News

Residents invited to come up with ideas for improving New Southgate

Both Enfield and Barnet councils have teamed up to create an action plan for the area that straddles the two boroughs, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

Ladderswood Estate in New Southgate

Residents on both sides of the Enfield and Barnet borough divide are being asked what they would like to improve about New Southgate.

New Southgate was designated an ‘opportunity area’ in City Hall’s London Plan and as a ‘key location’ with the potential for new homes, jobs, and infrastructure improvements.

But because the area is divided in half by the borough boundary, Enfield Council and Barnet Council have teamed up to launch a joint consultation to understand “what is good and what needs to change in the area”.

The consultation is now open and continues until Saturday, 2nd November. It invites residents to submit their views on “parks, community facilities, bus routes or anything else on your mind”.

There is also an option for residents to drop green, yellow and red pins on a map of the area to indicate places they like, don’t like, and that need improvement, as well as add their own comments.

One of those welcoming the consultation is Basil Clarke, a spokesperson for Better Streets Enfield, who would like to see pedestrian safety prioritised over vehicles.

Basil said: “Some parts are showing signs of long-term neglect, in particular those that suffer from now-discredited 1970s-era planning, which prioritised cars over the comfort and safety of local residents and other road users.”

He suggested installing a boulevard lined with grass verges and an avenue of trees along the “wide and windswept” Station Road, to make the area around New Southgate Station “more pleasant”.

Currently, Station Road’s design encourages “speeding” and Basil believes the area could be made more appealing to walkers and cyclists. He said this could benefit residents of the nearby Ladderswood Estate and future residents of the former gasholder site which is now being redeveloped as a 182-home housing scheme.

Basil pointed to Bounds Green Road, which runs from the junction of Station Road, as an example of what Station Road “could look like”. Bounds Green Road has parks and gardens running alongside it. 

Friern Bridge Retail Park is another place that could be “transformed” by better connectivity, says Basil.

“There are no buses that go there, and getting there on foot or by bike isn’t easy and involves either a long diversion through New Southgate Station or a not very pleasant walk or ride along the North Circular, and under the railway bridge.”

The railway bridge carries the East Coast Main Line and is currently an unpleasant experience for pedestrians walking under it.

Basil added: “It’s high time Transport for London did something about the bridge, it’s dark and damp under there, filled with traffic fumes and bird droppings.

“A pleasanter walking and cycling route could not only reduce congestion on the A406, but bring in more customers from nearby residential areas.”

Barnet Council describes the south-east corner of the borough, which includes both Friern Barnet and parts of New Southgate, as being characterised by a “string of town centres” providing a “a range of cultural activities, a varied food and drink offer and concentrations of office space”.

However, it says some of the fringe areas make them “less attractive destinations”.

The council says that New Southgate “presents a key opportunity as a new transport-led growth area”.

As well as an interactive map, as part of the consultation residents can fill out a survey and also attend a community drop-in session at Ladderswood Community Centre on Wednesday, 23rd October. Additionally an ‘after dark walkabout’ is scheduled for Saturday, 26th October.

For more information on the consultation and to take part:
Visit
 New Southgate | Let’s Talk Enfield


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