Plans for tower blocks up to 29-storeys high on a retail park near the A10 have been submitted to Enfield Council.

The huge scheme would provide up to 1,800 homes at Colosseum Retail Park, which lies just off the A10 between Enfield Town and Ponders End.

Just over a third (35 per cent) of the homes would be classed as affordable by habitable room.

The plans, submitted by London-based NEAT Developments, also include a ‘work hub’, shops, cafes, and space for a creche and doctors’ surgery.

Public realm and open space – including two new parks – is expected to make up more than a third of the site.

The designs have been shaped by feedback from hundreds of residents who attended public consultation events held between November 2018 and July 2019.

According to the developer, they aim to maximise the amount of sunlight and daylight provided to the new homes and open spaces.

Colosseum Retail Park is currently occupied by large retailers B&Q and Dunelm, along with a Gala Bingo hall and a KFC outlet. These would all be demolished to make way for the new scheme.

A letter to the council from the developer’s agent states that shopping patterns are “changing rapidly” and large retail parks “are being challenged by online sales platforms and are reliant on car trips”.

It adds that the Government has called for more use of previously developed brownfield land to meet the high demand for homes in Enfield and across the UK.

If the scheme is approved by the council’s planning committee, construction of the first phase will start in 2022. It will see blocks of flats of six, nine, 18 and 29 storeys built at the site, providing 444 homes.

Plans for the second phase have been submitted in ‘outline’ form, meaning further details will be provided at a later date.

The agent’s letter adds: “The proposed development seeks to create a new neighbourhood which also strengthens the connection between established communities in Enfield Town, Southbury and Ponders End.

“Given the underutilised nature of the site, leases of existing tenants expiring over the coming years and the absence of any significant heritage, physical and environmental constraints, the applicants (and local planning authority) are presented with a unique window of opportunity to establish Colosseum Retail Park as a new place and ensuring that both the site and wider area meet its full potential.”

To view and comment on the plans, visit Enfield’s online planning register and enter reference 20/00788/OUT

The planning register is available here.