Forum topic: Draft Conservation Area Character Appraisals and Management Proposals: Phase II

There seems more to conservation than mere conservation. My response to the consultation is below. I wonder how wide the view of a wider view being appropriate may be.

Conservation Area Character Appraisals and Management Proposals Review: Phase II

Lakes Estate Conservation Area

Comment is sought on two papers.

As a near three decade long resident of “The Lakes” and a resident of one of the six houses always used to reflect a delightful visual appearance of the estate, I would suggest the draft text risks missing “the elephant in the room”.

Individuals invest to live on The Lakes, currently at a figure of roughly £1m, for a range of reasons; and it is of course such residents seeking to treat it as their home which is, and must surely remain, the primary purpose if it is to prove a sustainable area.

Considerable experience suggest that asking pretty much any nearby resident what are the “intangible qualities such as the sights, sounds and smells that contribute to making the area distinctive”, or perhaps more specifically, what they would expect to see in a comprehensive report that “identifies problems that detract from the character of the area” and they will inevitably revert to traffic – its speed, volume, noise and even smell. To quote some noise related comments supplied to Enfield Council by neighbours:-

• the noise element is immense – I am in a ground floor flat and if my sister stays overnight she has a very disturbed night’s sleep
• The biggest difference is the road noise
• the noise of the traffic outside keeps us awake at night and generally interrupts our sleep.
• My Father works nights – the traffic is so heavy during the day that he has to sleep at the back of the house

A similar, albeit larger, collection is available relating to sights (of speeding traffic) which cause these associated noise impacts. Approximately 590 vehicles per day are in excess of the legal speed limit on the road highlighted on the face sheets of both reports. (Covert data sourced for MPS May 2011.) It is not by any means a unique street on The Lakes which is widely prone to speeding and “rat running” traffic.

Enforcement of such behaviour is however absent.

There is no equity in an aggressive enforcement regime addressing only some (potentially) negative elements of The Lakes when a highly impactful influence to its primary purpose gets ignored. (Negative) Impact on the character and appearance, and of course liveability, of The Lakes by such traffic behaviour goes without saying. An individual speeding vehicle, or large wagon, and its associated noise / vibrations / community impact can be viewed as a “one off” but in reality the effects are aggregable, indeed are very likely to be cumulative. In that they are no less impactful to the overall aesthetic than highly destructive property changes.

The picking and choosing of only those items which risk generating a sub optimal public realm is not a balance I would wish to support. Rather I’d like a quiet, peaceful, green estate that preserves and enhances the high quality and undoubtedly visually pleasing built environment. Much experience suggests I am not alone in making such a call. It would be appropriate if the reports and subsequent actions planned reflected such reality.