Question 1. What do think is good about the area?
Palmers Green is generally a good place, kept clean and with a good mix of cultures. My family and I generally feel safe and there is a good selection of restaurants and bars to socialise. There are good parks either side of the town and has a wonderful atmosphere.
Question 2. What do you think is less good about the area?
Palmers Green has never been an area to shop in. It has a good(ish) range of places to buy ‘emergency’ items or things that may have been forgotten from the family shop without having the inconvenience or going to Morrison’s and queuing but as I said, in an emergency only. It is not however, a place to visit for ‘shopping’. My family always go to Enfield Town for that. Palmers Green has too many fast-food places, estate agents, hair salons and nail decorating establishments to make it a destination for a ‘shopping trip’ and will never be able to compete with the variety of Enfield Town. Small shops will never be able to compete with the supermarkets and this will always ensure that they are used in the ‘emergency’ capacity. Shops can remain empty for some time.
Question 3. What would you like to see to improve the area?
Winchmore Hill seems to have escaped the problems of Palmers Green. The shops that exist offer things that supermarkets do no / cannot supply. The restaurants and cafes are good but no one would ever think of spending a Saturday morning browsing the shops there. Palmers Green triangle seems to have a better (cleaner?) feel about it, is more attention given to it?
I really don’t know the answer to this question. I love Palmers Green or I would have moved away some time ago but I think this has more to do with the mix of cultures here than the facilities.
Question 4a. Specific aspects – traffic
Never noticed this as an issue. I have always thought that one of the best features of Palmers Green is its lack of Underground station and that ‘people traffic’ is kept to those who need to be here rather than those ‘passing through’. Vehicles never seem to be an issue and pedestrian crossings are plenty.
Question 4b. Specific aspects – parking
Cost of parking is an issue everywhere. However, it is exorbitant if looked at from the perspective of those stopping off for the emergency items previously mentioned. If the answer to improving Palmers Green is a cash-injection, then we are losing out by ensuring people are turned away by having to pay for items twice (cost of item from shop and cost of parking). Why does the car-park at the rear of McDonalds charge so much – or charge at all? Does Morrison’s make a charge for its customers? Why should shop owners be penalised for making customers pay for parking to visit them?
Question 4c. Specific aspects – clutter
- It seems in this day and age (Christ, that’s a ‘grumpy old man expression’) everything is put in place for vehicles and safety. Pavements are cluttered with sign posts and railings, bollards and road lighting (I say road rather than street as the lamps point into the road and not to the pavement). Is there an answer to this? I doubt it. Sometimes however, it does seem that little thought is given to the positioning of these items. Look at the bus stop outside of what used to be Tesco. It is positioned in such a way as to restrict the flow of people passing. Why is it such a large shelter? Cannot the type used near the Hedge Lane junction be placed here?
Question 4d. Specific aspects – look of the shops/architecture
Generally good but some need refurbishment. This is especially true for areas above the eye line and shops remaining empty.
Question 4e. Specific aspacts – type and range of shops
- Palmers Green has never been an area to shop in. It has a good(ish) range of places to buy ‘emergency’ items or things that may have been forgotten from the family shop without having the inconvenience or going to Morrison’s and queuing but as I said, in an emergency only. It is not however, a place to visit for ‘shopping’. My family always go to Enfield Town for that. Palmers Green has too many fast-food places, estate agents, hair salons and nail decorating establishments to make it a destination for a ‘shopping trip’ and will never be able to compete with the variety of Enfield Town. Small shops will never be able to compete with the supermarkets and this will always ensure that they are used in the ‘emergency’ capacity. Shops can remain empty for some time.
– encourage shops providing specialist services (other than those already over-abundant) and items not available in supermarkets. This does however generally mean expensive items as those are the only things supermarkets do not supply (thanks mainly to competition between them).
Question 4f. Specific aspects – amount and use of pavement space
See section on clutter. Pavements need to be for pedestrians and not just to hold signage and to show where the road ends.
Question 4g. Specific aspects – the Triangle public space
Nice area – however it has taken a massive blow by removing that beautiful tree ... and the Christmas tree that was placed there seemed like a kick in the teeth. ‘Look, we’ve taken away your real tree and given you some plastic’. The triangle itself could be used to better effect – could the Farmer’s Market be extended to here – it would encourage those passing through to stop. Could the Farmer’s Market be extended to Saturday mornings too? How about a Saturday morning ‘Speaker’s Corner’ if the Farmer’s Market is a no-go? Encourage people to stand on a soap-box and cure all the world’s ills?
Question 4h. Specific aspects – Greenery
Nowhere near enough, a grant to encourage those along Green Lanes to adopt planters would help.
Any other comments
I feel I should change my name to Victor Meldrew after reading back through this. You caught me at a time when I (unusually) had a few free moments. I love Palmers Green, always have – but just like everything else in life, there is always room for improvement. Palmers Green could be perfect, Winchmore Hill have something approaching it. Aim high!