The gate blocks residents from crossing the Pymmes Brook to reach local shops or the railway station, reports Jade Lennon

The locked gate between Westminster Drive and Broomfield Avenue (credit Steven Adderley)

A mysterious locked gate is preventing residents in Palmers Green from accessing a local shortcut over a stream.

The gate blocks a small footbridge over Pymmes Brook, between Westminster Drive and Broomfield Avenue. It provides a shortcut to reach a row of shops on the North Circular or, in the other direction, to reach Palmers Green Station.

A sign on the gate says that the bridge is “for use by members of Westminster Drive Residents’ Association only” but residents who previously had a key to the gate say the locks were changed last summer – and they don’t know why.

The part of Westminster Drive leading to the footbridge isn’t adopted by Enfield Council, and is privately owned by Fairview New Homes Ltd, which previously redeveloped the site. The company states that that “the residents’ association is responsible for the management and maintenance of the bridge as well as maintaining the small strip of land we own”.

The Dispatch has attempted to reach Westminster Drive Residents’ Association by phone but received no response. There is no website or email address listed for the group.

Local resident Steven Adderley, who is not a member of the association, says the arrangement doesn’t make sense and is unfair.

He said: “The problem seems to be that Enfield Council didn’t adopt the road when the new houses were build at the end of Westminster Drive, so this part of the road is effectively private property.

“This means that the residents’ association was able to install a gate without consulting other residents in the road, and can control who has access to keys.

“It’s a significant inconvenience for us, and there doesn’t seem to be a reason why other residents in the road should not be able to have keys as well.”

Planning permission for the gate was granted in June 2005, but the council’s planning portal offers no further information as to why the gate was requested.

Steven said he “has no idea” how some other residents obtained keys for the gate. He also expressed how inconvenient it is that only some residents have a key and others not.

The footpath has been included on Ordnance Survey maps since 1947, showing it was in use decades prior to the installation of the gate, as paths must be used for a minimum of 20 years to be added to the map.

Steven therefore believes the locked gate represents “illegal blockage” which should be removed. He has called on the council to act to add the footbridge and path to its “definitive map” and added: “This also raises questions about private developers of new estates retaining ownership of the roads within them.

“Enfield Council may have wanted to avoid assuming the costs of maintenance of the new roads, but this has effectively privatised what should be public space. Had the extension of Westminster Drive been the public highway, the conditions for gaining permission to install a gate would have been stricter, and required more consultation.”

A council spokesperson said: “The council does not own or operate the gate. It is a privately owned, therefore the council will not be able to comment.”

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