Enfield Chase landscape restoration

London’s largest ecosystem restoration

Enfield Council is investigating opportunities to improve biodiversity by creating new and expanded habitats for wildlife, and broaden access to our blue and green spaces.

The work at Enfield Chase is London’s largest woodland and nature restoration initiative. The aim is to convert up to 1,000 hectares of farmland into a publicly accessible nature space which links to our existing parks and open spaces. It will result in the creation of hundreds of hectares of new woodland, with ponds and wetlands that will be easily accessed through a network of footpaths and cycleways.

This will be one of the largest nature restoration projects close to a large city anywhere in the UK. It will deliver sustainable benefits locally, regionally and nationally.

Why the project is needed in Enfield Chase

Hundreds of years ago, the royal hunting forest of Enfield Chase covered most of the London Borough of Enfield. This landscape of ancient woodland, meadows and wild rivers was vastly different to what we see today. Over the years, the trees have been felled and rivers have been straightened and dredged, so now only a few fragments of this historic landscape remain.

The negative impact of this loss is significant. Soil has been degraded and wildlife habitats destroyed, leading to a huge loss of biodiversity. The rivers have been dis-connected from their natural floodplains, meaning that water flows downstream too quickly during storms, which increases flood risk in places like Edmonton.

The Enfield Chase landscape restoration project plans, aims to:

attract visitors through better infrastructure and an exciting programme of events and activities
create more publicly accessible areas in the rural parts of Enfield
restore heavily modified rivers to a more natural state
reduce flooding downstream in the urban parts of the borough, like Edmonton, using natural flood management measures, such as ponds and woodlands
create and enhance habitats for wildlife, including woodlands, meadows, and wetlands

Net zero

The project will also make a positive contribution to the council’s ambition of creating a net zero borough by 2040. Converting farmland to a mosaic habitat of woodlands, wetlands, grasslands and scrub, stretching over hundreds of hectares, will create a significant area to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Help us develop the project

We are currently developing the project. The information you provide in our survey will help us create a plan that has input from, and brings benefits for, Enfield’s communities.

Enfield Chase landscape restoration community survey

Achievements so far

80 hectares of new accessible woodland – 142,000 trees planted, plus areas set aside for natural regeneration
Making space for water – 50 ponds and wetland scrapes provide valuable habitat and stormwater reduction
Access and usability – 3.5km of London Loop footpath upgraded
Community engagement – over 2,000 volunteers, plus hundreds of school children have taken part in planting events

Volunteering

We are always looking for enthusiastic volunteers of all ages to join woodland volunteer days. New volunteers are welcome to join on Tuesdays from 10am to 2pm. For more information, email info@friendsofenfieldchase.org.uk.

Key partners

For more information on the environmental benefits of the project, visit Thames21.

We also suggest you visit Friends of Enfield Chase Facebook page for further information and regular updates.

In partnership with, Thames21, The Mayor of London, Forestry Commission, Friends of Enfield Chase, Greener Enfield, Environment Agency, Climate Action Enfield, and Enfield’s Farmers.