Strong response from Enfield residents on new town centre plans

There were almost 350 responses to the initial public consultation on the town centre first plan for Enfield which aims to revitalise and improve the town centre.

Feedback from the consultation will help form the basis for the draft town centre first plan which is now being worked on by consultants Paul Hogarth and Company.

Enfield was one of 26 towns chosen nationally as part of the Town Centre First policy, which aims to regenerate town centres making them more attractive places to work and live, and address issues like dereliction.

In an update to councillors at the Trim Municipal District meeting last week, Senior Executive Planner Wendy Bagnell said the consultation events were extremely well attended and they were very happy with the participation. She said they are now in the drafting phase and the next stage would be the publishing of the draft plan and she hoped the momentum and participation would continue.

Consultant James Hennessy said they were busy doing their homework and getting to know Enfield and commented that it had a fantastic strategic location on the railway, motorway and canal networks but questioned if the town was maximising the benefits of its location on the railway and canal networks.

He noted that parking and traffic congestion were concerns and they needed to improve connectivity of pedestrian and cycle links as part of the plan.

Mr Hennessy also pointed out it was not the most attractive streetscape and commented that it dominated by cars and didn't feel particularly safe to walk if you were a parent with buggy or someone in a wheelchair and they needed to look at the quality of the environment and find a balance between pedestrian and vehicle space.

The plan will also look at making the most of Enfield's location on the canal and how more links can be developed.

A total of 347 responses were received to the public consultation with the majority being from Enfield. Interestingly what people like best and at the same time liked least were the commercial facilities. Respondents were particularly vocal about the lack of competition in shops.

The need for community space and facilities was also a priority. The responses also showed that while the train network is there, people said they weren't using it as much as they would like as it too expensive.

With the initial consultation compete, the next stage is developing the draft plan which will again go out for public consultation.

As part of this, a town team will be formed involving residents, the business community, local organisations and councillors. The town team will have approximately ten members and training will be given by the National Town Centre First Office, which oversees implementation of the policy.

To date there have been 14 expressions of interest in the team locally.