Enfield Council flips private sale homes to social rent to ensure completion of estate regeneration

Phases one and two are completed, with 283 new homes delivered and improvements made to the public realm.

The north London-based council said: “We will continue to work closely with our development partner Vistry, supported by the NHBC [National House Building Council] quality assurance process, to ensure delivery meets our standards.

“This proactive and strategic approach demonstrates Enfield Council’s commitment to addressing local housing need.”

Both the council and Vistry have been approached for additional information on the deal.

News of this deal comes as another London borough is working on a proposal to repurpose primary schools shut due to falling pupil numbers into temporary accommodation.

A report heard by Hackney Council’s cabinet last week seeks approval to spend £1.9m on surveys and early designs at De Beauvoir Primary School in Dalston and Randal Cremer Primary School in Hoxton.

Both were closed in September 2024 after a steady decline in pupil numbers. A wave of primary schools have closed in Hackney and other inner city boroughs in recent years amid the falling birth rate.

Also this week, a London Assembly committee warned that the rapid expansion of data centres in London is delaying new developments just as the capital’s housing crisis is “at its worst”.

The report from the Assembly’s Planning and Regeneration Committee found the capital’s grid is coming under strain from growing electricity demand, including from data centres.

Data centres are large warehouses full of powerful computers used to run digital services. The energy usage of a typical AI data centre is similar to that needed to power 100,000 homes, the report found, with this intensive demand putting pressure on the grid.