On September 8, the Council started two [ridiculously] short consultations on the Master Plans for the Chase Park [Vicarage Farm] and Crews Hill placemaking areas. Whilst, in our opinion, this is essentially a box-ticking exercise for the Council, it is nevertheless an opportunity for you to share your views and we encourage you to do that. The deadline is September 21.
The consultation is on the LetsTalk platform and shouldn’t take you long to complete. Guidance for Chase Park can be found here and for Crews Hill here. There is additional information on The Enfield Society website.
If you prefer to launch in and do it, here is the link to the LetsTalk consultation page, where you’ll find links to the consultations and links to the public exhibition boards, which contain some additional information. You can also preview the surveys and boards here on our website: Chase Park and Crews Hill.
Please note that there will also be one public exhibition on the master plans:
Wednesday 17 September 3-7pm at Enfield Town Library
Here we are listing the questions asked in order and giving ideas for responses. Please choose the ones that feel important or relevant to you and put them in your own words. Add your own comments too.
What do you feel is important for the new neighbourhood?
- State that the consultation period is too short for meaningful engagement
- State that the graphic boards are very detailed and hard to decipher
- The proposed comprehensive redevelopment of Crews Hill would destroy jobs, heritage, the environment, recreational sites and a chance to revitalise the local growing industry.
- It would be more sensible to work with the businesses who want to remain and design around them.
- While one or two sites may be appropriate for residential development, no masterplan can pull together all the various landowners into an agreement.
What aspects of Crews Hill should be reflected in the new neighbourhood?
- As stated in the vision board, Crews Hill has a unique identity and the proposals would obliterate it
- If the golf course, garden centres, etc. create a ‘rich and interesting community life’ why remove them and change it?
- The golf course, Owls Farm, the garden centres, the unique mix of retail should not only be ‘reflected’ but retained.
- Multiple site constraints are listed on the vision board, but the fact that the land is in multiple ownership and some landowners do not want to sell is omitted.
- The implication seems to be that Crews Hill can’t really be masterplanned because you have to build where you can, not where you want to? From this map it looks as though you can’t build anywhere!
Which features of the master plan work well and what could be improved?
- None of it works well.
- The Local Centre is proposed on land that will have to be CPO-ed so will come late in the development, embedding outward travel for services.
- There should be no development west of the railway, which could be considered a natural Green Belt boundary. The proposed boundaries are very weak.
- No to Energetik!
What types of open space should the Crews Hill master plan include?
- All the suggestions can and should be done anyway, to complement the existing mix of recreational and retail opportunities. Crews Hill already draws visitors from near and far and more respect and linkage to nature would diversify and expand that appeal.
What types of local amenities, employment and community facilities should the Crews Hill master plan include?
- No comment
How can we encourage walking, cycling and the use of public transport?
- The topography makes, walking, cycling and other forms of active travel impractical for many demographic groups
- Effective public transport would need investment by TfL, and they have stated that there is insufficient density for this to happen. Car use would become embedded before public transport is in place.
How can sustainability and climate resilience be integrated at Crews Hill?
- All good suggestions but it will be hard because it will be a car-dependent community
What types of housing, streets and spaces will future residents of Chase Park need?
- The Cattlegate neighbourhood will have land assembly issues and high building issues
- The urban character is totally out of place
- It will be hard to reduce car use in The Meadows
Respond 1 to Questions 7 and 8. Question 9 allows you to add any other comments you would like to make.