March Updates from GRH OYD
TODAY
SUNDAY 22nd March
ANNUAL GRH LITTER PICK
PART OF KEEP BRITAIN TIDY’S GREAT BRITISH SPRING CLEAN
JOIN US @ 11.00 at the Wedding Bridge.
WE HAVE ALL THE THINGS YOU’LL NEED
300 NEW HOMES INCLUDED IN
SHOPPING CENTRE DEVELOPMENT
‘IT’S AMAZING
THE EFFECT THAT DEUTSCHE BANK IS GOING TO HAVE
ON THE FUTURE OF ENFIELD’
So said one man as he looked at the illustrated plans for the development of Palace Gardens. A couple of weeks ago more details were revealed about what is really planned - for some people it’s not good news !
A company called RivingtonHark has been employed to oversee the development. The plans have been well covered during the past two weeks by The Enfield Society, Enfield Dispatch and Love Your Doorstep Enfield but GRH went along to one of the Drop-In Displays and this is what we discovered:
It’s not just going to be a development of the Shopping Centre but it includes housing in no less than five newly built blocks.
One of the blocks is planned to be 14 storeys, two are 10 storeys and 3 are 5 storeys.
The blocks will be built on land released by demolished shops plus ‘brown-belt’ land currently behind the Centre and used for regular visits by delivery lorries.
About 20 shops are going to be demolished but staying will be Marks & Spencer, Waitrose, Pearsons and Iceland.
Retail outlets will be built at the base of the five developments. A garden will be at the top of one of blocks.
Altogether 64 floors are proposed in the five blocks far more than the building with 26 floors that was rejected in 2020
Demolition and building is scheduled to begin in 2028 or 2029 and the project is estimated to take two years
There is no plan to include a cinema in the new development as ‘the client’( Deutsche Bank not Enfield Council) says it is too expensive.
The current plan is to develop a cinema in the Dugdale Arts Centre which is currently scheduled for closure
We briefly spoke to Andrew Goodwin the Project Director from RivingtonHark who told us that the attitude of the planners was that ‘Palace Gardens no longer fully realizes its potential as a focal point for Enfield residents and visitors’. He did, however, go on to say that, ‘The project team is committed to listening, collaboration and long-term involvment’.
TO KEEP UP WITH DETAIL COVERAGE OF THE DEVELOPMENT WE SUGGEST THAT IT IS WORTH JOINING THE ENFIELD SOCIETY for only £10 per year.
PARKING PROBLEMS CONTINUE !
The five blocks of apartments in the Palace Gardens development plus the recently completed two blocks at 100 Church Street provide almost 400 new homes but whilst the Church Street block are still officially ‘Car-Free’ we heard no such phrase being used about the Palace Gardens accommodation.
Instead the talk was about the owners getting or buying Parking Permits for the Waitrose multi-storey car park or the Tesco Car Park. To us both seem rather ridiculous as it immediately begs the question, ‘Where do the shoppers park ?’
AT LAST ENFIELD COUNCIL SAY YES
The Millennium Fountain in Chase Green Gardens was opened with much ceremony in 2000. Now more than 25 years later it is no longer a working fountain but covered in mud and litter.
Back in May last year we received an extensive report from James Wheeler, Head of Operational Estates Management, saying among other things, ‘I took the decision some time ago to take this fountain out of service due to health and safety concerns’. Since then Mr Wheeler has left Enfield Council to work for another authority.
In September we wrote to Katie Smith who we knew worked in the Estates Management department as she had been very helpful when GRH were running the Barney’s Bridge campaign. We were asking for a residents meeting to discuss the fountain and it’s neglected state. The request for the meeting was ignored.
However, it transpired that GRH were not the only people who were ignored by the Council. Councillor Mike Rye, one of three Councillors for Town Ward told us that the three have had no involvement in the future of the fountain. They have been given no information about the fountain and have not been consulted at any time about the fountain. Speaking about the on-going problem Mike Rye said, ‘I suspect the problem is neglect and a lack of analysis of the benefits of the fountain’.
By February this year more residents were commenting on the state of the Fountain that is no longer a Fountain and suggesting that it might make an attractive flower bed or simply be left as an attractive piece of Millennium sculpture.
We decided to write to Mark Sullivan the new Head of Estates requesting an On-Site meeting with residents to discuss the future of the once attractive twenty five year old Millennium Fountain.
After nine months of trying to get the Council to meet and discuss the future of the fountain Mark Sullivan replied last week saying he would be happy to meet GRH residents sometime soon. He even left his mobile number.
WE’LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN A DATE AND TIME ARE FIXED SO THAT IF YOU ARE INTERESTED YOU CAN COME ALONG AND JOIN THE MEETING.
DURING THE PAST SIX MONTHS
THERE HAVE BEEN AN INCREASING NUMBER OF FILM OR TELEVISION CREWS ARRIVING AT CLARENDON COTTAGE IN GENTLEMAN’S ROW.
They are usually very efficient whether in charge of lighting , make-up , camera, costume, transport or the all important directing. There is often a large crowd of them and the owner tells us, ‘I’m obviously hugely grateful to all the neighbours for their patience when the crews are in residence’
For certain kinds of film or TV programme the Grade Two listed property is very attractive. In the sixteenth century it was a Hall House – just one large room with a fire at its centre. Extensions were added in the seventeenth century and in the 1800s it spent some time as a boarding house and later, like many houses in Gentleman’s Row, it became a girl’s school.
Towards the end of last year neighbours may have seen the TV Cook Mary Berry who was visiting with a large team to record her Christmas Special. Also towards the end of last year actor John Lithgow was appearing in the West End in a hit play about Roald Dahl and made a promotional film for the Broadway transfer using the house.
Also made here were Drained, a feature film on Amazon, ‘Osborne House’ Documentary on TV, a trailer for ‘Giant’ another Broadway production and various commercials for Amazon TV.
The owner tells us that there is another booking for a film company coming up soon.
GREAT IDEA FROM A RESIDENT……….
A GRH Resident has approached the committee and suggested we do something about the small plot of land at the end of Gentleman’s Row
Not only that but he has ideas to suggest………..
Either we contact the Council and ask them to include it in the list of locations they manage. ‘If they made it like the plantings next to the Town Cenotaph that would be ideal,’ he said.
Or we ask for permission to take it on, tidy it up and manage it.
GRH WILL NOW CONTACT THE PARKS DEPARTMENT
GRAFITTI IS (SLOWLY) SPREADING
There seems to be a steady increase of graffiti in the GRH area which has increased in the past couple of weeks.
The increase is referred to as ‘light grafitti’ which suggests that the ‘graffitist’ makes a quick visit to spray the ‘message’ and then moves on. We are of course very fortunate there is no multi-coloured graffiti.
In our area the dark spots seem to attract new ‘designs’ – the archway between Gentleman’s Row and Chapel Street and the dark approach to Barneys Bridge which is where the latest appears. This one in particular has a strange message (below).
Graffiti spreads if allowed to so the thing to do is report it to the Council as soon as it is seen. In the past it’s proved very effective if different individuals report an incident rather than one person. Just go to:
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 write to us at the below address.
STAY IN TOUCH
EMAIL: grhresidents@live.com
WEBSITE: www.grhresidentsassociation.org
INSTAGRAM: @grhenfield
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/grhenfield