The sun shines on Enfield Town's new square to celebrate completion of first phase of environmental improvements

The sun shone on the new Saddlers Square as London's walking and cycling commissioner cut the ribbon to officially mark the completion of the first phase of a scheme to make Enfield Town more people-friendly.

Will Norman, London's walking and cycling commissioner, cuts the ribbon in Saddlers Square, assisted by Enfield Council leader Ergin Erbil and the cabinet member for climate action and placemaking, Cllr Sabri Ozaydin

Blue skies and sunshine made a rare recent appearance on Saturday 25th January to greet the crowd gathered for the official inauguration of phase 1 of the Enfield Town Liveable Neighbourhood scheme.

To mark the occasion a ribbon cutting ceremony was held in Saddlers Square, the newly created pedestrian space in Church Street, where new benches, rain gardens and special paving have been installed. After Enfield Poets Mary Duggan and Christine Vial read from some of their work, the ribbon was cut by the Mayor of London's walking and cycling commissioner, Will Norman, assisted  by the leader of Enfield Council, Ergin Erbil, and the cabinet member for climate action and placemaking, Sabri Ozaydin.

The assembled people then toured the new features, using the new pedestrian crossing linking Saddlers Square to the Library Green, then the new path linking the library to the entrance to Town Park in Cecil Road, before continuing the celebrations at the Dugdale Arts Centre.

Local artist James Tunnard spoke about the importance and meaning of the art you will find embedded in the ground:

"I wanted to create a pathway and a stepping stone feature for people to enjoy and connect with the Saddlers Mill Stream that runs three or four metres beneath the surface. Also, to make a connection to the poet John Keats, who was educated at a progressive school in Enfield. I was delighted to work with George Spicer School, who were really enthusiastic. We came up with a bunch of fish pattern designs, some of which we've incorporated into the final design.

"For the connection with Keats, Clare Moloney from the council's place shaping team and I picked some lines from his poetry that referenced rivers and seemed suitable for the location. We also wanted to add some new poetry by Enfield poets, so we used some lines from poems by Mary Duggan and Christine Vial.

"It was really fun, and hopefully we've created something that is lasting and can be enjoyed by the local community and visitors."

Saddlers Square (credit: Enfield Council)

The Mayor's walking and cycling commissioner, Will Norman, commented that while walking to the square from Enfield Town station he saw that the high street was thriving:

"I go to boroughs all around the city and that isn't always the case. It's projects like this that make a massive difference, making it easier to cross the road - making a difference particularly for older people, people with mobility issues, people with kids.

"We've got evidence from around the city that projects like this can increase footfall and spend up to 40 per cent, keeping those businesses thriving - and a variety of businesses, it's not just the same old shops on the high street.

"But it's also really important in terms of the community, a place where people can bump into each other, people can share, see friend, places to sit. In terms of increasing the number of people walking. You've got a space for people to sit and relax. That helps promote health and also the environmental benefits that we can see. So the new crossings make it safer, new planters mitigate issues of flooding and heavy rainfall, new cycling infrastructure keeps it safer for people, the benches help people sit and enjoy the space.