Question 1. What do think is good about the area?
Palmers Green is a largely attractive area with a diverse town centre. It has a good mix of independent traders and high street chains (over 120 units); a scattering of cafes and restaurants. There is very low vacancy in shops, which is contrary to national trends. It retains a couple of reasonable pubs, a post office, a couple of good supermarkets (we should be especially proud to have attracted a Waitrose). The town centre is generally attractive, litter free and has some interesting buildings which are not that badly affected by shoddy shopfronts. Within the centre, the mix of people is good meaning the traders are also good. It is friendly and well connected, though the good connections have not lead to it becoming expensive or sought after, like Muswell Hill and Crouch End which, I think, retains a certain accessible charm to the place. Recently, new traders have established with an innovative offer – Baskervilles springs to mind. There is enough here for a local resident to mull about the shops for an hour or two if there’s nothing else particular to do.
Question 2. What do you think is less good about the area?
There are a number of small irritations. The roads are difficult to cross, particularly the central part of Green Lanes and parts of Aldermans Hill around the station. Rat-running is rife in Devonshire Road, causing irritation and danger for residents, particularly those with small children. Parking is poorly signed and hidden away, though appears to be relatively plentiful. The pavements are a little narrow, especially on the eastern side, and get difficult to move along particularly around the bus stops. The Triangle could be more of a focal point, but is underutilised. Ideas for the junction – a clock and a tree – appear to be half-baked, albeit they’re based on what used to be there.
Question 3. What would you like to see to improve the area?
First and foremost, I’d like to see less rat-running on Devonshire Road. This could easily be achieved though a barrier at some point in the road. Traffic should be maintained on the principal roads. This might mean more congestion, which in turn might point to a need to make a better public realm, one in which pedestrians feel more empowered and motorists more wary. Better signage, particularly to car parks, and the availability of real time information about parking spaces would also help. I’m not sure another crossing in Green Lanes would help – wider pavements, a better environment for pedestrians and more traffic might be the better solution (more traffic will mean slower cars and an easier ability to cross because traffic is not moving quickly).
Question 4a. Specific aspects – traffic
- Some comments have already been made. I don’t necessarily think too much traffic is a problem, provided pedestrians have a good environment and can move about and people know where to go in their cars to park and get about the centre.
Traffic often moves too quickly on Aldermans Hill, particularly around the station and along to the entrance to Broomfield Park. Reducing the speed limit would not be effective; physical obstacles to speeding would be more effective in my view. Devonshire Road is a classic rat-run for avoiding the Triangle and the bin lorroes are amongst the worst culprits, along with pizza delivery mopeds and boy racers after midnight.
The zebra crossing at the Triangle (by WHSmith works okay, but is perhaps too close to Green Lanes; equally, the right turn into Devonshire Road is tricky, and blocks traffic behind it when someone is waiting to turn.
Question 4b. Specific aspects – parking
Comments already made on location, and availability. I don’t see cost as an issue particularly; if one was to go to Wood Green or Enfield, charges also apply, plus there’s the cost of getting there as well. Retail parks are hideous places, and I don’t personally care if they are free to park; I rarely frequent them.
Question 4c. Specific aspects – clutter
The clutter in Palmers Green is not so bad. The Triangle is perhaps the worst place, but needs attention anyway. Ideally, a consistent palette of materials and street furniture should be applied to the whole centre and obsolete items should be removed. I don’t believe that auditing such items is expensive or difficult. There are a number of pointless planters around, which are ugly. A-boards outside shops – notably beauty palours and nail bars – should be better enforced (but never are, anywhere).
Question 4d. Specific aspects – look of the shops/architecture
Many town centres in London are tatty and ugly – having lived for some time in south London, I would cite many examples there. Palmers Green, for its size and importance, is remarkably coherent, and retains a number of historic buildings in good condition. Shopfronts are not too bad. However, that’s not to say that, again, a consistent policy approach could be taken to appropriately sized fascia boards and shop elevations; the ground floor is most frequently where this breaks down. In particular, all ‘class A uses’ should be encouraged to have a shop front, and many do.
Question 4e. Specific aspacts – type and range of shops
As a fairly new resident, but with a long history of friends having lived in the area, I have seen change in the centre. I would maintain that it has a good mix. IT is not too dependent on national traders who might look to close smaller stores in this economic climate. It has a high proportion of A1 uses. There is concern about betting shops, but there are only four at present between Fox Lane and the Inn on the Green at the Triangle, in over 120 units. This is a very small proportion. There is a very low level of vacant units. Fast food take aways are not dominant, and those that exist tend to be relatively discreet. There are charity shops (an A1 use), but they appear to be well run and, in the case of the British Red Cross bookshop, quite distinctive. There is a high number of independent traders – one can still buy a wide range of goods from the centre from home goods – carpets, curtains, blinds, televisions – to perishables to DIY goods and clothing.
That’s not to say that things couldn’t be better. We have to continue to nurture locally grown traders with fair rents and a good environment in the town centre. We need to be sure what perceived ills (betting shops, charity shops, pound shops, vacant units…etc) we’re prepared to tolerate - because they will and do exist - and be sure that the Council is applying the policies that we want in a consistent and transparent way.
Question 4f. Specific aspects – amount and use of pavement space
Question 4g. Specific aspects – the Triangle public space
The Triangle could be a better space, a focal point. It could have some kind of feature, but I have no ideas about this. I can see the logic of a tree or greenery, but I don’t see this overgrown traffic island as a place to sit and rest. I can see why a clock might be spoken about, but new clocks have a tradition of being designed by Committee – any Victoriana clock would be a crime against humanity and going too contemporary could also be controversial. If any sculpture/art were to be considered, I would suggest commissioning this properly and involving the community in some way without them dominating – the best art splits opinion.
Question 4h. Specific aspects – Greenery
- Planting should be part of a comprehensive public realm strategy. Concrete boxes on the pavement are awful; plastic trays balancing on railing are equally criminal. Ideally, planting and greenery should respect the area, be indigenous and encourage sustainability and biodiversity.
Any other comments
-Personally, I think that the community should be considering a neighbourhood plan for the Palmers Green town centre and environs. The community – FLDRA and other associations with the EDRA – should be putting its strategic priorities to the council and be feeding this into the planning framework. It would give us a lot more control and clout. The Localism Act gives us the power to make our own policy; we need the Council to recognise us as a legitimate group and to work with us. It would be innovative and could be inspiring.
I hate hearing about projects going on in isolation – for instance, the Triangle, the station entrance and the issues of speeding on Aldermans Hill are connected and ought to be considered strategically. It would make more sense in the longer term. Equally, whilst there might be a worry about betting shops (for instance), this should not be considered in isolation – the town centre can adequately take more betting shops if other problems which exist in the centre are addressed at the same time.
It should also be noted that the Council will be issuing its Development Management policy document for consultation in March/April and it is essential that the residents’ association scrutinises this to ensure that Palmers Green maintains its place in the retail hierarchy, is not being undermined in terms of the range of class A uses which are acceptable in the centre (i.e. a maintenance of the current dominance of A1; discourage the loss of A1 uses to A2-A3 on the whole) and puts a strong emphasis on A1 uses in the primary shopping area in the heart of Green Lanes.
