The May issue of Enfield Dispatch is now available in print or online. The prospects for the paper surviving the coronavirus pandemic are looking brighter.
Fox Lane & District Residents Association has updated and expanded its list of local shops,restaurants and other businesses that are providing services during lockdown.
A report launched at the end of April claims that there are are an estimated 125,000 homes in London with no-one living in them. It calls for a robust register of residential property ownership and usage and effective regulation of second homes and short-term lets and says that local authorities should be given planning powers and resources to ensure homes are built for residential use rather than as wealth investments.
Four weeks ago Barry and June Smitherman put out an urgent appeal for donations to help cover the cost of feeding and caring for the animals looked after by the Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service (WRAS) at the Trent Park Animal Centre. With its cafe and animal centre closed because of the coronavirus lockdown, the charity's main source of income has disappeared. Barry says that the donations received so far will keep the centre open until some time in June, but if the lockdown goes on much longer it will have to close, as it needs about £10,000 a month to survive.
Hidden behind the front window blinds of a house in a Palmers Green street is the centre of a discussion network that is international in scope, but never forgets that global issues are always felt locally.
Public consultation on proposals to build two new schools and further housing on former hospital land at Chase Farm is being held online. Responses are requested by 7th May.
'We don't want or need to go back to those fume-filled, congested and hostile roads of the past' - the message concluding a letter sent by campaigners to the leaders of Enfield Council concerned about what might happen once the coronavirus lockdown ends. They urge the leaders to to take steps to ensure that, as restrictions are gradually relaxed, high levels of car usage do not return, hindering social distancing and discouraging active travel modes - walking and cycling. Their suggestions include 'pop-up' cycle lanes along corridors for key workers, widening of pinchpoints that present hazards when walking or cycling, and re-allocation of road space at places where queues outside shops make it impossible for pedestrians to maintain safe distances.