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Forum topic: Improving Enfield Town: Updated plans revealed

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Improving Enfield Town: Updated plans revealed

PGC Webmaster

31 Jul 2022 00:10 #6554

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[Original article]

enfield town improvement project - map of key pedestrian benefitsKey benefits for pedestrians of the Enfield Town improvement project - map extracted from the project transport technical summary (Click on the map to enlarge)

Enfield Council has published an updated version of the Enfield Town Improvement Plan, which it hopes to carry out in 2024, depending on the outcome of statutory consultation in 2023.

A new phase of public engagement is now under way between now and 25th September, seeking views on how well the plan meets the design principles, asking for ideas about a proposed sensory garden, and including a competition for the best suggested name of a new public square.

The changes are designed to make Enfield Town more people-friendly, bustling and vibrant and to reduce car use through improvements to arrangements for walking, cycling and using public transport.

However, implementation in full will depend on the availability of funding from Transport for London (TfL):

This is an ambitious plan for our Town Centre and the Council have already secured more than £5m to enable change to happen. To deliver the completed project, including changes to pedestrian crossings and other transport elements, the project will need additional investment from Transport for London (TfL). More certainty on funding from TfL is expected in Autumn 2022. Once this is known the Council can look to make decisions on the overall scope of the project.

Transport for London support to road and public realm improvement projects throughout London is currently pretty much suspended pending a solution to TfL's financial crisis, brought about by a catastrophic fall in fares income due to the pandemic. This will require the government agreeing an adequate longer-term funding arrangement for TfL. However, there are now signs of movement to resolve the stalemate over this issue.

The main changes proposed in the plan

  • Enhancement of the Market Square in collaboration with the Old Enfield Charitable Trust and St Andrew's Church
  • A new public square at the junction of Little Park Gardens and Church Street (outside Nationwide Building Society)
  • A more vibrant public space on 'Fountain Island'
  • A better experience when arriving at Enfield Town Station and entering the town centre
  • An improved connection between the Market Square and the shopping centre entrance
  • An upgraded link between the Library Green and Enfield Town Park
  • Improved greening across the town centre
  • Improved and new pedestrian crossings throughout the town centre
  • Wider footways in some locations
  • Safer cycling options and connecting the town centre with nearby cycle routes
  • Improved bus stop accessibility
  • Revised parking and loading restrictions
  • Dedicated Blue Badge disabled parking bays throughout the town centre
  • Improved safety, including improved CCTV and proposed 20 mph speed limit on all roads in the town centre

enfield town improvement project - map of key cycling benefitsClick on the map to enlarge

enfield town improvement project - map of parking and loading changesClick on the map to enlarge

Design principles

  • Making Enfield Town safe for all
  • Developing a vibrant economy in Enfield Town
  • Helping Enfield Town to be a great place to be
  • Offering transport choices to, from and around Enfield Town
  • Celebrating the heritage of Enfield Town

The design principles for the scheme were developed on the basis of public consultation during 2019. The first version of the proposed changes was published in 2020. Following co-design workshops held in 2020, the designs for several public spaces, such as the area in front of Enfield Town station, were published in 2021

A plaza for Enfield Town station

enfield town project visualisation new plaza in front of enfield town station with taxi rank across the roadPlanned new layout in front of Enfield Town station with taxi rank moved across Southbury Road. 1. Station Plaza; 2. New River Loop taxi rank; 3. New passenger pickup & dropoff-only bay

One of the most problematical places in Enfield Town from the point of view of pedestrians and people arriving or leaving by Overground is the area in front of the station with the taxi rank/car drop-off area blocking the way and the awkward and unpleasant two-stage crossings over Southbury Road at the Genotin Road junction. This was one of the areas where the council worked with residents to co-design a new plaza.

enfield town project visualisation looking towards church street from in front of enfield town stationLooking across the planned Station Plaza towards the northern end of Genotin Road and eastern end of Church Street

At one time there was talk of moving the station building and the railway tracks back a little way to make more space for the plaza. That would probably have been the best option, but is unaffordable. The solution that's been found is to move the drop-off area eastwards to where there is presently a service road in front of the shops, freeing up the whole triangular space in front of the station for pedestrians, seating and raingardens. A new pedestrian crossing will cross Southbury Road in a straight line, taking people to a new taxi rank (for black cabs only) on the northern side of Southbury Road, next to the reconfigured entrance to the New River Loop car park.

There's much more detail about and artist's impressions of the plaza and other improved public spaces in the downloadable exhibition display boards.

Get involved

The new public engagement phase continues until 25th September. Throughout there will be an exhibition of the plans at Enfield Town Library, but there will also be a pop-up information stall in thhe Market Square on Friday 9th September from 1pm to 4pm and an online session (webinar) at 6pm on 2nd August.

The Enfield Town page on Let's Talk Enfield has been updated with the latest information about the project. The most authoritative information is in the document library on that page, and there are also direct links to some of the documents in the Links section at the end of this article.

There's a new online survey where you'll be asked:

  • How does the proposed plan for Enfield Town respond to the Design Principles?
  • What would you like to see as part of the sensory garden proposed in the Library Green?
  • What are your suggestions for the name of the proposed new public square?

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Improving Enfield Town: Updated plans revealed

PGC Webmaster

17 Aug 2022 15:27 #6555

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The webinar about the Enfield Town scheme that took place on 2nd August can be watched below:



The webinar is long (90 minutes) but well worth the time to watch, because it adds a lot more detail to what's been published previously.

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Improving Enfield Town: Updated plans revealed

PGC Webmaster

17 Aug 2022 22:56 #6556

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One of the questions that is addressed by healthy streets team head Richard Eason in the video above [ see post #6555) is potential problems with funding (starting at 8 minutes 56 seconds in).

Enfield Council bid for and won funding for the Enfield Town improvements scheme from Transport for London's Liveable Neighbourhoods pot of money back in 2019. When the pandemic hit, the funding from this programme was put on hold. Since 2010 TfL has been receiving emergency top-ups from the government to allow it to continue running tube, train, tram and bus services - these were previously funded mainly from fares, but the big drop-off in passengers reduced revenue sharply. At the time of writing, that emergency funding has ceased and TfL is using up its reserves to keep operating. Eventually, there will either be a new government funding package or big cuts in bus and tube services. If the latter, then there will probably be no funding for public realm and active travel schemes and money for road repairs will also be in very short supply.

Last month I emailed the Healthy Streets team at the council with some questions about what would happen should funding not be forthcoming. I received two similar but not identical sets of answers this week - see below. (Questions in bold, one set of answers in normal font, the other in italics where significantly different.)

Are you able to say how much all changes would cost?

As mentioned, some elements of the scheme represent a long term ambition and designs were developed for all elements to ensure holistic approach. To deliver all changes over the next few years, it is anticipated it would cost circa £17M. The ‘core’ scheme (excluding Willow Road junction, Library Green and a few other elements of the scheme) is anticipated to cost circa £14M-£15M.

What do you think would happen in the following scenerios?

1. No more money is made available by TfL (eg if they fail to reach a settlement with the government) so you only have the £5 million?


As mentioned in the presentation, a staged approach will be taken to deliver selected elements of the scheme, for example the ‘off highways’ elements.

Having a whole project designed will assist with securing additional funds over time.

2. Only a disappointingly small amount is provided?

As above, we would look at which other elements can be delivered independently as ‘quick wins’.

3. A substantial amount, but not all that you ask for, is provided?

Highways elements (signals and carriageway changes) must largely be delivered as one element due to the nature of traffic infrastructure and how traffic operates via the town centre. We would consider options based on the funding gap left should substantial, but not all, funding was available from TfL.

Significant TfL investment is necessary to enable the transformation we hope to see in the highway elements of the project. In many cases, alterations to junctions need to be delivered collectively due to the nature of traffic infrastructure and how traffic operates via the town centre. We would consider options based on the funding gap left should substantial, but not all, funding be available from TfL.

Under those scenarios, what would your priorities be on spending the money? Eg cycle lanes, wider pavements, more pedestrian crossings, the new square? This

This will depend on the amount of funding available and what elements can be separated and delivered sooner as part of the staged approach.

In terms of priorities, that work ongoing and will then be subject to the normal decision making process by elected members. However pedestrian improvements are a priority and if the full funding is not available, improvements to the public realm are certainly something that can be more easily delivered incrementally.

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Improving Enfield Town: Engagement period extended

PGC Webmaster

28 Sep 2022 23:10 #6593

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The Enfield Town consultation has been extended until 9th October and some additional drop-in events have been added. See below.




Engagement extended until 9th October 2022

24 Sep 2022

Following the death of Her Majesty The Queen, Enfield Council cancelled two events that were scheduled to take place for the Enfield Town project, namely:
  • Pop-up at the Market Square scheduled for Friday 9th September 2022; and
  • Drop-in session at the Library Green scheduled for 10th September 2022

We have rescheduled these events and extended the opportunity to take part in this project. We would like to invite you to speak to the project team about the proposals for Enfield Town at one of the following rescheduled events:
  • Pop-up at the Market Square on Friday 7 October 2022 from 1pm – 4pm
  • Drop-in session at the Library Green to discuss the proposed sensory garden on Saturday 8 October 2022 from 10am – 1pm

The opportunity to take the survey and view the exhibition of proposals for Enfield Town at Enfield Town Library will now end on Sunday 9 October 2022.

Tell us what you think by taking the survey

We encourage you to view the plans at the library or online at letstalk.enfield.gov.uk/EnfieldTown , and let us know what you think about how they respond to the Design Principles that were established following earlier conversations with the community (see link above for more information).

The survey also offers an opportunity to provide suggestions for the proposed sensory garden in the Library Green, and suggest a name for the new public space located at the junction of Church Street and Little Park Gardens (near Nationwide Building Society). Those who suggest a name for the new public space will go into the draw to win £300 to spend in Enfield! Take the survey at letstalk.enfield.gov.uk/EnfieldTown .

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