Better Streets for Enfield claims many residents have been calling for parking control measures to be brought in for years, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

A sign warning of a controlled parking zone in operation

A local campaign group has hailed Enfield Council’s controversial proposals for two new controlled parking zones (CPZs).

The council is proposing a new CPZ in Palmers Green and extending a pre-existing one in Arnos Grove, but the ongoing consultations have prompted a backlash from drivers in these areas.

Better Streets for Enfield, a campaign group aiming to make local streets more environmentally friendly by promoting active travel, has now voiced its support for the council’s plans – claiming that residents had been calling on the council to control parking in these areas for “some time”.

Campaigner Alex Atherton says residents in Palmers Green had spoken to Better Streets for Enfield and expressed their support, listing the scheme’s potential to reduce traffic, prioritise residential parking, and make streets safer for children as reasons to back the plans.

He said: “Groups have been writing to councillors every month for years.

“Residents have been asking the council to do something, the council has done something, and residents are grateful.”

The support for the CPZs comes after locals voiced their concern over the loss of free parking, the price of the permits, and worries there would not be enough parking spaces for residents to have their own.

Alex, who lives in the area set out in the proposed ‘Palmers Green East’ CPZ, said: “Even if people don’t like it, it won’t change any argument about pollution.

“We would say people are paying now because of the cost of pollution on the NHS.”

A report from Public Health England (PHE) states long-term exposure to traffic pollution was calculated to have an effect “equivalent to 29,000 deaths a year” in the UK.

Government data also recently showed that Enfield ranked third among London boroughs for the most traffic in 2023, racking up 1.1 million miles driven in the borough.

PHE also estimates that between 2017 and 2025 the threat of air pollution on health is estimated to cost the NHS and social care services up to £5.5billion.

Alex added: “The fewer spaces there are, the fewer car journeys will be made.

“When there’s fewer journeys, there’s less pollution, and therefore it’s more attractive for pedestrians and cyclists.”

He also said CPZs would prioritise residents’ parking needs over people who worked in nearby businesses or shopped locally.

Alex acknowledged that worries such as how many permits each household could buy and how demand and overspill would be managed were valid concerns, but would be for the council to manage.

In contrast, a petition set up by residents in the proposed Arnos Grove CPZ, calling for a reversal of the planned extension, has attracted nearly 1,300 signatures.

Speaking against the plans, Daniel Anderson, the former Labour deputy leader of the council, said: “We’re objecting because residents within Arnos Grove in particular have not been calling for additional measures.”

Daniel says the council is using CPZs to meet wider environmental aims but was not prioritising residents’ voices.

“The council is usurping what CPZs are supposed to be about, which is residents requesting measures to deal with parking problems. The council is using CPZs to achieve a wider objective, which is sorting cars off the road by imposing significant charges.”

Enfield Council was approached for comment but has yet to respond.

The proposed ‘Palmers Green East’ scheme will be bounded by Green Lanes, Hedge Lane, Hazelwood Lane and the New River and would introduce parking permits for residents, visitors, and businesses intending to park between 8am until 6.30pm.

The Arnos Grove CPZ will expand an existing permit parking scheme to Waterfall Road and Cannon Hill in the north and Station Road in the south, with operating times of 8am until 7.30pm, Monday to Sunday.

Resident and visitor permit costs for both schemes will vary depending on the size of each vehicle engine. Annual permits for small vehicles are £77, whereas large ones are £395. In all-day zones, business permit prices are £920 per year and £230 for three months.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service has been told enforcement officers will be patrolling the CPZs on foot or by vehicle. Enforcement will expand if and when a CPZ expands.

Currently, eligible residents can obtain up to three parking permits and visitor vouchers can be purchased in books of ten, with no limitation on how many books households can purchase.

In March 2019 the council carried out a public consultation to establish the level of support for parking controls in Osborne Road and Windsor Road, part of the Palmers Green East CPZ proposal, and there was indication of community support for parking controls.

The deadline for both CPZ consultations is Friday, 13th September.

For more information on the Palmers Green East CPZ consultation and to take part in the survey:
Visit Palmers Green East Controlled Parking Zone | Let’s Talk Enfield

For more information on the Arnos Grove CPZ consultation and to take part in the survey:
Visit Arnos Grove CPZ Preliminary Consultation | Let’s Talk Enfield

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