Campaigners have warned building on the green belt would be a “huge mistake” after Enfield Council listed 29 sites in the protected area where housing could be built.

A coalition of local groups claimed there were enough brownfield sites in the borough to meet its housing targets, meaning building on the green belt – which covers around a third of Enfield – was “unnecessary” and would undermine its health and environmental benefits.

The green belt sites, covering around 330 hectares, are listed in a strategic housing land availability assessment, published by the council in December, as “potentially suitable” for housing.

Inclusion in the document does not necessarily mean the sites will be developed. But the campaigners – from The Enfield Society, Enfield Roadwatch, Better Homes Enfield, CPRE London and Enfield Climate Action Forum – said the inclusion of the sites should be taken seriously, as the council has undertaken an extensive review of the green belt.

The green belt sites include:

  • Eight horticulture nurseries in Crews Hill, which campaigners say should be saved to provide local jobs and locally produced food.
  • Several large areas of productive farmland, which the CPRE described as “vital for local food production at a time of food insecurity and climate emergency”.
  • Edmonton Marsh, part of the Lee Valley Regional Park, which could provide a new park for residents in the 10,000-home Meridian Water regeneration scheme, according to the campaigners.

Alice Roberts, of CPRE London, said: “Green belt housing is typically well out of range of anyone on low income. CPRE research shows only a tenth of homes built in the green belt are ‘affordable’, and these are rarely for social rent.

“Additionally, people living in green belt developments have poor access to public transport and are tied to owning and using cars, as well as being stuck with the cost of commuting, creating further financial stress for families on low incomes.

“The council claims to be working for low-income residents, but building on the green belt is likely to benefit only developers and wealthier people.”

The coalition of groups called on the council to prioritise brownfield development and said the £6 billion Meridian Water scheme “could be doing far more to provide the affordable family-sized homes that Enfield and Edmonton need”.

An Enfield Council spokesperson said the land availability assessment informed the local authority’s strategy but was not its policy. Councillors will soon consider the draft local plan, which explores “a number of options for future growth and enhancement in Enfield”, the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson said: “Enhancing Enfield’s character and wonderful green spaces is our absolute priority.

“As required by law, Enfield Council is pursuing a joined-up, long-term strategy to ensure there are sufficient quantities of good-quality housing to meet the needs of all of our residents, regardless of their backgrounds and circumstances.

“The draft local plan looks at ways we can grow the borough to meet the housing and employment needs of our residents while providing greater access to improved green spaces throughout the borough.

“This means introducing more green spaces in our urban areas by creating new parks, including pocket parks, planting over half a million new trees throughout the borough and ‘greening’ our streets through initiatives like green roofs and walls.

“We are also proposing to make our wonderful green spaces even more accessible to our residents, through connecting channels and improving biodiversity both in the green belt and in our town centres.

“The draft local plan also guards against the development of inappropriate skyscrapers as well as looking at options for providing more affordable family homes – which we know our residents want and need.”

The council spokesperson said the Meridian Water Development will provide 10,000 homes for Enfield residents, half of which will be affordable.