Enfield Council has "paused" its project to implement a school streets and quieter neighbourhood scheme in "Bowes East", south of the North Circular Road and east of Green Lanes.
Map showing the Bowes East Quieter Neighbourhood proposals that were consulted on in September last year but have been 'paused' (adapted from a map on the Journeys & Places website - click on the map to download the original)
After analysing the responses to a statutory consultation and receiving feedback from two schools in the area, the council's Journeys & Places team has put its proposals to create the Bowes East Quieter Neighbourhood on hold. The scheme was designed to reduce the amount of traffic cutting through streets in Bowes Ward between Green Lanes and Wolves Lane, to improve safety and air quality for children arriving at and leaving the two schools - Tottenhall Infants and St Michael at Bowes - and to reduce congestion in Grenoble Gardens at some times of day.
The project was initiated with a month-long community engagement starting in September 2023, involving in-person and online events, workshops with schools and opportunties for residents to input their views about problems and potential solutions using an online map. Based on the outcome of this phase, Journeys & Places drew up an initial design and invited feedback during a second engagement run along similar lines in January and February 2024. The findings of the engagement were summarised in a document published in June 2024. At the same time, the team published the results of monitoring of traffic volumes and routes carried out the previous December, which in particular revealed "large vehicle queue lengths [...] on Grenoble Gardens especially during peak afternoon (PM) hours".
In September last year Journeys & Places published a definitive proposal (see the map above) and a draft traffic management order, which was the subject of a statutory consultation. A detailed report about the statutory consultation process and its outcomes was published in early March. At the same time, Journeys & Places published an update on its website, stating that the project was being "paused" and referring to "additional concerns" about the proposed school street that were raised following further engagement with the two schools:
Enfield Council delivered a statutory consultation on the draft Traffic Order TG52/1568 relating to the Bowes East Quieter Neighbourhood from 25 September to 20 October 2024. Thank you to everyone who took part to share their views and attend an event. The statutory consultation report summarising feedback received during this period can be found here.
Despite significant progress in developing a scheme aimed at delivering benefits for students, parents, and the wider community, we regret to inform you that the project is being paused.
Following further engagement with local schools – Tottenhall Infant School and St Michael-at-Bowes CoE Primary School – additional concerns were raised about aspects of the proposed School Street. While many responses to the engagement process were positive, the schools have indicated that they do not wish to proceed with a School Street at this stage.
The objectives of the proposed School Street are to improve safety, accessibility, and air quality around the school, aligning with broader ambitions to create healthier and more active travel options for children. As the School Street was a key element of the Bowes East Quieter Neighbourhood proposal, we are unable to move forward with the implementation the Quieter Neighbourhood at this time without support from the schools.
We know that many parents and residents value safer streets and improved routes for walking and cycling, and we encourage continued discussions on how we can work together to ensure our streets remain safe and welcoming for all.
This project page contains information on the history of the project and will be updated should the project recommence in the future.
Source: Update on the Bowes East QN dated 6 March 2025 (Let's Talk Enfield website)
After publication of the update, the Palmers Green Community website contacted the two schools asking for clarification of the "additional concerns" that were raised about "aspects of the proposed school street". However, there has been no response from either school.
Links
Bowes East Quieter Neighbourhood project page on Let's Talk Enfield website
Council publishes proposals for Bowes East and Edmonton Green quieter neighbourhoods (Palmers Green Community 24 January 2024)
Council launches engagement phase for "Bowes East" quieter neighbourhood (Palmers Green Community 19 September 2023)
