An agreement providing Enfield Council with £170 million of funding to deliver infrastructure to unlock the £6 billion Meridian Water project and help deliver thousands of new homes has been signed by Enfield Council and the government.
The Council has already secured planning permission for the works and approved a framework contract with three major contractors to deliver the works, which will provide parks, rail and road infrastructure as well as cycle links, bridges, flood alleviation and utilities. Work is expected to start on site by Autumn 2021 and be completed during 2024.
Enfield Council was announced as one of the recipients of Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) money by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) in August 2019. The HIF is a government capital grant programme which is designed to unlock housing sites and help deliver new homes.
Meridian Water will provide 10,000 homes and 6,000 jobs when complete and will play a major role in tackling the housing crisis in Enfield. The homes will be marketed predominantly to local residents and the Council has repeatedly promised that local people will be the primary beneficiaries of the project.
The Leader of Enfield Council, Cllr Nesil Caliskan, said: "This is a vital stage in the delivery of Meridian Water and I am delighted that we are on the cusp of appointing partners to deliver the key infrastructure the transformational and ambitious Meridian Water project needs to be a success.
"All of our partners have demonstrated they possess the drive and excellence to help us make this project a success and this latest announcement marks a further step towards the creation of a special development in our borough."
Minister of State for Housing, Christopher Pincher, said: "This Government is delivering the well-designed, quality homes our country needs and unlocking home ownership for a new generation. In order to build more homes, we need to provide the infrastructure and public services to match.
"Our £170m of grant funding for Enfield Council will help transform the Meridian Water site into 10,000 new homes, and ensure these homes are served by the cycle links, roads, and utilities needed to create a new thriving community in North London."