A new road planned by the Council at 499 Green Lanes !

Karl Brown of IOP has provided the following:

A proposed housing development is located in rear gardens next to the public footpath which runs onto Green Lanes between Fox Lane and the Hedge Lane junction – which the Council calls Footpath 207.

The development will have 36 residential units - with a total of 156 beds.

Our rough estimates suggest the profit to the developer could be in the order of £4m.

The effect will be to bring a very large number of people into the centre of Palmers Green with their impact on car volumes but also on features such as the availability of local school places.  Houses which were in the usual catchment of Hazelwood School, even those in the catchment circle at the far opposite side of the school, may well find themselves outside of it if the development goes ahead. This could then have a serious effect on the value of local properties and also mean local children have to travel greater distances to find a school.

Other school catchments could also be affected, e.g. Winchmore School.

With so many beds it could also easily produce over 100 cars making frequent trips in and out of the development adding to already crowded streets.

The cars would need to join Green Lanes at a new junction next to the existing footpath which would increase the danger for pedestrians as well as increasing traffic jams at the traffic lights and on Green Lanes as cars try to get in and out of the new development.

Other back gardens nearby in the same run may put forward their own proposals for development if this goes ahead which would make issues even worse.

Despite strong opposition from our Councillors and local residents, a Planning Inspector approved the development scheme on appeal.

There is only one way left to stop this development, which is where we need your help and that of as many friends and neighbours as you can involve.

To go ahead the developer needs to take over part of the 500 year old public footpath which would be used to create a new access road to the site – this needs a “Stopping up Order”. This would leave a footpath of just over one metre in width running alongside a house wall on one side and a new road on the other with all the residents’ cars, visitors’ cars, dustbin wagons, delivery vehicles and so on squeezing through.

The fence which currently protects pedestrians would be pulled down and not replaced. At just over one metre wide the remaining path would hardly be wide enough for two people carrying shopping to pass comfortably, let alone for a wide pram to pass safely and certainly not wide enough for a double buggy or two mothers walking side by side in conversation.

If a child was walking on this proposed narrow path and fell the chances are they would land in the new road.

With only 30 parking spaces provided for over 150 residents, this will inevitably result in pressure to park cars in every scrap of spare space, including on the remaining footpath so leaving it impossible for pedestrians, wheelchairs, mothers with prams or anyone at all to use.

Where would all the other cars park? Perhaps they would try to park in already crowded streets or in the nearby bays now available for shoppers. This could affect existing trade in our local shops which may be forced to close.

We would expect all the new cars turning in and out to affect bus journey times and increase congestion at the very busy nearby major road junction..

The recommended minimum for a pavement in a new development is 1.8m so would the Council allow the proposed 1.1m in a new development? We think not, so why allow it here. 

We think this is all totally inappropriate and have no idea why the Council have suggested it.

Why Is This Inappropriate?

The path is over 500 years old and there is no reason why it should not stay for another 500 years as it is.

Residents, children and older people regularly use the path and would wish to feel safe in doing so.

At just over one metre wide the path would simply not be viable for many users, e.g. mothers with buggies, wheelchair users, people walking two abreast chatting, parents walking hand in hand with their children, shoppers carrying a bag in each hand and so on.

Having cars for over 150 residents and other vehicles regularly using a part of what has for 500 years  been a public footpath is just plain wrong.

They would park in already crowded streets.

They would impact on bus times.

The development and loss of the footpath will result in a loss of an amenity and detract from the existing residents and overall image of Palmers Green purely for the financial benefit of a developer. They gain financially; we all lose financially and in other ways. No thanks.

The Council however will not listen to any objections about the desirability or appropriateness of 156 new bedrooms being placed in back gardens. That planning stage is now passed. Did you know that or is it simply that the Council expects your Taxes for no return or respect of your position and view as a local resident?

Do note that our local Councillors are against this proposal; it is Council employees in the Planning department who have suggested it and support it.

What Can You Do?

Firstly to tell as many people as possible and get them to help.

We would ask you to write or e mail your comments to the Council Officer as detailed below. The Council may well ignore any correspondence which does not fit their exact requirements so please follow these guidelines carefully

·         Send comments in writing to Anoushka Silva, Traffic and Transportation, Civic Centre, Silver Street, Enfield, Middlesex EN1 3XA

·         or via e mail  to anoushka.silva@enfield.gov.uk

·         Objections must be received by 19 January - so the sooner the better, and the more the better.

·         quote reference ASILVA/SUO/FP207

·         State that you are objecting because the proposed stopping up order will seriously inconvenience users of the public footpath because a satisfactory replacement path is not already available or will not be provided.

·         Then spell out why you think that this is a totally inappropriate Order for the Council to agree to – stating as many and as wide a range of reasons as you think matter. Ask for each of them to be specifically answered in turn back to you urgently and in any event within seven days.

As a local resident you may also wish to add any other general comments about the proposal and in particular ask why as a local Council tax payer who will be affected by the proposal you were not consulted in the first place. Remember, this is your money they are spending.

For further guidance on the letter click on the link here.

Please also copy any correspondence to the local Councillor who is leading the objection to this development martin.prescott@enfield.gov.uk

Send to your friends and neighbours and ask them to do the same. Do nothing and we get a new road.

Lose your school places…….sit in bigger traffic jams……..…see your property value fall……..loose a 500 year old historic footpath……..all so a developer can be £4m better off……….…………This doesn’t improve our place………Whose footpath is this anyway?

For further information contact:  improvingourplace@gmail.com