A £6BN TRANSFORMATION IN ENFIELD, CREATING 10,000 HOMES AND THOUSANDS OF JOBS

Meridian Water is a major London regeneration programme bringing thousands of new homes and jobs to Enfield, north London, next door to the beautiful Lee Valley Regional Park.

Alongside new public open spaces, shops and community facilities, the development will have its own brand new railway station, already funded and being delivered by Network Rail and will open in 2019.

Meridian Water is being actively led by Enfield Council, demonstrating how the public sector can work at its pioneering best.

In June 2016, planning approval was given for the first phase of works at Willoughby Lane on the old National Grid site.

In 2019, the first trains will stop at the brand new railway station at Meridian Water. Construction will also be underway for the first 725 new homes along with new shops and open spaces. 

Enfield Council’s vision to create a new part of London is underway. 

Meridian Water will represent a step-change away from industrial warehousing and logistics type uses, which are relatively plentiful in the Borough, offering higher skilled, higher paid employment opportunities for local people.

Enfield Council will also look to establish a dedicated training offering to provide a programme of traineeships and apprenticeships to help local people gain the skills needed during construction and beyond.

Meridian Water is designed specifically to connect and integrate with the surrounding area, transforming the local environment and local economy and providing real opportunities for Enfield’s residents to benefit from.

A PIONEERING APPROACH TO REGENERATION, LED AND CONTROLLED BY ENFIELD COUNCIL TO BENEFIT RESIDENTS

Enfield Council

Enfield Council’s approach is unlike that for any other London regeneration site - taking active control from buying land, preparing designs, delivering Meridian Works, to overseeing infrastructure investment and directing the retail strategy - ensuring maximum benefits for existing and new residents and ratepayers.

Enfield Council has secured a borrowing facility and will directly invest funds over the life of the project that will generate a return for the Council and local community, while ensuring a controlling position to oversee the regeneration. 

In March 2015 Enfield Council completed the acquisition of the former National Grid sites at Willoughby Lane, capable of supporting 2,500 homes.  Together with other site purchases, the Council now controls 55 acres of land across the site, a critical factor in successfully attracting private sector investment into the regeneration.

Read our Thought Leadership piece from Peter George, Assistant Director for Regeneration and Planning on Enfield Council’s pioneering approach to this project.

HOME TO MERIDIAN WORKS, A HAVEN FOR MAKERS AND CREATORS

As part of ‘Meridian Works’ – a series of buildings and spaces to make use of the site from the earliest opportunity – we will be bringing small businesses, start-ups and freelancers to the area who can then grow and evolve with the scheme. 

The first phase of Meridian Works is the creation of Europe’s largest open workshop for Building Bloqs – a company born and based within the regeneration area – and ACAVA (Association for Cultural Advancement through Visual Art) supporting 300 jobs.

These first new spaces will create more than just a place to work – it will be a true destination – including a rooftop bar and restaurant with views across the River Lea, into the park and beyond.  Other spaces to follow as part of Meridian Works will include incubator space for small businesses.

Backed with £1.35m each from Enfield Council and the Greater London Authority’s London Regeneration Fund, construction work to convert the warehouses will begin during 2017 and is due to be open in early 2018.