News, comment and features

Volunteers from the Green Party in Enfield and Epping Forest are collecting blankets, sleeping bags and other warm items to distribute to refugees living in terrible conditions in northern France.  If you have items to donate, you can take them to addresses in Palmers Green, Forty Hill, Waltham Abbey or Buckhurst Hill.  Collection of items will finish on 16th December.  The message below is from Bill Linton of Enfield Green Party. You have probably been horrified by the callous.......

Public consultation on the draft of a new London Plan (more formally, the Spatial Development Strategy for Greater London) will run from 1 December this year until 2 March 2018. There will be a consultation event at Enfield Civic Centre on 12th January, and other events in central London.  These will take the form of briefings followed by question and answer sessions.  For full information about how to comment and about the subsequent Examination in Public see.......

The following information was provided by London Councils.  If you have a Freedom Pass and receive an address confirmation letter DO NOT IGNORE IT or you may lose your Freedom Pass. From this week letters are being sent to Freedom Pass holders who our records indicate may have moved home. Letters will be sent to a person’s new address, if known, and to the address listed on the Freedom Pass database. The letters will ask them to either confirm they are still living in London and.......

A new report by the London Assembly's Transport Committee presents the conclusions of a study into the problems faced by people on foot and on bikes when they are faced with travelling along or crossing main roads in outer London, particularly at major intersections. Hostile Streets - Walking and cycling at outer London Junctions concludes that even very recent junction improvements, such as removal of the gyratory system at Archway, have seriously neglected the interests of everyone except.......

At a ceremony at Lords cricket ground last week, Marc Ellun, Chair of the Friends of Tatem Park, was declared Community Champion 2017 by Fields in Trust. The national charity presents this award to "those who really make a difference to their local green space, going the extra mile organising events, or encouraging others to get involved".

Winchmore Hill police have issued the following warning via Twitter: @MPSWinchmoreH Tell everyone about a scam phone call targetting the elderly asking them to ring a number ending in 361877. Says 'You've been named in a criminal prosecution and your home is under police surveillance....' DO NOT DIAL THAT NUMBER! It is a SCAM! Pass the message on please. <?php$ogImage = ' ';include.......

A newly published study into congestion on London's roads concludes that a long-term strategic solution requires a shift to active, sustainable and space-efficient modes. Road space should be reallocated to walking, cycling and public transport;  there should be distance-based road-user charging;  there should be workplace parking levies;  and new developments with minimal or zero parking. Understanding and Managing Congestion was commissioned from Integrated Transport Planning.......

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) have launched the third and final phase of their consultations over new timetables to be introduced in May 2018.  The latest proposals will come as a disappointment for passengers using Palmers Green and other stations on the Hertford Loop, as the planned increase from two to four trains an hour on Sundays is no longer being offered. The online survey form mainly asks questions that are of little relevance to people using trains for weekend leisure purposes........

At its meeting on 15th November Enfield Council's Cabinet agreed to continue negotiations with Metaswitch Networks about the possible construction of a new headquarters building for the IT firm on the land currently occupied by the Genotin Road car park in Enfield Town. Metaswitch, located in three buildings in Enfield, wishes to consolidate on a single site.  As well as Enfield, it has been looking at the possiblity of moving its HQ abroad. Metaswitch, described as "the world’s.......

The draft London Plan, which will be released later this week, will include measures to encourage cycling and walking while discouraging driving. The proposals are aligned with the draft Mayor's Transport Strategy, which envisages increasing the proportion of trips in London made on foot, by cycle or using public transport to 80 per cent by 2041, compared to 64 per cent now, meaning an average of three million fewer car journeys in London each day. The proposals have been welcomed by Dr Yvonne.......

"Hi - I am Surayya ,  one of Talkies' volunteers. I will be bringing you a short film on this website each month. "Please let us know what you think of this month's film, and watch this space to see what we will bring you in the coming months!" If you're a Londoner, I'm not sure if anything screams the stillness of winter more than an early morning commute. Director Jessica Bishopp depicts this with her short film Platform 1, which was filmed on the platform of our very own.......

"We wanted to be in charge of our lives, we wanted to make things better, to live longer, to live more creatively, and still have energy to give back to the community." "This is the first senior co-housing community in the UK. We've got 26 women who know each other, share core values, do things together, and look out for each other. What better neighbours could you ask for?" The opening words of an inspiring new video about OWCH - Older Women's Co-Housing - whose New Ground co-housing.......