Enfield Council plans to house homeless London families at Dutton Close, Stoke Heath. Shropshire Council says it cannot stop it, but wants Enfield to rethink.

Enfield Council in north London is proposing to house families it owes a housing duty to at Dutton Close, the new-build street at Stoke Heath near Market Drayton. Shropshire Council has written to Enfield asking it not to go ahead.

The council says it has no legal power to stop the placements. Its statement of 8 October says the homes are being offered to rent or buy on the open market, and Enfield would place households through private rented arrangements (Shropshire Council newsroom, 8 October).

It is the second time this year the 25 homes have been earmarked for people from outside the area. In July the Home Office withdrew Dutton Close from its asylum dispersal programme after a review, following objections from the council, the parish council and residents (Shropshire Council, Dutton Close).

What the letter says

The council published its letter, dated 7 October, alongside the statement. It is signed by Shropshire Council’s chief executive, Tanya Miles, and by the clerk of Stoke upon Tern Parish Council, and addressed to Enfield’s executive director for housing (letter to Enfield Council, PDF).

It describes the site as “effectively a street surrounded by open countryside (fields) close to a prison and a military airfield”. The council’s objections are practical ones:

  • there are no shops or other amenities within walking distance
  • there is no railway station
  • the nearest bus stop is about 1.5 miles away, with one bus an hour and none after 7pm
  • the walk to that stop is along a country road with a very narrow path, unsuitable for wheelchairs or buggies
  • households would in practice need a car for shops, schools, GP visits and work

The letter also points to recent events at the site. It mentions a visible police presence, online activity and protests over the summer, and says social media activity in Market Drayton last week needed a police response. The councils say placing London households there risks “avoidable community tensions” and could leave the families themselves isolated.

Residents and the parish council want the homes kept for local people to buy or rent, the letter says. It adds that the development was supported locally because of housing need in the area.

The law on out-of-area placements

The letter sets out the rules Enfield has to follow under the Housing Act 1996:

  • any accommodation offered to a homeless household must be suitable for everyone in it, and location is always a relevant factor
  • a council should house people within its own district so far as reasonably practicable
  • if it places a household in another council’s area, it must notify that council
  • where a private rented offer is used to end the homelessness duty, the suitability check has to cover access to work, schools, medical care and local transport, and the distance from the home borough

Shropshire Council asks Enfield to show it has looked for homes in or nearer Enfield first, and to say whether the Stoke Heath homes would be temporary accommodation or a final offer. It has asked for an urgent meeting.

We could not find any public statement from Enfield Council on Dutton Close when we checked on 11 October.

Where Stoke Heath is

Stoke Heath is about three miles south west of Market Drayton, in the parish of Stoke upon Tern. Outline planning permission for 25 homes on the Dutton Close site was granted in 2015 as open market housing. Under the Section 106 agreement, three were to be affordable: two for affordable rent and one for low-cost ownership (planning reference 15/00415/OUT). The letter says the homes are a mix of two and three bedrooms.

What it means for you

  • If you live in Stoke Heath or Market Drayton, nothing has been confirmed. The council says the decision rests with Enfield, and neither council has said any household has yet moved in under this arrangement.
  • If you want to raise a concern, the council’s own advice from the summer still applies: report any immediate risk or crime to the police, and raise council service issues with the relevant Shropshire Council service. Your ward councillor and Stoke upon Tern Parish Council are the local routes.
  • If you are looking for a home locally, the houses are listed on the open market. The letter says residents want them kept for local people.

We will update this story when Enfield responds or the councils meet.

Sources