Enfield Island Village

Enfield Island Village
Essex
Enfield Island Village
Location
Grid reference:	TQ373986
Location:	51°40’12"N, 0°-0’54"W
Data
Post town:	Enfield
Postcode:	EN3
Dialling code:	01992
Local Government
Council:	Enfield
Parliamentary constituency:	Enfield North

Enfield Island Village is a village created by a modern housing estate development built on land previously occupied by the Royal Small Arms Factory. It stands at the western edge of Essex, to the north-east of Enfield (the latter in Middlesex), and takes the 'island' name as it is placed between the diverted course of the River Lea, to the east, and the old course of the river (and the River Lea Navigation) to the west.

Imnmediately to the west is Enfield Lock, named from the lock on the canal of the same name. The River Lee Navigation canal marks the edge of the development, and beewtween it and the Lea's old course is Government Row, a terrace built for the workers in the factory.

History

The Royal Small Arms Factory was built in the marshes of the River Lea in 1816, to make muskets and swords for the army. The factory was decommissioned and privatised in 1984, and sold to British Aerospace. Together with Trafalgar House, British Aerospace launched a joint venture company, Lee Valley Developments, and in 1996, the land was sold to Fairview Homes, who developed the new village.

After planning permission was granted for the development, it was developed as a model brown field development, with a clay cap at a depth of three feet under the topsoil. Safety inspections were initially carried out every six months, but this has now been reduced to annual monitoring only.

Housing on the island

The housing estate was built by Fairview New Homes between 1997 and 2003 on a 100-acre brown-field site. It comprises a mixture of housing ranging from one-bedroom flats to five-bedroom houses. In line with national standards, 25% of the housing was designated as social housing, and some of the original buildings have been retained. The development has a central parkland area and a small shopping centre. The shops include a small supermarket, a pharmacy, and a take-away restaurant. The Island also has its own doctor's surgery, private fitness centre, and a primary school (Keys Meadow) in nearby Enfield Lock across the boundary in Middlesex. A library opened in 2008.

Riverside gardens

The River Lea flows through the village

This is a private development, and residents are responsible for many aspects of life on the Island through the Enfield Island Village Trust. The Trust is responsible for the upkeep of common land, including the ornamental canal and parkland, utilities such as the waste water system, and for enforcing legal covenants covering the development.

Pictures

• 
  James Lee] square
• 
  Former police station
• 
  Water tower on the island
• 
  Road bridge leading to the island across the River Lee Navigation

The old RSAF

• 
  The Pattern Room
• 
  The machine shop
• 
  RSAF interpretation centre
• 
  The former gun barrel forge and grindery

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Enfield Island Village)

• Enfield Island Village Trust
• RSA Island Centre
• Official Website of the Royal Small Arms Factory Apprentices' Association

References

• Panorama transcript: Brownfield development
• Sinclair, Iain: 'London Orbital : a walk around the M25' (2002) ISBN 978-1-86207-547-4