Homes for private sale and rent at the Meridian Water regeneration scheme “will only be marketed within the UK”, council bosses have claimed.

Leader Cllr Nesil Caliskan and Meridian Water director Peter George have sought to play down the risk of overseas investors snapping up properties on the £6 billion scheme.

But a cross-party scrutiny committee has called for more evidence to show how the council will stop sales to overseas investors.

It marks the latest in a series of exchanges between the Meridian Water Scrutiny Workstream and the council administration over a wide-ranging report into the Edmonton-based regeneration project.

Included in the papers for Wednesday’s cabinet meeting, the letter signed by Cllr Caliskan and Peter George, dated October 6, states: “Enfield Council is committed to ensuring that the residential private sale homes are not marketed overseas.

“Private sale homes will only be marketed within the UK to contribute to addressing the chronic undersupply of homes nationally.

“All of the private rented homes at Meridian Water will only be marketed within the UK.”

The scrutiny workstream’s original report states that the council’s own financial viability assessment identifies overseas investors as “important initial targets” for sales. It also claims very few people in Enfield will be able to afford to buy a home on the scheme.

But Cllr Caliskan and Mr George claim in their letter that the viability assessment was a “supplemental piece of evidence” and it is “misleading” to suggest it represents the overall strategy for Meridian Water.

They also state further evidence will be published to demonstrate the affordability of homes at Meridian Water to the people of Edmonton and the rest of the borough.

However, the workstream’s response, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, denies the claim it suggested the council would “proactively” market the homes overseas. It adds that the viability assessment is “key evidence in setting the maximum level of affordable housing the scheme can deliver”.

The letter adds: “Please provide the evidence to show that purchases by overseas investors will be prohibited.”

The latest response from the administration also denies claims that Meridian Water will be one of the most densely populated areas in London, but the workstream has questioned the measurements used to support this statement.

Enfield Council has been approached for comment.