The council’s decision to allow a technology firm to build offices on a town centre car park has been put on hold.

Conservative councillors have challenged the cabinet’s decision to allow Metaswitch to build its new headquarters at Genotin Road car park in Enfield Town.

The council says leasing the car park to Metaswitch will allow the multinational firm to expand its workforce and generate more than £10 million for the council over the next 42 years.

But the Conservative councillors claim the cabinet did not make clear whether the council or Metaswitch would be responsible for the financial risks associated with the development.

The Conservatives want the project to be scrapped if the council is responsible.

They also say the cabinet report did not consider the possibility of Metaswitch relocating to a more suitable site in the borough, such as Innova Park.

But the cabinet said the risks “are no different from any other commercial property investment or development” and it had taken steps to mitigate them.

It added that the firm had shortlisted sites outside the borough and would be likely to relocate if plans for Genotin Road did not get the go-ahead.

The ‘call-in’ to a meeting of the council’s overview and scrutiny committee could see the decision referred back to the cabinet or to a meeting of the full council.

Alternatively, the committee could give the green light to the original decision to lease the land to Metaswitch, which was made on July 25.

Conservative councillors have also challenged the cabinet’s decision to build specialist accommodation for older people at Reardon Court.

Under the plans, the council will redevelop the former Winchmore Hill nursing home into ‘extra care housing’ – purpose-built accommodation with communal facilities designed to allow older people to live independently.

Building this type of housing on the site would help to meet growing demand, with the borough’s population of over-65s set to increase by more than a quarter in the next decade.

It would also save the council around £500,000 a year on adult social care costs.

But the Conservatives raised “serious concerns about the value for money of the proposed scheme compared to alternative options that would achieve the same outcomes”.

They also suggested the life-span of the facilities could be less than expected and could leave the council saddled with unpaid debt.

The challenges will be considered at the next meeting of the overview and scrutiny committee, which will be held at Enfield Civic Centre at 7.30pm on Wednesday, August 22.