The boats are back!

After six years without a proper water supply, the boating pond in Broomfield Park is back in business.

Members of the Broomfield Model Boat Club will again be sailing their impressive creations on Sunday mornings.

There were two problems which led to the long delay in the fixing the pond: leaks in the pond itself, and the need to install a new pump around 250ft below the surface. Quite an engineering feat, which you can read about on the Friends of Broomfield Park website.

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The "exceptional circumstances" behind the butchery of the Whitewebbs Oak

Photograph: Mark Saunders/Guardians of Whitewebbs

The "surgery" carried out on the 500-year-old oak tree near the Toby Carvery at Whitewebbs (see this short film and this report in Enfield Dispatch) has sparked a flurry of newspaper, radio and TV reports which have done much to raise the profile of the generally pretty obscure London Borough of Enfield among the UK's population. Nearer home it prompted the Guardians of Whitewebbs to organise a protest and nature walk last Sunday morning.

Karl Brown was among those who took part. In a forum post on Palmers Green Community he muses on the various "exceptional circumstances" surrounding the tree and the future of the park.

After three experts had only very recently assessed the oak tree as being in "fine fettle", an apparently unqualified person proceeded to decide that it was an imminent risk to the public that needed immediate attention. Why the hurry? As Karl remarks, "An extra day or three for due diligence in a 500-year lifespan doesn’t appear too unreasonable [...] but we learn from the apology letter from the CEO [of Mitchells & Butlers/Toby Carvery] that this was another case of 'exceptional circumstances'."

Karl suggests that the case of the tree might be "a little beyond coincidental and rather yields the impression of a larger jigsaw not yet revealed to the public, possibly not to our council, primarily centred on public park green belt" and challenges the mayor of London to "let the sunlight in and see what, if anything, it reveals, for if their [ie Tottenham Hotspurs'] intent is to eat an elephant one bite at a time, let them say so."

Might a key piece of the jigsaw be the strange coincidence of a link between the football club and the Mitchells & Butlers chain of pub/restaurants, both majority owned by the investment company ENIC? And the revelation by the Guardian that Mitchells & Butlers have been in talks with Spurs about selling them the lease of one of their pubs, "believed to be the Toby Carvery in Enfield"?

Bear in mind too the previously expressed wish of Spurs to carry out a bigger reconfiguration (perhaps "carve-up" might be a better description?) of the top end of Whitewebbs than was eventually agreed to by Enfield Council, a reconfiguration that in effect would have turned the Whitewebbs Lane end of the park into Spurs' own private domain? A plan which, according to a report in the Enfield Independent, would have necessitated cutting down the tree to make room for a new access road. Might that ambition still be alive?

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Council scales back Arnos Grove controlled parking plans

Following a decisive No vote from people responding to last year's consultation, Enfield Council has revised its proposals for changes to the Arnos Grove controlled parking zone. The updated scheme, due to go out for statutory consultation this spring, will drop the planned longer operating hours, but still extend the zone to take in some streets that are currently not covered. The suggested major extension to include the Minchenden Estate is no longer part of the proposals.

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Who are the Broomfield House hoardings artists?

Find out more on the Friends of Broomfield Park website about the five artists from the Matchbox Collective who created the splendid murals surrounding the ruined house.

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Starting soon: Spanish lessons at Ruth Winston Community Centre

Luis Lenci has vacancies on his Spanish courses held face-to-face at the Ruth Winston Community Centre in Palmers Green. The new term starts on 29th and 30th April.

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