PEN-No.29-January-2011
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pen no 29.2.qxp:Layout 1 4/2/11 12:58 Page 1 Volume 3, Issue 29 The Pen January 2011 The Newsletter for the Ponders End Community Starz Street Dance group at the Enfield Women Centre Christmas Celebrations, Sunday 5th Dec 2010. They will also be performing at the Fun in February Festival Opinions expressed in this Newsletter In this issue: do not necessarily reflect the views Ponders End Festival of the Trust or its members. Festival Information back page Fun in February!!!! Ponders End Central Consultation page 2 Ponders End Picture Palace page 3 Sunday, 27th February 2011 Ponders End Academy page 4 @ Ponders End Youth Centre From the Chair page 4 1pm - 5pm Ponders End Puddles page 5 Come and join in the festivities Local Groups - activities page 6 Local News and Events page 7 See back page for full details Festival Fun - puppet show at a previous Puddles in Ponders End - see full article Ponders End park - paths are being Ponders End event on page 5 upgraded to make them more accessible Ponders End Newsletter1 pen no 29.2.qxp:Layout 1 4/2/11 12:58 Page 2 Ponders End Central Enfield Council Planning and Regeneration Officer, Daisy Johnson, reports on the latest progress on plans for the area Between 21st July and 5th September 2010 Enfield What next? consulted on the draft Ponders End Central Planning Brief. The Planning Brief has been amended to reflect the views This was an intensive period of consultation targeting the expressed by the community, and taking into account whole Ponders End community as stakeholders. financial viability. At the meeting of the Local Development Framework Subcommittee on 8th February the Council will The process involved extensive communication, consider the plan for adoption. If it is adopted, it will be a consultation and in-depth engagement and Special Interest material consideration in planning applications in future. Groups were identified to ensure that the response was representative of the community as a whole. Various To view the plans and papers (including full consultation methods were used, including delivery of materials, press report) for the meeting on 8th February, visit: and website materials, presence at community events, outdoor roving exhibitions, public meetings, one-to-one http://governance.enfield.gov.uk/ interviews, meetings and focused workshops with particular groups. In total, we made contact with people or groups over 9000 times; spoke briefly to 951 people; and had in-depth conversations with 384 people. Area Forums and What people told us: Councillors surgery hours The highest priorities for improvement identified were improvements to community safety, sensitivity to the environment in new developments and better access to public transport. People want to see improvements to the Councillor Surgeries: pedestrian environment on the High Street, in particular crossings. Most participants support limiting the number of Ponders End Library, Saturdays 10.30am - 11.30am take-aways, with some exceptions amongst children and young people. A greater diversity of shops, improvements Next Area Forum for Ponders End, Upper Edmonton to parking and support of non-retail business were also and Jubilee Wards is 31st March at 7.30pm. identified as important. Venue to be confirmed. With regards to the former Middlesex University site, there are serious concerns amongst some in the community about the impact on overcrowding, congestion and the provision of local services that the Queensway Campus development will have, although a number supported the development on account of the need for more and better housing in the area. Looking for a Venue? Traffic congestion is still one of the main problems identified by the community in Ponders End, and it has an adverse The PECDT has Rooms impact on local business, ability to get around and quality of for Hire at Vincent House the environment. Improved train, bus and cycle connections on the corner would be supported. of Nags Head Road and High Street. Improvements to Ponders end Park are strongly supported, and there is a desire for decent toilet facilities and more activities in this important open space. We are working with The rooms can be used for meetings, festivities, dance, residents and community groups on the final design for this exhibitions or other activities. We do offer a significant space and aim to complete the next phase of works this discount as our aim is to help Community Groups, year. particularly those who are local to Ponders End. The need for additional services to support an increase in For more information, availability and prices contact: population was identified, in particular more nursery, primary PECDT Room Hire on 02084433858 and secondary school places, and a police station that is or email to [email protected] open to the public. As reported by Cllr Orhan on page 4, the new Academy in South Street will help to alleviate these Booking Forms are also available from PECDT Website: concerns, and a consultation event in February is being www.pondersendcdt.btck.co.uk planned so you can start to shape how this school will look. 2 pen no 29.2.qxp:Layout 1 4/2/11 12:58 Page 3 Ponders End Picture Palace, 1913 The popular local pub had undergone many transformations in its long history before arriving at its present incarnation The cinema was badly damaged by bomb blast during the war (although a shoemaker run a small business in the former entrance). In 1913 the Ponders End Picture Palace opened on the corner of Lincoln Road and Ponders End High Street. It held 500 people. It was soon renamed The Ponders End Electric Theatre and the name held until 1932, when it was purchased by L. After the blast Jacobsen. Eventually the building was purchased by the Enfield Council and was renamed yet again, this time to The Howard Hall. It had a sprung dance floor installed and, over the years, was used for many community events, with a caretaker living in a flat converted from the former Projection and Re-winding Room. The buiding in its latest incarnation In 1938 it was owned by a small group of cinemas run by J.W. Davies and was renamed The Plaza. On 3rd September 1939 the cinema closed because of the declaration of war - never to re-open. It was used to store aircraft parts and to train volunteer firemen during World War II. If anyone knows who Howard was, or has more This building has now come full circle and is once again information about the Pub and its history, called The Picture Palace. please contact The PEN. It is owned by the Wetherspoon Group and has become a Photos and text supplied by Mary Smith. public house. 3 pen no 29.2.qxp:Layout 1 4/2/11 12:58 Page 4 School Plans are at From the Chair The year 2010 has come and gone, the Heart of the and we have now found ourselves in the New Year 2011. A number of us have made various New Year Community resolutions. These range from Ayfer Orhan, Ponders End Councillor keeping fit following the Christmas and Cabinet Member for Schools, writes … and New Year indulgence, to reviewing our objectives for the Dear Residents and Businesses coming year. Ponders End is rapidly becoming the focus of attention for January indeed is always a good the council. Your three councillors, Leader Doug Taylor, Cllr time for one to look at career objectives. The current Chaudhury Anwar and I are very keen to work on your state of the economy does not give comfort to those behalf to ensure that the area enjoys a new lease of life. who may wish to change jobs, however it does give us the opportunity to look at our skills capability, in order to Of course this may take some time to develop fully, but I reassure ourselves of our ability to retain our current can assure you that we are making good progress. We are jobs, or to acquire new skills in order to meet the future looking to make improvements, to housing, local shops, to employer demands. The recent merging of Enfield the park, with better landscaping, play areas and planting College and College of North East London, has and there are plans to widen roads to allow easier traffic presented the residents of Ponders End with a great flow through South Street, especially during rush. variety of courses both full time and part time which enhances the opportunity of residents to access We are listening carefully to you and this is extremely employment. important for the development of the new Oasis Academy Hadley at South Street. Ponders End Community Development Trust, working with our strategic partners will continue to encourage You may have read that the Oasis Academy Hadley has the intensive recruitment drive for students from been awarded just over £20 million to develop the school. Ponders End. As an area with very high levels of Enfield Council is in the process of appointing a deprivation, we believe that by acquiring additional construction company to design and build it – and your qualification and skills, it will in no small measure help in views are vital. reducing the very high unemployment and benefit dependency. We are planning a consultation within the next few weeks at the South Street Youth Centre. Two potential companies Ponders End Park Improvement Work have been invited to work with the community to develop initial ideas of how you would like the new academy to look. The consultation on the design of the Ponders End Park is now at the final stages.