Making Enfield a Place to Call Home

People from 23 different organisations, including Government departments, came together to help make plans and share ideas for the future of housing in Enfield. Two lively workshops enabled partners to look at ways of working together to deliver additional housing in the borough, and to help with place shaping initiatives.  By sharing knowledge, expertise and resources partners are aiming to improve services to residents.

The local organisations represented at the event included the voluntary and community sector, housing associations and supported housing providers.

Speakers included Finlay Kelly, Area Housing Manager from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), which is the housing and regeneration agency.  The HCA provides funding for affordable housing.  Finlay told delegates about the proposed changes to funding for social housing which would give Councils like Enfield more control over how money is spent.

Sally Blandford, from Communities and Local Government spoke about the private rented sector. Enfield Council was congratulated on its successful use of private rented homes in the borough to help prevent homelessness.

Cllr Ahmet Oykener, Cabinet Member for Housing for Enfield Council said "In these increasingly difficult times, where more and more of our residents are looking to us to help them find a home, it is vital we work in even more imaginative ways with our partners.

"Unfortunately we do not have enough socially rented homes for everyone that wants one. A solution to this is tapping in to the private rented sector which is growing in Enfield, and which has a key role to play in meeting housing need.

"We are also already developing plans with our partners to build more homes in the borough and continue to provide enough decent and affordable homes. 

"The Council is also improving entire neighbourhoods, for example, along the A406 empty homes are being brought back into use, regenerating the Ladderswood Estate in New Southgate and Highmead in Edmonton to improve the local area and create sustainable and strong communities.

"We are also taking steps to tackle and prevent homelessness as well as dealing with overcrowding to improve the health and well-being of families with children.

"Through partnerships we will continue to press for funding for housing improvements, and work together to address the shortage of affordable family size homes urgently needed in the borough. There are also plans to consult more widely with our residents during Spring 2011 on our plans for housing in Enfield

"The discussions with partners we had at the conference were informative, and will, along with all these other initiatives, help us to develop our future housing priorities for the borough."