TES News

TES NewsNo 188 Winter 2012The newsletter of The Enfield SocietyEntertainment on Chase Green, 7 am to 11 pm?These notices appeared around ChaseGreen recently and have given rise to agreat many emails, phone calls and lettersto the Society. Our letter of objection wason hold for a few days while we clarifiedthe legal position of the Chase Green whether it is registered as a common orvillage green, which gives it some legalprotection. This has proved somewhatdifficult to verify as the register the Councilis obliged to maintain and have availablefor consultation is proving elusive.However investigation by Stuart Mills hasnow shown that the Green is registered as avillage green, under the CommonsRegistration Act 1965. As there are rulesabout how a registered green can be used,including prohibitions on undertaking anyact which causes injury to the green orwhich interrupts the use or enjoyment of agreen as a place of exercise and recreation,there will be many events which wouldcontravene these requirements.Historically the Green is a remainingvestige of the Royal Hunting grounds. The16th century saw the start of the EnclosuresActs and gradually the Chase disappeareduntil in 1803 the common rights onthe land were finally abolished andthe Chase Green charity was set upto look after the remaining land asan open space for public recreation.The Urban District Council ofEnfield took over this responsibilityin 1899. Several people havementioned the plague pit reputed tohave been dug on the Green in themiddle ages, but unfortunately thereseems to be no firm evidence of this.It was due to the threat to build thenew Town Hall on "the people’sland" that the Enfield Society wasfirst suggested. Valerie Carter'sFighting for the Future states that itwas in 1935 when "thechampions of Chasegreen gathered inforce" and a Societywas mooted to "ensurechange did notinterfere with thenatural beauties andamenities of thedistrict" -somethingwe feel this licence islikely to do.It gives theCouncil carte blancheto allow almost any kind of sporting eventor entertainment on the Green, whether forthe odd day or for an extended period. Thelist of potential threats seems endless and allin a conservation area: noise; rubbish;traffic; parking; loss of access to a publicspace; damage to the Green; access issuesfor vehicles to erect and remove proposedtemporary structures; health and safety;requirement for plant and heavy machinery;possible alcohol in an alcohol free area, andI'm sure you can think of more. It was withrather an ironic smile I noticed the licencerequest was pinned to the same lamppost asanother notice stating that anyone causing anuisance on the public space of the Greencould be removed forthwith.Over the past week I have received moreletters, phone calls and emails on this topicthan on any other during my time asChairman. It shows the strength of people'sfeelings and the importance of the Green,something we hope the Council will takeinto account when deciding on this matterin December.Janet McQueenChase Green, October 20121Joining The Enfield SocietyIf you are not already a member, you canjoin the Society by sending your name andaddress, telephone number and emailaddress to Membership Secretary, TheEnfield Society, 2 Parsonage Lane,Enfield EN2 0AJ. The minimum annualsubscription is 2.50 per person ( 5.00per couple), but additional donations arewelcome. Please make cheques payable to“The Enfield Society”. Membership is fora calendar year; subscriptions receivednow will give membership until the end of2013.It would assist the Society if you wereable to include the following wording,signed and dated. This will allow us toreclaim tax on your subscription at no costto yourself:“I confirm that I am a UK Income Tax /Capital Gains Tax payer and that thesum I pay is greater than the tax thecharity will reclaim on this payment.Please treat all subscriptions anddonations I make to The Enfield Societyuntil further notice as Gift Aid payments”.New houses for oldEnfield Council have announced that sixformer sheltered housing blocks arebeing demolished to make way for familyhousing. Demolition started in Septemberat Jasper Close in Enfield Wash andTudor Crescent in Enfield Chase.The remaining sites are at Forty Hill,Lavender Hill at the junction withBlossom Lane, St George's Road andParsonage Lane.These blocks were built as smallsheltered bedsits in the 1950s /60s. Theyhad shared washing facilities andalthough acceptable at the time, they areoutdated and have not been occupied formany years. The blocks are not suitablefor refurbishment since their originalconstruction was based on single personliving.All six sites should be cleared ready forredevelopment by spring 2013 with plansfor 80 new private and council familyhomes. A redevelopment partner willstart work from September 2013, with thefirst new properties being complete fromsummer 2014.

Conservation and developmentAs part of ensuring it is managed to bestadvantage, each conservation area has tohave what is known as a CharacterAppraisal. These require updating everyfive years as things on the ground change.At the request of Enfield Council’sHeritage Department draft revisions havebeen carried out by the local groupsrelating to the individual areas and in ourcase we have been made responsible forthe Turkey Street Conservation Area, withno local group, and Highlands.Additionally, for the Enfield Town StudyGroup, Caroline Carter has produced areview of Enfield Town, which has ofcourse seen major change over the pastfive years.8th November but copies of the plan andrelated documents can be obtained fromthe Council’s website at http://www.enfield.gov.uk/info/200057/planning policy/507/north east enfield area action plan . For copies of theconsultation document call 020 8379 3866.Centred on the Hertford Road, the areaincludes communities to the west as wellas to the east of this spine road and theadjacent industrial areas. This is a animportant document, looking towards acomprehensive regeneration of ahistorically important area of Enfield,which now presents many challenges asregards housing, employment, transportlinks and recreation. It contains many localcentres and the plans for sustainablegrowth will focus around these.Turkey StreetForty HallSurprisingly, even Turkey Street hasundergone change, with a new housereplacing a former (the only) shop and amuch improved heritage style footbridge atthe western end leading to the AylandsOpen Space. Uncollected litter anduncontrolled weed growth in ornamentalflower beds in front of the Aylands OpenSpace make a sorry spectacle of whatshould be an attractive new entrance.English Heritage has finally relented in itsopposition to any widening of thefrequently traffic damaged entrance gatesto the Forty Hall estate. The preferreddesign, as illustrated, which we support,ConservationGateway redesigned by Thomas Ford & PartnersHighlandsIn the case of Highlands, with theConservation Area reduced to less than onethird of its former area, we noticed aninaccuracy in that the previous draft hadoverlooked the fact that one of the originalpavilions had earlier been replaced by amuch larger and less attractive block,Beveridge Court. The remaining NHSpresence has now been quite successfullyreplaced by Blackwell Close but a newblock, Barnard Court, a crude andawkward design, allowed on appeal,breaches most of the guidelines which haveled to the successful residential conversionof the original hospital pavilions. Carryingout the review confirmed our view thatdownsizing the Conservation Area to justthe original Pennington Drive loop roadhas gone too far.In both cases, weaknesses identified in theoriginal appraisals have mostly not beenaddressed.North East EnfieldThe recent Conservation Advisory Groupmeeting also included a briefing on apublic consultation on the new North EastEnfield Area Action Plan. The ActionPlan will form part of Enfield’s Local Planand covers an area stretching from the M25southwards to Ponders End. Theconsultation unfortunately lasts only untilincreases the height of the inner two piersto preserve the sense of proportion;similarly, the tops of the new gates (theoriginals are beyond repair) curve downtowards the centre. To achieve this, thenorthernmost section will be movedoutwards and rebuilt. This should removethe need for any additional entrances fromForty Hill.Whitewebbs LaneFurther north, along Whitewebbs Lane thenews is not so good. Yet anotherapplication by Tottenham Hotspur seemsset to continue the process of convertingthis land, which is in the Green Belt andthe Conservation Area, into a sterilewasteland. The application now takes in anadditional 2.1 acres of the western field, inthe interests of a tarmac surfaced helipad(actual location not specified) and 2.2metre high, open concrete bunkers tocontain green waste for recycling, some ofit from Capel Manor. Screening will be byraised planted bunds, height unspecified,which will hem in the isolated Keeper’sCottage in the centre of the site, as willextended 2 metre high weldmesh fences.Anywhere else in a Green Beltconservation area all this would beunacceptable and our objection is on thosegrounds.2Enfield TownIn Enfield Town some long anticipateddevelopments are coming to fruition.Barclays BankWhatever one thinks of the new,dazzling interior, the alterations to thisfine building have not damaged theexterior. The stylish, wooden frontdoors have been retained, albeit insliding form. We never couldunderstand why this building could notbe listed, if only as a signature buildingfor the Town. Perhaps we should takethis up again?Former Rialto/Gala ClubsiteThe completed small shopping arcade isa disappointment. The details, such asthe design of the windows and stonemouldings on which so much of theeffect depends, are not of the quality theapplication drawings led us to expect.In Silver Street the new block next toLloyds Bank, also by WinchmoreBrickwork, is still hidden behind plasticsheeting. We await with interest to seewhether they will have made a betterfist of things there. Meanwhile, tallcranes opposite the end of The Townshow that work on the long approved(on appeal) residential conversion andextension to New River House is finallyunder way. Look for an additional threestoreys, widening towards the top.Chris JephcottTrees groupWith the trees on the Allotment TreeNursery putting on a growth spurt inresponse to the wet summer, we havebeen looking at a final home for them. Ivisited the Woodcroft Wildspace inWinchmore Hill to meet with itschairman, Bob Ladell, and it was clearthat our trees would be very at home inthis planned nature reserve. At ourmeeting on 4th October the Groupsupported this idea and we are makingplans to carry out the work over thewinter planting season.Chris Jephcott,Trees Group Convener