Palmers Green residents campaigning against the planned Merkur Slots 24-hour arcade have been told that it will be possible to review the granting of a gambling licence without waiting for the venue to open first. The campaign is being supported by all three Palmers Green ward councillors, the council leader and the local MP, who has raised the matter in parliament, but a key obstacle is the fact that current law makes it difficult for councils to control the proliferation of gambling establishments - which is why residents are being urged to submit evidence to a review of gambling legislation.
On 17th March Healthwatch Enfield held an online question and answer session about local mental health services and support, with more than forty participants. A recording is now available.
A local civic sector activist has been named as a Woman of Influence by a professional planning journal in view of her contribution to the development of an innovative method of involving the wider community in shaping local development proposals.
Enrol on one of Collage Writing Room's online writing workshops this Summer term and join our supportive writing community: explore Creative Writing for the first time; find your inner poet; write your life and start a memoir; finish that work in progress or write a novella! Courses are for six weeks starting in April and June, online via ZOOM. Courses are £125; Meet the Agent is £8.
The residents' group campaigning against the opening of a new Merkur Slots 24-hour gambling arcade will be meeting virtually on 18th March to discuss the way forward. They will be joined by councillors from Palmers Green ward, officers from the council's licensing team and, if he can make it, by Enfield Southgate MP Bambos Charalambous. Council leader Nesil Caliskan has also been invited, but to date has not responded. Written advice obtained by Bambos Charalambous appears to suggest that the granting of the license for the premises was entirely in order. The group is asking residents to write to the MP who is leading the cross-party review of the present Gambling Act 2005.
Thanks to the pledges and likes posted by local people on Facehive, the Palmers Green Action Team's project to start creating a green chain from Broomfield Park to Hazelwood Rec is now assured financially. The money taking the project over the finishing line came in the shape of a grant of £4,065 from the Mayor of London. Added to the more than £1,500 pledged by individuals and organisations, that takes the total to just under £6,000, 128 per cent of the target of £4,363.
The Enfield Society's survey about views on redevelopment of Enfield Town's shopping centre ends on Thursday. The Society considers that the proposed Palace Square development, incorporating six tower blocks of between 12 and 26 storeys, would neither be compatible with the historic town centre's conservation area status, nor provide the right mix of housing needed by families.
For many chronic pain sufferers, the national lockdown has meant limited access to pain-relieving treatments. However, according to Palmers Green-based clinical massage therapist and chronic pain specialist Steven Murdoch, there are many things we can do ourselves to self-manage pain.
Enfield Art Circle is holding fortnightly Zoom meetings to enable members to keep up their artistic interests with a mixture of practical sessions and demonstrations. Visitors are warmly welcomed.
An update on the Let's Talk Enfield website has information about extension of trial operation of the low-traffic neighbourhood (LTN) scheme in the Fox Lane Quieter Neighbourhood and announces a new focus on gathering information about the impact of the scheme on people with disabilities and their carers.
