Khan and Starmer Push Controversial 21,000-Home New Town

Keir Starmer and Sadiq Khan are trying to keep a 21,000-home north London new town alive after Enfield Council pulled its backing for the scheme last week. The project covers land at Crews Hill and Chase Park in Enfield and is one of seven locations the government is considering under its New Towns programme. The dispute has become an early test of Labour’s promise to speed up large housing developments and curb local resistance. Starmer is due to tell mayors on Thursday that ministers will support them in pushing ahead with major projects that have stalled or been reduced, according to reports on the planned meeting. ### Which development are Khan and Starmer trying to salvage? Crews Hill and Chase Park in Enfield were identified by the government in March 2026 as one of seven locations being considered for the New Towns programme. Enfield Council said at the time that a potential new town there could deliver around 21,000 homes, along with schools, GP surgeries, jobs and transport improvements. (standard.co.uk) The 21,000-home figure has made the site one of the largest housing proposals inside Greater London. Enfield previously said many of the homes were expected to be three- and four-bedroom family houses, with a large number also planned as council homes. The council also said the proposal could support the Enfield Chase Restoration project, including rewilding more than 1,000 hectares of former or low-grade farmland. (enfield.gov.uk) ### Why did Enfield Council withdraw support? Enfield Council formally withdrew from the government’s New Town programme on May 28, after local elections on May 7 ended Labour’s control of the borough. The election produced 31 Conservative councillors, 27 Labour and five Green, leaving no party with an overall majority. (enfield.gov.uk) Alessandro Georgiou, the new council leader, told Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook that the council would no longer support proposals linked to the programme, including development at Crews Hill, Vicarage Farm and other parts of the borough’s Green Belt. Georgiou said the new administration had been elected on a mandate to protect Enfield’s Green Belt and would instead pursue a “brownfield-first approach” focused on underused land and town centre regeneration. (enfield.gov.uk) ### How are Starmer and Khan trying to get around local opposition? Starmer is expected to tell England’s mayors on June 4 that the government will back them in advancing large projects that have stalled or been watered down, including by challenging Enfield Council’s refusal to support the new town, according to the Standard. The report said the prime minister is expected to say decisions will be taken in the national interest. (enfield.gov.uk) City Hall has also signaled that it is not stepping away from the site. A spokesperson for Khan said Crews Hill and other sites in Enfield represent “a significant opportunity” to deliver neighbourhoods, improve access to nature and address London’s housing shortage, and said City Hall would continue working with the government and Enfield councillors on the plans. (standard.co.uk) ### What powers does the mayor already have on housing schemes? Steve Reed, the housing secretary, and Khan announced emergency London housebuilding measures on March 25 aimed at unblocking stalled projects across the capital. The package included a fast-track planning route for sites delivering at least 20% affordable housing, temporary relief from the Community Infrastructure Levy for eligible schemes, and legislation to expand the mayor’s power to call in and review planning applications for 50 homes or more where a borough is minded to refuse. (standard.co.uk) The government said those measures were designed to accelerate housebuilding after affordable and social housing starts in London fell to 4,522 in 2024/25 from 26,386 in 2022/23. Reed and Khan said the package was intended to cut through planning and viability barriers that had held back housing delivery across the capital. (gov.uk) ### Why has the site become so contentious? Crews Hill has drawn opposition because the proposed new town would be built on Green Belt land. The Standard reported in November 2025 that the site covered 884 hectares and that campaigners including Enfield RoadWatch and CPRE London said the land was rich in wildlife, poorly connected and unsuited to a large new settlement. (gov.uk) Sadiq Khan’s office and the government have argued that the site offers a chance to build homes, improve transport and expand access to green space. Opponents have said they are prepared to fight the proposal, making the Enfield scheme a direct clash between Labour’s housing targets and local environmental resistance. (standard.co.uk) ### What happens next in the government’s new towns process? The government launched its next-generation new towns drive in February 2025 and said each new town would have the potential to deliver 10,000 homes or more. More than 100 proposals were submitted across England, and ministers said the programme was part of a broader effort to unblock large housing sites. (standard.co.uk) Enfield Council said in March that public consultation on proposed locations and draft planning policy would run until May 18, and that final locations were expected to be confirmed later in 2026 after consultation and environmental assessment. The government has separately said an update on the programme will come in the summer. (enfield.gov.uk) (gov.uk)