FAQ

Enfield Council is developing exciting plans for the future of Enfield Town. Through the Enfield Town Liveable Neighbourhoods project, we are looking to enhance the vibrancy of the Town Centre, whilst respecting its unique character. The vision for the future of Enfield Town has been developed in collaboration with the local community.

We have worked closely with key stakeholders in Enfield Town since 2019 when the project commenced to ensure the voices of residents, school students, disabled people, business owners and residents’ groups are represented throughout the life of the project. You can find out more, including proposed plans, in the Document Library on the right-hand side of the project page.

Due to the complexity of the project and funding availability, Enfield Council has decided to deliver the project in phases, anticipated over several years. Phases will be delivered as 'stand-alone' projects to deliver independent benefits. 

Funding has been secured for the 2025/26 financial year to enable the delivery of Phase 2 of the Enfield Town LN project to commence, through a combination of Transport for London (TfL) funding and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding aligned to the project. The funding for the remainer of Phase 2 is being secured.

The Council will also continue to identify future funding sources and will work with developers to align S106 funding towards delivery. 

Four phases of community engagement took place during the initial design development process as outlined below.

• Phase 1 (October – November 2019): during this phase the Council provided residents and businesses with an opportunity to share their ideas for the future of Enfield Town. Their ideas informed the five Design Principles that shaped the early plans for improvements to Enfield Town.
• Phase 2 (October – November 2020): feedback was gathered by the Council on the proposed plan, and four of the public spaces in Enfield Town were co-designed with the community.
• Phase 3 (May – July 2021): the Council presented the proposed designs for the public realm spaces that had been co-designed during Phase 2. The Council also ran targeted engagement with key stakeholders to inform the concept design.
• Phase 4 (July – October 2022): From 27 July to 9 October 2022, the Council gathered feedback on the proposed plan, ideas for the name of the public space, and design suggestions for the sensory garden proposed to be delivered in the Library Green.
• Statutory consultation (February – March and September – October 2024) on Phase 1 of the scheme.
• Statutory consultation (June 2025 – ongoing) on Phase 2 of the scheme as well as public realm plans for the highway outside the Market Square and the artwork on Library Green. 

During the first phase of engagement with the community, we asked people what they want to see in the future for Enfield Town. Based on our conversations with the local community, the Enfield Town Design Principles were established. The proposals have been designed to align closely with the Enfield Town Design Principles, which are:

• Enfield Town is safe for all
• Enfield Town has a vibrant economy
• Enfield Town is a great place to be
• Enfield Town offers transport choices
• Enfield Town celebrates its heritage. 

If you would like to know more about the design principles, please follow this link.

The Enfield Town Liveable Neighbourhood (LN) project is an ambitious plan for our Town Centre. The Council is delivering the project in phases as funding becomes available. Some of these proposals have now been delivered through Phase 1.

Some of the key features of the proposed Enfield Town Liveable Neighbourhood plan are:

• A better experience when arriving at Enfield Town Station and entering the Town Centre
• An improved connection between the Market Square and the shopping centre entrance
• An upgraded link between the Library Green and Enfield Town Park 
• A new public square at the junction of Little Park Gardens and Church Street (outside Nationwide Building Society)
• A more vibrant public space on ‘Fountain Island’
• Improved greening across the town centre
• Improved and new pedestrian crossings throughout the Town Centre
• Wider footways in some locations 
• Safer cycling options and connecting the Town Centre with nearby cycle routes. 
• Improved bus stop accessibility 
• Revised parking and loading restrictions to support the proposed changes
• Dedicated Blue Badge disabled parking bays throughout the Town Centre
• Improved safety, including improved CCTV and proposed 20 mph speed limit on all roads in the Town Centre.

We have engaged the community in this project since 2019, and the feedback gathered has informed the design development. The full Enfield Town LN proposals engaged on in Summer 2022, including the information boards, transport technical summary, engagement summary reports and more, can be found in the Document Library. 

The Enfield Town LN project is being delivered in phases, anticipated over several years, Phase 1 of the project was successfully implemented in 2024. Currently, we are undertaking a statutory consultation for the proposed Phase 2 of the project.

Please see Why are you taking a phased approach to deliver the Enfield Town Liveable Neighbourhood project? question for further details. 

There are also other exciting projects taking place within the Enfield Town area.  A Stroll Through Enfield Town mural has been recently installed. You can find more information about this project in the News Feed on the project page.

Whichever way you arrive to Enfield Town, once there everyone becomes a pedestrian. For you this may mean moving through the town by foot, or with the assistance of a wheelchair, walking stick, mobility device, with a pram or young children, individually or in groups. Improving the Town Centre for pedestrians has been our key priority when developing the proposed plan for Enfield Town. Some of the ways we have looked to improve accessibility as part of the Enfield Town LN project are through the:

• Introduction of 10 dedicated disabled bays
• Widening footways to enable people to safely pass by each other
• Providing new and improved signalised pedestrian crossings
• Provision of additional seating and places to rest throughout the Town Centre. As part of Phase 2 we will provide new seating at the Enfield Town Station forecourt.

During previous Enfield Town Liveable Neighbourhood engagement stages ideas have been shared on opportunities to integrate changes to the Market Square as part of the project.  The Old Enfield Charitable Trust (who owns the Market Square land) remains committed to the Market Square as an integral part of Enfield Town however this land will not be part of the Liveable Neighbourhood scheme going forward. The Council and the Trust will continue to work together on how these spaces work together in the future. 

As the existing car park and market on the Market Square remain, the Council is exploring opportunities to reimagine the public highway outside the Market Square and to align these proposals to the current surroundings in this location. For more information and how you can contribute to these discussions, please see the materials posted in the Document Library on the right-hand side of the project page and complete the survey to share your ideas here.

As the existing car park and market on the Market Square remain, the Council is exploring opportunities to reimagine the public highway outside the Market Square and to align these proposals to the current surroundings in this location. We are excited to share some ideas for how this space can provide some greening, seating and opportunities for art, and we would like to invite you to help shape these proposals. You can read more about initial proposals for the Market Square here.

You can provide feedback on this space in one of the following ways:

• by sharing any ideas on what you would like to see in this location via the survey
• by attending one of the following drop-in events that will take place:
  1. 12:00 – 14:00 on Thursday 19 June 2025 at Enfield Town Library Green
  2. 10:00 – 12:00 on Saturday 21 June 2025 in Palace Gardens Shopping Centre, near Office Shoes

The Enfield Town LN project is led by Enfield Council, it is not being delivered by a private entity.  Planning applications for development in Enfield Town are separate to the LN project. Where planning applications involve works to landscaping and public realm or interact with the public highway, the applicants and officers, through the planning process, work together to enable a consistency of design approach and a complementary palette of materials throughout the public realm.

This is an ambitious plan for our Town Centre and the Council. Therefore, the Council is looking to deliver the project in phases as funding becomes available.

Funding has been secured for the 2025/26 financial year to enable the delivery of Phase 2 of the Enfield Town LN project to commence, through a combination of Transport for London (TfL) funding and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding aligned to the project. Discussions are ongoing with TfL and further funding is anticipated in future years to unlock the delivery of further phases of design and delivery. 

This is an ambitious plan for Enfield Town Centre and the Council have already secured more than £7.7m to enable change to happen. To deliver the complete project, including changes to pedestrian crossings and other transport elements, the project will need additional investment from Transport for London (TfL). At the moment, we have secured additional funds to progress with Phase 2. The funding for the following phases is still being discussed.

Below is a summary of the interventions implemented as part of Phase 1 of the Enfield Town LN project:

• Closure of the eastern end of Little Park Gardens at its junction with Church Street to create a new public square, Saddler Square. 
• Changes to how traffic will operate on Little Park Gardens to facilitate the road closure 
• Changes to how traffic operates at the Church Street / Cecil Road / Little Park Gardens junction (straight ahead from Cecil Road will now be permitted for general traffic) 
• New signalised crossings at the junction of Church Street / Sarnesfield Road 
• Relocation of the crossing point on Cecil Road and upgrading it to being a signalised toucan crossing 
• Implementation of a diagonal path across the Library Green linking the two new crossing points on Church Street / Sarnesfield Road junction and on Cecil Road 
• Changes to waiting and loading along Sarnesfield Road 
• Changes to waiting and loading on Church Street between Sarnesfield Road and the new Saddlers Square 
• Changes to waiting and loading within the Phase 1 project area.

Below is a summary of the interventions proposed as part of Phase 2 of the Enfield Town LN project:

• Introducing sections of cycle lanes (that will form part of the cycleway once key phases of the wider project have been implemented)
• Changes within the New River Loop Car Park, including access to the car park to be from Southbury Road only. Access to St Andrew’s Road (past the car park access point) will be for emergency vehicles only. Access for people walking and cycling will continue to be permitted. 
• Introducing a dedicated pick-up/drop-off point outside the Enfield Town Station Plaza
• Widening the existing crossing on Church Street west of Burleigh Way (by the western entrance to the shopping centre)
• Widening the existing crossing outside the Market Square
• Improving and relocating the crossings on London Road and Genotin Road
• Improvements to the signalised junctions within the Enfield Town Liveable Neighbourhood Phase 2 area
• Relocating the bus stand from Cecil Road onto Church Street
• Introduction of a 24hr bus lane on a section of Church Street permitting buses, taxis, motorcyclists and cyclists
• Merging bus stops on Cecil Road
• Localised repositioning of the bus stops on London Road and Genotin Road
• Readjusting the position of two disabled bays on Sarnesfield Road to allow better access
• Introducing a 3hr stay limit to the existing disabled bays on Sarnesfield Road
• Changes to waiting and loading within the Enfield Town Liveable Neighbourhood Phase 2 area. This includes introducing a Red Route along the high street, as well as replacing the No Waiting No Loading At Any Time restrictions recently implemented as part of Phase 1
• Introduction of a raised table on The Town, London Road and Cecil Road

In addition, Phase 2 interventions also include new greening, the transformation of Enfield Town Station Plaza, widening footways, resurfacing and footway improvements that have been shared with the community through previous engagement. These features don’t require a Traffic Order and are therefore not part of this statutory consultation. The design for the Enfield Town Station Plaza is currently being discussed with third parties responsible for this land including Arriva Rail London, Network Rail and Transport for London.

The proposed improvements to the area outside Enfield Town Station will aim to create a safer, more welcoming and accessible space for everyone – whether arriving by train, walking into town, or connecting with a bus or cycle route.

The proposals include:

• Opening the station forecourt to improve accessibility
• Improved cycle facilities
• Improved pedestrian crossings to make it safer and easier to get to and from the station
• New landscaping and public realm features to create a more attractive environment

The proposals have been shaped to reflect the station’s role as a key arrival point in the town centre, and to support our wider goals around sustainability, accessibility, and placemaking.

The design for the Enfield Town Station Plaza is currently being discussed with third parties responsible for this land including Arriva Rail London, Network Rail and Transport for London.

Phase 2 prioritises creating a more vibrant and walking-friendly town centre while still accommodating essential parking needs. Some on-street parking spaces will be repurposed, however new options like dedicated disabled bays mixed use parking, loading and/or blue badge user bays are also being proposed. 

Further details can be found on the map detailing the traffic order proposals as well as in the notice and written traffic orders available in the Document Library on the project page.

Emergency services will be able to travel through Enfield Town as they do currently, and we do not anticipate any significant impact to their journey times by the proposed plan. Access to St Andrew’s Road (past the car park access point) will be maintained for emergency vehicles only. All the emergency services have been engaged in the design process to date and this collaboration will continue as the project is developed.

We propose the following:

• Transformation of the Enfield Town Station Plaza by dedicating the space for pedestrians and providing greening and seating. The design for the Station Plaza is currently being discussed with third parties responsible for this land, including Arriva Rail London, Network Rail and Transport for London. These features don’t require a Traffic Order and are therefore not part of this statutory consultation.
• Improvement and widening of footways throughout the Phase 2 area.
• Greening will also be introduced throughout the Phase 2 area. Ground level planting will also be introduced on Fountain Island.
• Explore opportunities to reimagine the public highway outside the Market Square and to align these proposals to the current surroundings in this location. There is potential to introduce some greening, seating and/or art along this section of footway. 

Some increases in journey times and traffic reassignment are expected as a result of the scheme should it be implemented. However, on similar schemes of this nature across London, traffic reduction has occurred as a result on the following, which has minimised the impact in the longer term:

• People will choose to travel at different times of the day
• People will link their trips rather than going to the shops and back or work and back. They will combine trips reducing the overall number of vehicles on the road
• People will choose to travel by different modes like taking the bus, walking or cycling
• People on longer trips will choose other strategic routes such as the A10 or the A406
• In the short term, some reassignment is expected onto local roads, but this will be monitored and mitigation put in place if required to minimise the impact, or prevent additional traffic on residential roads

The Council is proposing a Red Route to help keep traffic moving, improve safety, and support reliable public transport along this busy stretch of road.

Red Routes are marked by red lines and are used in places where stopping or parking (even briefly) can cause delays or create safety concerns. By limiting stopping to clearly signed and designated bays, we can keep the high street running smoothly and make it safer and easier for everyone to get around.

This approach is particularly important in areas with:

• Frequent bus services that are vulnerable to disruption
• High levels of walking and cycling activity
• A need to balance different demands on limited space

The aim is not to restrict access but to ensure the space works well for all users. The introduction of a Red Route helps make room for things like dedicated loading bays, disability bays, improved crossings, and wider pavements, all of which support a more vibrant and accessible town centre.

While some Red Routes in London are enforced by Transport for London (TfL), this section of the High Street is a borough-managed road, so it will be enforced by Enfield Council using its existing civil enforcement powers.

The Council will monitor compliance using CCTV cameras and Civil Enforcement Officers. CCTV can be used for the enforcement of parking on Red Routes and helps ensure restrictions are enforced consistently.

The red line markings and associated signs make the restrictions clear, helping to improve compliance, reduce congestion, and support reliable public transport and safer active travel.

The proposed 3-hour time limit is intended to ensure that disabled parking bays remain available for those who genuinely need them, and to support fair access in a busy town centre environment.

We know that Blue Badge holders rely on being able to park close to their destination. However, in high-demand areas such as the High Street, bays can sometimes be occupied all day, reducing turnover and making it harder for other Blue Badge holders to find space.

By introducing a maximum stay of 3 hours, we aim to:

• Encourage fairer use of the bays, allowing more Blue Badge holders to access local shops, services, and community facilities throughout the day.
• Align with approaches already used in other town centres across London and the UK.
• Balance accessibility needs with the wider goal of creating a more inclusive and efficient public realm for everyone.

The time limit remains fully in line with national guidance for Blue Badge use in town centre settings.

Blue Badge holders who need to stay longer than 3 hours can park for an unlimited time in Council owned car parks. Information on where these car parks are located can be found on the Council’s website: https://www.enfield.gov.uk/services/parking/car-parks

Bus Stop S on Cecil Road is proposed to be merged with the nearby Bus Stops W and X to help simplify the bus network and improve interchange between bus routes. The Bus Stand on Cecil Road is also proposed to be relocated to future proof the network for the next phases of the Liveable Neighbourhood scheme.

If you need this letter in an alternative format (including audio) and/or language, please email journeysandplaces@enfield.gov.uk, call 020 8132 1789, or write to us at ATTN Journeys and Places, Enfield Council, Silver St, Enfield, EN1 3XA.  The project page can be translated into your preferred language. Visit https://letstalk.enfield.gov.uk/accessibility for more information on obtaining information in other formats.