Forum topic: New report on measures relevant to revitalizing Palmers Green

We do not need a upmarket hairdressers in Palmers Green, there are more then enough and they are very expensive, I am sure when it does open it will close down in less then a month that always happens! I want to see more vintage coffee shops, clothing stores, Lidl, and less Betting Shops all around North London it gives a cheapening feel to the areas and a very bad example to the youngsters getting into debts, depression and even suicides!! The government, councils etc, should know better and think about introducing uplifting things to all communities and revamping areas and stop thinking of their lining their back pockets!

I agree that Palmers Green has been left to ruins and it looks very much neglected from our Council, their job should be to get up and walk around the area and see what needs to make good, i.e, outside shop displays, a lick of paint outside shop building, telling shop owners to hang up flower baskets, to implement zebra crossing were is need for safety, more seating benches, trees, we need to see that sparkle come back to Palmers Green, we were told at the Broomfield Festival a few months ago that works were going to start in October 2016, up to now there has been no works started, it's not good enough!! Residents who pay their council tax is a huge chunk taken from their wages so I would like to know were exactly what it's used for, if not to give back to the residents and it's community?? There is no point posting silly pie charts showing people were council tax is going as it's all bologne!! I have seen no good come from it!

I feel like every time I go to visit Broomfield Park so see what the people at the top who control the park never seem to follow through, Broomfield House is still in ashes, the memorial pond with the broken fountain is still not mended no respect is shown for all the people who lost their lives in action, the wetland pond whoever suggested it cannot complete it and left a huge muddy circle, so many things promised on festival day, and we were told that the revamp of Palmers Community high street will be started this month and still no workers to be seem! so everything we are told are all broken promises, now were being told that their are cut backs for our Park and councillors would like to know from the public why is it so important to have a park and they have having a meeting this week to discuss this ludicrous discussion, are councillors human, do they not go to parks because they are councillors!! did they not ever go to parks when they were little!! and do they not take their children to parks!! and they have the audacity to ask the public what is the point to parks!! because they want to save money and do nothing to improve our parks! we have more people living in London now and we all pay council tax, so I would like with the funds the council receive yearly from public money and the council taxes what do they do with all that money if not to give back to the people and their community! do the people at the top take our money and misuse it! I like to know from them what do they do with our money!! so I have questions for them too, so what is the point paying toward a council tax if the council are going for cut backs, so I suggest council tax to be ended and the government to pay for all!! it looks like to me their are too many people employed at the top controlling the money or paying too many people who are not needed or just do not care about the residents and Palmers Green! a lot of work needs to be done to bring back the beautiful area back to live as it looks so rundown, it once was a buzzing vintage pretty place before too many unmotivated workers of Enfield Council came along and left it too ruins, they should leave the office and stop the endless chats and coffee times, and walked around Palmers Green and speak to shop owners to put a lick of paint on their shops to brighten up the area and update their window displays, introduce flourishing hanging baskets, canopes, more seating areas, community toilets, trees, plants, etc, I as a resident of Palmers Green should not be having to write and tell them how to do their jobs that is what they are employed to do is to take a interest and be more enthusiastic!!

Go Kaye!
I'll certainly not quibble about the potential of our area and the voluntary effort to pick it up versus many areas of current weakness (mess) but would say amongst other things:

• the high street (A105) work did start earlier this month; it just happens to be further up in the N21 area at this stage. Our time will come shortly;
• the local Councillors (and Civic Centre officers) are not bad people - try and meet them. They have an ever increasing set of demands from younger kids to growing numbers of oldies as well as infrastructure aspects such as streets and parks and ... and more and all to be satisfied from a massively reduced budget, far and away the most of which comes from the government (our taxes) rather than local Council Taxes. That's what the majority voted for we shouldn't forget.
• there's a lot we can do for ourselves: you mention ugly shops, perhaps nag the shopkeepers to improve window displays, paint, add plants, whatever.

If the effort does improve the area then investment will follow, perhaps including some of the desirable shops you mention, because it is individuals rather than the council who put their cash and time into making something work. and that won't happen unless they see the potential.

On the positive side we have a great base - see the choice by London Play of Palmers Green above all other areas of London as their location for the "Play Quarters" pilot based on our community strength. That really is a huge vote in what we have and can do. So maybe think how you can use your energy, passion and care for PG effectively to generate more such votes of confidence

I Love the Go Kaye!! by the way,

"Neglected Palmers Green Town!"
I feel very passionate about the place my sister and I were born and bread, it once had a sparkling quirky uplifting village feel to it with beautiful looking shops on the outside and with beautiful items displayed on their shop window. shops were also painted with flourishing hanging baskets which showed pride, looking at the area now it makes me feel very distressed about the dreary outlook of the area, due to the non-motivated shop keepers who do not give a damn about the area and do not care to spruce up their messy boring window shop displays to create a inviting shop on the outside to draw in customers, as I get the feeling all they think about is just making money and stuff the community and the customers, there is no warm community feel anymore as mind sets have changed for the worse, as shop keepers I feel do not want to spend money nor do they care what their customers would like to see and want, there is alot of shopkeepers in the area that do not smile and give no eye contact to the customers and I and my family have experienced terrible attitude including answer back to customers from which I have experienced over the years which makes my blood boil! and find it very disturbing if they are not personable they should not be working with the public! so hopefully if and when Enfield Council do go-ahead with their promised changes of the area then we might see a positive shift in a change from rude shopkeepers leaving the area and to make way for sophistication, happy and nice shopkeepers who would make a difference to the area and to the community, friendliness and enthusiasm would not go a miss!! A shop should be treated like a child u put all yr heart & soul into it to produce a beautiful flower! if u care about something u must give it a 110% otherwise hit the road Jack!!

Amid all her bubble and enthusiasm Kaye Castanheira is quite right: Palmers Green shopkeepers and building owners don't do enough to further their own interests. Of course Enfield Council has a part to play - and hopefully the now imminent developments will reflect that - but rather than blaming the Mini-Holland plans for their ills shopkeepers must start thinking about what their own responsibilities and interests are.

In this context I call to mind the strategies of towns and cities famous for attracting tourists. Good design of shop fronts, trees and seating, scrupulous cleaning of shops and shop surrounds, and of course all the welcome Kaye expects. But there is something else: shop front designs need to be in harmony with each other in order to enhance the visual experience of streets as whole, and create the idea of a place with purpose. Currently the best you an say is that Palmers Green High Street, and it's off-putting shop fronts, is a discordant jumble. People will not make an effort to come unless the experience is worth the effort however many coffee shops there are.

Whilst thinking of discordant jumbles take an honest look at the cars scattered along the kerbs. Not a pretty sight, and probably not necessary given that there is a large car park not far away, but then as a nation we are beginning to lose the ability to walk more than 10 metres.................................or cycle anywhere. Which is one of many reasons why the council's cycling policy is so essential to a pleasant and healthy future.

And finally on the physical appearance of the town, there are the Fort Knox steel shutters which make the town such an unwelcoming place after dark. I understand the need, but cheap and fortress-like is not best for business. There are much better designs which don't repel, and add light as dusk falls. Here the lesson remains the same: if you want to attract people to Palmers Green to spend their money make the town as pleasant as possible

Kay you've brought a key issue to the fore. The town needs your energy and straight talking. Well done! And let's hope we hear from the shopkeepers.

And here's a postscript: Palmers Green is blessed with some really nice red brick buildings; the town has so many good points. And some of the best of those points are the buildings which frame the The Triangle which is the heart of the town. I hope that the final designs for that space do it justice, and I regret that I've not been able to participate in discussions. Fingers crossed.

I had reason to be a vehicle passenger the length of the A105 from PG to south of Clissold Park earlier today. What I saw was mile after mile after mile of the same vista commented on already under this thread. As one of London’s District Town Centres PG should have a clear identity – it certainly doesn’t, rather simply merging into so much of the same.

The never ending dirge ended in an equivalent shopping area on a non A105 road in Islington. Here there was no roadside parallel parking for the many shops lining both sides despite available width being equivalent to the A105. Visually it gave a totally different impact. Shops looked attractive too, and at a glance, appeared successful.