A strong economy that nurtures commerce
Enfield has a buzzing economy right now. Historically Enfield’s employment specialism was in the engineering and manufacturing sector. Today around
17% of the workforce is still employed in these industries, but more recently there has been a movement towards technological innovation. With property prices currently, around 20% below the national average forecasts predict prices will increase over the next five years. Speculations include price growth of up to 13.6% in parts of London and Enfield has already increased over 11.5% in the past year.
Enfield has been referred to as ‘Britain’s equivalent to Silicon Valley’ with its advancements in computer and microchip technology. Ferguson famously made. The world’s first solid state circuitry colour televisions locally. Hotpoint also produced the first mass-produced Dishwasher in the area.
The Palace Xchange is £43-million major redevelopment that began in 2007. The major retail endeavour featuring 22 of the top names in fashion and food really does prove there is no shortage of investment in Enfield. There is no shortage of businesses gracing the borough with their presence either. The Tibbett & Britten Group, Western Aerospace, TDK Semiconductor, Schweppes and Coca-Cola are amongst the big-name companies based here. This is kind of high-calibre commerce that takes place in Enfield and a strong economy means a solid investment opportunity. Enfield is always pushing frontiers in business. In June 1967 television actor, and star of ‘On The Buses’ Reg Varney opened the world’s first cash machine or ATM at the Enfield branch of Barclay’s TBank.The borough, together with Transport for London and Sustrans are jointly developing a network called Greenways. These largely off-highway walking and cycle routes will connect many of the area’s open spaces and parks. The project will then link up with a whole network of further Greenways being developed throughout the capital. That means Enfield property investment is perfect for you if you're looking for a London regeneration area.
Discover more with the full Enfield Property Investment Guide.
Economy & Employment
Enfield is a leader in energy efficiency for the masses offering grants to ‘get green.’
The ‘Smart Homes’ scheme offers a Government grant to improve energy efficiency locally. The project is designed to improve efficiency and save residents money. The scheme offers grants of up to 75% toward the cost of energy improvements and is available to owner-occupiers, private tenants and private landlords.
In 2007, Enfield Town centre completed a major redevelopment project under the name PalaceXchange while retaining the Palace Gardens Shopping Centre. An extension was added to the existing retail area with many new shops, and a second multi-storey car park was built along with a new road layout, creating extra employment in the area.
Investment
Enfield is at the forefront of regeneration of new homes and commercial space
The Ponders End Framework for Change is local, a profile-raising initiative within the north-east part of Enfield. It was formed to work with local businesses, residents and stakeholders, to develop improvements for the local area. It was awarded Best Conceptual Plan in the 2010 London Planning Awards and has also been chosen as one of the Mayor of London’s Great Spaces. Last year, the first of five phases began on the new £80 million Ladderswood regeneration site. Originally ageing houses and light industrial units, it is being redesigned with over 500 new homes, a hotel, community centre, and 1,400 m2 of commercial space. A redevelopment of Edmonton Green which started in 1999 is still ongoing and provides new housing, health facilities, a new leisure centre, a supermarket, and many other civic features.
Transport
Air: Easy airport access to Stansted and Luton in around 45 minutes and Heathrow and Southend in about an hour.
Rail: With Abellio Greater Anglia services from Liverpool Street and one of the Lea Valley Lines, Enfield Town is the most central of the stations in the borough. With a travelling time of under an hour to the major employment hubs in central London, it is well used by commuters. There are also four stations on the Piccadilly line of the London Underground.
Road: Access is easy by the substantial road network. Enfield is served by the M25, A406 North Circular Road, A10 Great Cambridge Road and the A1010 Hertford Road.
Bus: There are a number of bus services operating that link Enfield with the local districts and further afield into the city.
Education
Schools: 7 primary, 7 secondary, 8 independent.
Notable institutions include:
- Highland School for boys and girls aged 11-18. This mixed comprehensive was built in 2002, it boasts state of the art equipment, and was rated as outstanding by Ofsted in 2014.
- St Ignatius’ College for boys aged 11-18 is the borough’s largest Catholic School, one of the best non-selective schools at both GCSE and A-Level.
- Higher Education: In 2012 Middlesex University restructured its academic schools in order to align them more closely with the needs of industry. Courses at Middlesex are now delivered by the schools of Business, Law, Art and Design, Health and Education, Media and Performing Arts and Science and Technology, alongside the university’s Institute for Work Based Learning. As of the 2013 academic year, at a cost of £150 million, it has now concentrated the university on one site in nearby Hendon.
Shops & Leisure
Shopping: Shoppers have the choice of the open-air 215,000 sq ft Palace Gardens Shopping Centre with its 40 shops in the town centre, as well as Palace Exchange on Hatton Walk. The town centre also hosts a very popular and diverse street market on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays throughout the year.
Further south is the very popular Edmonton Green Shopping Centre, with over 120 retail and food outlets, and which attracts over 200,000 weekly visitors, and a short drive north to Waltham Cross you will find the Pavilions Shopping Centre with over 50 stores.
Leisure: More than 100km of rivers flow through Enfield. The Lea Valley is home to outdoor pursuits such as nature walks, boating, fishing and horse-riding. Culturally, there is the Whitewebbs Museum and for theatre-lovers, there is the choice of three. The Chickenshed Theatre, with a membership of around 800 is home to the largest youth theatre in Europe.
