N-o 214, Summer 2019 London Mayor voices concerns over Enfield’s proposals for the Green Belt in the new Local Plan John West ur lead article in the Spring Newsletter referred retention of the Green Belt is also to assist in urban to the Society’s views on the new Enfield Local regeneration by encouraging the recycling of derelict and Plan. The consultation period for the plan ended other urban land. The Mayor, in his draft new London in February and the Society submitted comments Plan has set out a strategy for London to meet its housing Orelating to the protection of the Green Belt, need within its boundaries without encroaching on the housing projections, the need for master planning large Green Belt”. sites and the need to develop a Pubs Protection Policy. Enfield’s Draft Local Plan suggested that Crews Hill was The Society worked closely with Enfield RoadWatch and a potential site for development. The Mayor’s the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) to observations note that, as well as the issue of the Green produce a document identifying all the potential Belt, limited public transport at Crews Hill with only 2 brownfield sites across the Borough. That document trains per hour and the limited bus service together with formed part of the Society’s submission. the distance from the nearest town centre at Enfield Town The Enfield Local plan has to be compatible with the mean that Crews Hill is not a sustainable location for Mayor’s London Plan. We were pleased to see that growth. comments on Enfield’s Plan from the Mayor supports the We await the Council’s response to the full consultation Society’s view that the Green Belt should be process. We will continue to monitor the progress of the protected—“Whilst the Mayor supports the majority of plan carefully. We note that in the examination of the the draft Enfield Local Plan’s objectives, he does not Mayor’s London Plan, the Home Builders Federation has support the release of the Green Belt”. questioned the Mayor’s unequivocal statement of In the plan, Enfield had suggested that the Green Belt opposition to any release of the green belt under any boundaries should be reviewed. The Mayor commented circumstances. They argue that given the pressure for new that “the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) homes there may be circumstances where the Green Belt does not require a review of the Green Belt. The aim of should be reviewed and that local authorities should have Green Belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping the ability to alter the Green Belt through Local Plans. land permanently open; the essential characteristics of You can read the Mayor's response at enfieldsociety. Green Belts are their openness and their permanence. The org. uk/gla- response from this April, as part of its cost cutting foremost assets in our Borough. Education at Forty proposals for Forty Hall. In addition the team at Forty Hall ran Hall cancelled This decision is difficult to understand workshops and events during school since the net cost, after taking into account holidays, providing outdoor activities for our sponsorship and the income provided many hundreds of children and raising Our sponsorship at Forty by schools attending, was not substantial. significant income from the modest Hall ends During the last six years a total of 74 charges made. FOR SIX YEARS from 2012 the Society different schools and educational For six years Enfield schools have sponsored the Learning and Education establishments, and a total of 10,609 benefited from the Learning Outside the Outreach Programmes at Forty Hall at students attended sessions at Forty Hall. Classroom Programmes and it is a great £5,000 pa. The Management Committee The Programmes were curriculum based pity that this facility in such a magnificent voted to renew this sponsorship for and enabled children also to learn about setting at Forty Hall is now no longer another three years and were very Forty Hall and its importance historically available. surprised to learn that the Council had as a Grade 1 listed building and one of the decided to abandon these Programmes, as Colin Pointer NUMBER 214, SUMMER 2019 1 mess—swifts are just about the cleanest Presidents’ Column Save our Swifts birds around. MARCH’S TUESDAY MORNING The nest box should be placed on the side talk for The Enfield Society was of the building that gets some shade during given by Michael Priaulx, on the day, and if possible under an overhang swift conservation. Like many of or under the eaves. The only difficult part our birds (and other wildlife), is that they need to be at least 5 metres swifts are in decline—their above the ground, with clear adjacent numbers have fallen by space beneath to allow the swifts easy 50% in the last 20 access. years—with half of that We have a special offer to tell you about: if loss taking place in the last you are interested in having your nestboxes five years. While Enfield installed, then the Islington Swifts Group did produce a Biodiversity may be able to help you install one for the Monica Smith MBE and Colin Pointer, Picture courtesy aldeburgh Action Plan, this has not amazingswifts.co.uk very reasonable fee of £15 per box. Please Joint Presidents been updated since it was e-mail your name and address to WE WOULD LIKE to add our support to first published in 2011, and the more meetings@enfieldsociety. org. uk and what Dave Cockle wrote in the Spring recent Local Plan makes no mention of we will forward to Islington Swifts Group newsletter. Arising from the draft new endangered urban species such as house who will let you know if your home is Local Plan, in his Chairman’s Column he sparrows and swifts. suitable. mentioned the attacks on the heritage of Swifts are remarkably constant in their The speaker also mentioned that at the our historic area. In addition to those habits. In most years they arrive on pretty moment, Enfield does not have a Swift points he mentioned we are worried much the same day: expect to see them Group, so if you’d be interested in setting about the deterioration of the 700 year arrive on or about the 6th May. And they one up, get in touch using the e-mail old market, a shadow of its former self, will return to exactly the same nest site address above and we’ll forward your with many fewer stalls and unattractive where they have bred in previous years details on to our speaker. sheds selling food. We also feel that with (they can live for up to 20 years). But the empty space in the square there is no problem is that many of the sites where Linda Miller need to park a large catering van on the they have bred previously are disappearing north pavement, obscuring the historic as people renovate or extend their homes Sales Table view of St. Andrew’s church. Secondly, it and block many of the small holes that seems likely that there will be no more allowed these iconic birds to enter and nest The newest addition to our sales is Jim Enfield Town and Country Shows: these for the short time they are here. Lewis's latest book, “The Factory that have been a feature of life in Enfield for became a Village”. Sir Terry Farrell If you are lucky enough to have swifts many decades and it seems strange that writes in the Foreword “In this new book Winchmore Hill and Palmers Green are nesting in your home already, then undertake any work outside of the swifts Jim Lewis tells the story of the Royal able to arrange successful annual Small Arms Factory (RSAF) at Enfield events—we already have their dates for nesting season, i.e. avoid May to August, so it will not interrupt the swifts’ access to Lock and takes us on a fascinating 200 this summer—but Enfield is unable to do year old trek through the challenges and so. their nest sites. And leave entrance holes undisturbed wherever possible. It is worth politics of weapon development that ends The possible building of houses in the knowing that nest sites for all birds have in a good news story for a redundant Green Belt at Crews Hill is particularly legal protection when active. historic building.” Sir Terry also mentions worrying as it could lead to other “From the Ice Age to Wetlands—the Lea developments nibbling away at the Green Whether you have swifts currently nesting Valley's return to nature” in which Jim Belt despite Enfield Council and or not, you can undertake a swift-friendly Lewis discusses how the Lea Valley was London’s Mayor declaring it will be refurbishment for minimal additional cost, formed and uses the region as an example protected. Also it is likely to affect the which leaves small but waterproof gaps for of the damage that our life styles have quality of London’s air which is the swifts to enter. Swift Conservation created for the planet. frequently in the news. Besides building provide plenty of practical information on brownfield and former industrial sites about this on their web-site swift- Both books are available to purchase from and converting office blocks, we feel that conservation. org. If you are doing more the Enfield Society at Jubilee Hall some shops should be changed into extensive building work, then you can buy meetings or at the events listed on page 4.