Council chiefs rejected accusations that they have been “incompetent” at building new homes.

At a marathon council meeting, opposition councillors criticised the council for failing to push forward plans at Meridian Water - where 5,000 homes are to be created - and on seven small housing sites in the borough.

At tonight's council meeting tonight, opposition group leader Councillor Terry Neville told the council the previous Conservative administration had set up plans in 2007.

He said: “The Conservative administration in 2007/08 identified four sites, one of which was Meridian Water. We commissioned the master plan in 2010.

“The masterplan was approved in 2012 but since then there has been very little to report. The council does not own any of the land. We have no developer identified and it would be very difficult to identify one unless there is commitment from the council.

"We also have some small housing sites to be getting on with. All these sites were handed over by our administration in 2010. Not a brick has been laid four and a half years on. It is only rhetoric from the council.”

Cllr Neville told the Enfield Independent the current administration is “incompetent” at delivering the housing the borough desperately needs.

However, leader of the council Cllr Doug Taylor described the report brought to the council as “crocodile tears” from the opposition.

He stated that Cllr Neville “makes great play” of what the Conservatives did in 2007 but questions why the previous administration failed to acquire the land.

He said: “I am not certain why Cllr Neville did not save the council millions and millions by purchasing the land then."

Responding suggestions that a scheme was in place, Cllr Taylor, said: “There was no scheme at all, there was no transport improvement plans in place. There was no attempt to consider the issue of contamination.

“How they have the temerity to criticise us is beyond belief. All they had a tentative plan for us to take forward.

“The rhetoric on their side, the reality on our side, we have been accused of being slow, on three separate occasions, members of the opposition have called Meridian Water in, further delaying the process.

“Their record on housing is atrocious, this report is crocodile tears. This is a shambles of a report from a shambles of an opposition.”

It had been intended to discuss the controversial scheme to leave park gates unlocked; a decision that has been delayed until May following fury from park groups over lack of consultation.

However, the meeting ran out of time before the item could be discussed.