January Updates from GRH OYD
THE AMAZING STORY OF A NEW DEVELOPMENT
The 78 recently completed ‘Car- Free’ apartments in the two blocks at 100 Church Street are no longer for sale and are now in the hands of the Council.
The story is complicated but has an almost obvious ending.
In 2022 a planning application went before the Council Planning Committee for a new development of ‘Car-Free’ New Homes
One of our current Town Ward Councillors, Mike Rye, was on that committee and raised an objection to the application. He told us recently that the ‘Car Free part of it was just nonsense’.
However, the application was granted as at that time the Council was addressing air quality and climate change by, ‘facilitating such measures as Car-Free developments’.
The building of the two blocks went ahead and was finished on time in December last year.
The plans made room for three ‘blue badge’ parking spaces.
Plans were also made for permanent parking for cycles in each of the two blocks – 140 in the South block and 96 in the North block.
One or two months before the completion date the developers began to promote the properties.
We understand that the developers could not at this stage sell the properties. A Councillor tells us that it was,’probably because of car-free’
All 78 units are now completed as 1,2 or 3 bedroom flats. The outside of the buildings are complete and the scaffolding is being removed but it is not known whether the interiors have so far had work done or completed.
It is understood that the owners are now seeking to convert both blocks to Social Housing. They have submitted a Planning Application to the Coucil to do so.
It has been, ‘requested that the Planning Committee determines this application as it is a major change.
There are no plans for the Council to purchase the properties. The owners simply plan a change of use to Social Housing and not Private.
SO WHAT WENT WRONG ?
The developers spent millions of pounds creating the 78 ‘Top End’ flats in the two blocks. It included the demolition of the office block that stood on that site, a huge crane, massive scaffold construction, large workforce and a lot of interest in the ’brick’ build.
It probably first went wrong when the Council gave the go-ahead in 2022 but only as a ‘Car-Free’ building to support its Clean Air Campaign. It development would be allowed three parking spaces and basement accommodation for more than 200 cycles.
It went really wrong when it was near completion towards the end of last year. The brochure was produced, Hamptons taken on as Estate Agents and the developers began to realise that a large percentage of buyers would have cars and they would want a Residents Parking Permit.
IF PERMITS HAD BEEN AVAILABLE THEN SOME OF THOSE CARS WOULD PROBABLY BE LOOKING FOR A PARKING SPACE ON GENTLEMAN’S ROW.
Weekly Waste. Cleaner Place.
On a number of occasions last year GRH contacted our Ward Councilors and Officers at the Council about the levels of waste and litter around the GRH area. During our discussions and exchange of emails the Council provided assurances that our roads and green spaces are cleaned regularly. However, examples of dropped litter, rubbish on street corners and abandoned shopping trollies still continue.
We have a WEEKLY collection of household rubbish and recycling on Wednesdays whereas the majority of the borough have collections every TWO WEEKS
In addition a number of other services are provided by the Borough and ALL of them are FREE:
Report Litter, Overflowing bins and dumping issues click here
Report abandoned shopping trollies to Trolleywise click here
Book a slot at Barrowell Green Recycling Centre click here
Book Free Bulky Waste Collection click here
Report Anti-Social Behaviour to Safer Neighbourhood click here
Report New River Loop problems including pollution, dumped items and dead animals click here
To contact Councillors or Enfield MP click here
SO TO HELP KEEP GRH CLEAN & TIDY IN 2026……….
** Put Waste and recycling bags out for collection on the right day so as not to encourage foxes to look for food
** Don’t put surplus household waste next to or into a litter bin but just use a blue or grey bag of the appropriate colour
** Don’t leave large objects on the pavement without arranging a bulky waste collection (See Above)
COMING UP IN MARCH
GRH will be organising another Litter Pick in conjunction with Keep Britain Tidy’s Annual GREAT BRITISH SPRING CLEAN.
During our litter picking event last June residents collected over 20 bags of litter and waste from our small area. We contacted the Council and a couple of days later they collected all the bags.
LET THERE BE LIGHT
Before Christmas Winter was settling in and part of Gentleman’s Row was very dark in places. As with every year one of the street lamps was ineffective as a tree next to it was wrapping its branches around the top of the lamp and cutting out most of the light.
Two particular residents didn’t like the idea of a long dark winter with reduced lighting so they obtained a sturdy metal ladder, borrowed a pair of hedge clippers and within ten minutes enough of the tree had been cut away to guarantee enough street light throughout the winter.
Just three days later in the darkest part of Gentleman’s Row another resident obtained a small but very bright floodlight and attached it to the brick wall making sure that it’s now a brightly lit thoroughfare. The lamp is not the type that comes on as someone approaches but stays on during the dark night-time hours.
Thanks to 3 residents things are a whole lot brighter.
NEW VISION’ FOR PALACE GARDENS
Shortly before Christmas four representatives from GRH attended a public meeting in a shop unit in the Palace Gardens Shopping Centre to hear about plans being made for a ‘New Vision’ for the 80s Shopping Mall.
Representatives from the Enfield Society and Enfield Town Residents Association (ETRA) were also there but few other people. It seems there is a schedule to redevelop certain areas of the current Palace Gardens but the diagram distributed makes it obvious that the major stores of Pearsons, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose will stay where they are and not be included in any development.
Most of the people attending were concerned that any new development should be carefully planned with on-going regular consultations with the Enfield community. A member of the Enfield Town Residents Association was concerned that other areas had suffered through bad planning and the local environment had been wrecked by , ‘So called development and progress.’ Examples given were Waltham Cross, Edmonton Green and Wood Green.
There was general agreement that only regular community consultations can avoid what the town doesn’t want but otherwise there was no discussion of any specific ideas or plans. Maybe there might be at the next open Consultation Meeting.
NEXT CONSULTATION MEETING IS DUE LATER THIS SPRING
BUT A DATE IS STILL TO BE CONFIRMED
GRH LAND GRAB
So who is responsible for the small parcel of land at the end of Gentleman’s Row ?
We have contacted the Council to try and find out.
This unkempt patch was cleared of litter and debris by residents in December and we are keen to see it better maintained. Before we become ‘Guerilla Gardeners’ we hope to find out more on who is responsible for the land and see if it can be transferred.
AS ALWAYS PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU HAVE:
Ideas on how to improve things
Stories you would like information on
Issues you would like to know about
Just contact us at grhresidents@live.com
STAY IN TOUCH
EMAIL: grhresidents@live.com
WEBSITE: www.grhresidentsassociation.org
INSTAGRAM: @grhenfield
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/grhenfield