TES News No 185 • Spring 2012 The newsletter of The Enfield Society Construction of new vehicular access to Forty Hall As part of the ‘Parks for People’ HLF frequently been damaged by heavy project for restoring the historic vehicles entering the site. The current landscape at Forty Hall, Enfield Council state is shown in our illustration. English has applied to reconfigure the main Heritage is unlikely to allow the gate entrance to Forty Hall Park, including the posts to be altered in view of their Grade creation of a new vehicular entrance/exit II-listed status and the new entrance is off Forty Hill. This would be sited about proposed as an alternative, with the 40 metres to the north of the main current access limited to pedestrians, gateway, opposite the busy entry to Clock although the application does not show approach at right angles and not at an House Nursery, and would involve this in the accompanying plan. The car angle. Robust iron bollards would be yellow lines on either side with a ‘ghost’ entrance is shown as separate but traffic required in addition to the existing centre island to allow right turns in both to the hall and farm, including the heavy, splayed stone ones. This should be tried. directions. To improve visibility, damaging vehicles, would still have to Instead we have this drastic option of a vegetation would be removed and around use the existing gateway. new entrance just where traffic constantly 17 trees would be felled, including a In 2007/8 the Paul Drury Partnership turns in and out of the Clock House significant oak and a Corsican pine; drew up a Conservation Management Nursery. another Corsican pine is likely to be Plan for the estate at considerable In considering the interests of the park, affected. The resulting gap would be expense. A three option approach to the the effects on the character of the Forty closed with metal estate railing and a problem of the gateway approach was Hill Conservation area have been matching metal gate. envisaged but neither this nor their ignored. Essentially it has the ambience All this would have a significant effect on recommendations for the future of the car of a countryside settlement, despite the the Forty Hill and Bulls Cross park has been followed. The Drury increasing traffic flow. The proposals Conservation Area. The main reason Option 1 envisaged realigning the would deal this a major blow and the given is to alleviate the problem of the bollards currently guarding the approach Enfield Society is objecting strongly. narrow listed entrance gateway which has so as to ensure that incoming vehicles Chris Jephcott Aerial Trek at Church Wood in Trent Park In the last newsletter I mentioned briefly uncoordinated features badly in need of that the Conservation Advisory Group the services of a landscape architect. The was generally happy with this high wire new scheme will add some more. As the forest adventure network. This was photographs show, the installations will following a presentation at the August be quite meeting, at which I was not present, and prominent and a subsequent meeting of Don Alexander based on timber of the Trent Park Conservation battens nailed Committee and the promoters, the rather around the crudely named Go Ape. Now that trunks, not good planning approval has been given and forestry practice. work has started, there has been an The associated upsurge of protest. Responding, Cllr. felling of Chris Bond, Enfield Council’s Cabinet diseased and Member for Environment, defended the dead trees to let scheme, which had been widely light on to the consulted on with only one objection. He woodland floor stated that it would cover less than one appears to have included large, healthy acre (though the original press release trees as seen in the last photograph. mentioned 6.7 acres) and he was Admittedly Church Wood, site of the confident that the adventure park would excellent blind trail, is only a small be a great asset to the park as a whole proportion of the whole country park but whilst retaining its character and charm. the five installations will affect most of it. I had a look at the site as we go to press. I will leave it to members to form their Church Wood is near the café and own opinions as to the desirability of this associated car parks, an area which has commercial venture. become frankly a mess, with Chris Jephcott 1 Conservation Conservation Advisory and Study Groups We still await the release of the final I represented the EPS on the Study grown older and, following their version of the Government’s Group since the early days and can retirement and without an infusion of controversial National Planning Policy vouch for the strong and enlightened new blood the future of the group must Framework, the calm before the storm, influence it has had on the many be uncertain. Membership is informal perhaps, but in the meantime there are changes Enfield Town and Chase Side and open to anyone living roughly in the changes to the local planning system as have undergone in the ensuing years. conservation area. Meeting about every Enfield Council responds to the cuts in For the past twelve years the Study month in line with the CAG timetable public expenditure. All planning Group has been ably chaired by Brian the commitment is not onerous and we consultation is now paperless and on Macdonald, himself a member for 35 have had interesting discussions. The line, fine for some but taxing and years and meeting at his house in Chase group would be very glad to hear from unhelpful for the less computer literate, Green Avenue, with Carol Wells to be anyone with an interest in local planning and local groups monitoring planning relied on as Secretary. But the next or conservation issues, who would applications now all have to crowd meeting on 29th January will be their consider joining and in the absence of a round a small screen, unable to spread last. As with so many similar new secretary could contact me via the out and properly evaluate large sheets of organisations the membership has Enfield Society. plans. The planning officers, too, have Chris Jephcott to make do with their small screens to come to conclusions regarding granting planning permission. The cuts have also Architecture and planning meant that the Conservation Advisory Planning applications Group has been deprived of its administrative support and now has to Enfield’s procedure for consultation on planning applications has changed, and letters to reply on the good offices of the Head of people being consulted about applications will now contain a direct link to allow the Development Services, Aled Richards, relevant documents to be consulted online. Comments may also be submitted by email to attend the evening meetings and direct to the planning officer. The weekly list of applications is available online and record the minutes. Very welcome to notifications can be sent by email if requested. have him on board, but is this the best The database of applications, with supporting documents and decisions, can be consulted use of a senior officer’s time? Yet the on the council’s web site – follow the links from the main site at picture is not all gloom. As Christine <http://www.enfield.gov.uk/>. You have to register, but can then submit comments by White, who has ably fronted the email or fill in an on-line form to report any complaints or matters requiring enforcement Conservation Team on the group for action, such as planning conditions not being complied with. countless years, steps back the Council On the same site you can make a building control application to ensure that any work has, after a gap of many years, you propose to do will comply with the Building Regulations. appointed a new Conservation Officer. John Davies / Leonard Will Heloise Brown is now the Officer dealing with planning applications Planning decisions must Drapers Road housing concerning conservation areas and listed take a long-term view development proposal buildings and we welcome her to A recent planning appeal has upheld the An application has been submitted by Enfield. principle that decisions do not depend Fairview New Homes Ltd. for a major To Enfield Council’s credit, the solely on the opinions of current housing development on the site of the Conservation Advisory Committee neighbours but must take account of the covered reservoir at the junction of (later Group) was formed in 1968 when effect on future residents of an area. Drapers Road and Holtwhites Hill. The the Town and Country Planning Act A householder applied for retrospective reservoir has already been substantially allowed the setting up of conservation approval of a large canopy at the rear of a demolished and the site is being areas. Many other local authorities still house. The planning department rejected excavated. do not have such groups. With a this, on the grounds that it caused undue The proposal is for 35 one, two and membership of representatives of local harm to the residential amenities of the three-bedroom flats and 13 three and amenity groups and council elected neighbouring properties because its four-bedroom houses, with 56 car members, it has met regularly ever since excessive size, siting and design made it parking spaces and associated access, to consider conservation planning intrusive, incongruous and overbearing. amenity space and landscaping. The issues. As more local conservation areas The residents of both neighbouring property known as “The Cottage” on the were designated, groups of local properties had written in support of the corner does not form part of the residents, rather eccentrically termed application, but the Planning Inspector development.