, and some of the original buildings have been retained. The village has a central parkland area and a small shopping centre. The shops include a small supermarket -Tesco Express, a pharmacy
Pharmacy
Pharmacy is the health profession that links the health sciences with the chemical sciences and it is charged with ensuring the safe and effective use of pharmaceutical drugs...
and a Chinese
Chinese cuisine
Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...
take away
Take Away
Take Away is a 2003 Australian comedy movie, written by Dave O'Neil, who also features as a minor character, and Mark O'Toole. It stars Vince Colosimo, Stephen Curry, Rose Byrne and Nathan Phillips...
. The Island also has its own General practitioner
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
(GP), private fitness centre , NHS
National Health Service (England)
The National Health Service or NHS is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. It is both the largest and oldest single-payer healthcare system in the world. It is able to function in the way that it does because it is primarily funded through the general taxation system, similar to how...
dental access centre and a new (2003) primary school - Keys Meadow in nearby Enfield Lock. A new library opened in 2008.
Like some of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's central areas and the Enfield Island's surrounding area, the Island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
is on a flood plain. However, the Environment Agency's assessment is that, even without the flood
Flood
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water...
defences that surround the Island, there is little risk of serious flooding (0.1% or 1 in 1,000 years) compared to the surrounding area (0.5% or 1 in 200 years).
As a private development, residents are responsible for many aspects of life on the Island through the Enfield Island Village Trust. It is responsible for the upkeep of common land, including the ornamental canal and parkland, utilities such as the waste water system, and for enforcing legal covenants covering the development.
There was a campaign against the development by Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth
Friends of the Earth International is an international network of environmental organizations in 76 countries.FOEI is assisted by a small secretariat which provides support for the network and its agreed major campaigns...
and the Enfield Lock
Enfield Lock
Enfield Lock is an area in the London Borough of Enfield, North London. It is approximately located east of the Hertford Road between Turkey Street and the Holmesdale Tunnel overpass, to the River Lee Navigation, including the Enfield Island Village. The locality gains its name from the lock on the...
Action Group in the late 1990s. The campaign resulted in the Enfield RSAF (Royal Small Arms Factory) Review Panel being set up, informed by environmental reports carried out over ten years and including evidence from witnesses including the Head of Land Quality at the Environment Agency and a team of environmental consultants. The review concluded that the site was safe for development and that rumours of dangerous materials by campaigners were untrue.
Planning permission was granted for the development, supported by the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
and by the Enfield Enterprise Agency. It was developed as a model brown field
Brown Field
Brown Field Municipal Airport is located in the Otay Mesa neighborhood of San Diego, California, southeast of Downtown San Diego and named in honor of Commander Melville S. Brown, USN, who was killed in an airplane crash in 1936. Its primary runway is long....
development, with a clay cap at a depth of one metre under the topsoil. Historically inspections have been completed every six months and have now been reduced to annual monitoring only. The most recent inspection was in April 2008.
In popular culture
The area was featured in a 2000 show by BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
programme Panorama
Panorama (TV series)
Panorama is a BBC Television current affairs documentary programme, which was first broadcast in 1953, and is the longest-running public affairs television programme in the world. Panorama has been presented by many well known BBC presenters, including Richard Dimbleby, Robin Day, David Dimbleby...
into brown field
Brown Field
Brown Field Municipal Airport is located in the Otay Mesa neighborhood of San Diego, California, southeast of Downtown San Diego and named in honor of Commander Melville S. Brown, USN, who was killed in an airplane crash in 1936. Its primary runway is long....
housing development.
Further reading
- Iain SinclairIain SinclairIain Sinclair FRSL is a British writer and filmmaker. Much of his work is rooted in London, most recently within the influences of psychogeography.-Life and work:...
. London Orbital : a walk around the M25. 2002 ISBN 978-1862075474 - de Zylva. P. et al. Unsafe as Houses. 2000 ISBN 978-1857503296
Nearest places
- Enfield LockEnfield LockEnfield Lock is an area in the London Borough of Enfield, North London. It is approximately located east of the Hertford Road between Turkey Street and the Holmesdale Tunnel overpass, to the River Lee Navigation, including the Enfield Island Village. The locality gains its name from the lock on the...
- BrimsdownBrimsdownBrimsdown is a place in the London Borough of Enfield, North London generally known as the Lea Valley. The Brimsdown area is roughly located in the area either side of Mollison Avenue, to Bilton Way, just south of Ordnance Road, extending as far south as the Mollison Avenue/Jeffreys Road roundabout...
- Waltham CrossWaltham CrossWaltham Cross is the most southeasterly town in Hertfordshire, England. It is 12 miles from the City of London and immediately north of the M25 motorway, forming part of the Greater London Urban Area and London commuter belt. Part of Waltham Cross is located within Greater London.-Geography:It is...
- SewardstoneSewardstoneSewardstone is a place in the Epping Forest district of Essex, England.It is located 11.6 miles north north-east of Charing Cross and is the only area outside Greater London to be covered by a London postcode district . The area consists of scattered development with large sections of open land...
- Waltham AbbeyWaltham Abbey, EssexWaltham Abbey is a market town of about 20,400 people in the south west of the county of Essex, in the East of England region. It is about 24 km north of London on the Greenwich Meridian and lies between the River Lea in the west and Epping Forest in the east. It takes its name from The Abbey...