Palmers Green Town Centre
Enfield's Growing and Dynamic Centre
Palmers Green is located in the southwest of the borough and is a relatively diverse town centre, primarily driven by a mix of food and beverage. Although retail is the largest employment sector for the town centre, there is also a strong concentration of knowledge economy and creative jobs, with a growing small and medium sized enterprises (SME) and start-up business community.
Town Centre Vision
"A town centre which grows and greens through involvement of its community, diversifying the economy, promoting cultural activity and improving the public realm. Empowering local people and businesses to take an active stake in their town centre."
Green, Community, Enterprise
Officers from the Journeys and Places team (formerly the Town Centres Development Team) have been engaging with the communities of Palmers Green to understand their aspirations for the town centre and to develop a Vision and Action Plan to support its future success.
The Town Centre Action Plan for Palmers Green was published in 2022, and is intended to be a live document which we will continue to refine and update through ongoing engagement with the community. We are commissioning a new update of this plan, which will be launched in early 2024.
Please find below a summary of the current action plan. A link to the full action plan can be found in links below and on the right hand side of this page.
Current Action Plan
Based on engagement with the community and analysis of town centre data, we have developed a series of priority actions which make up the Palmers Green Town Centre Action Plan. Over the short and long term, we will be delivering projects which include:
'Devonshire Square' - an al-fresco dining, community space and public realm enhancements at Devonshire Road
Arbeit Creative Workspace and creative community engagement programme
Town centre greening and public realm improvements
Click here to read the full Town Centre Action Plan for Palmers Green. And please see news feed below for latest projects, events and opportunities in the area.
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Devonshire Square Market & Feedback
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A big thank you to all the people who made it out to the market on Devonshire Square last Saturday (despite the inclement weather!) - to support local traders and businesses, and share their feedback and ideas on the future design of the Square.
Key take-aways included:
- A collective space is needed to create a stronger sense of community
- The Square needs a clear identity - some signage or other feature will make the location recognizable.
- The square should be level, open, welcoming; and easy to find and access
- It would be great to expand the current uses of the Square, to include live entertainment, screenings of film and major sport event, flower markets
- When having live events, being respectful and considerate of businesses/houses near the square is important
- People would like to see more greenery and plants on the Square
Hayatsu - the architects designing Devonshire Square, really enjoyed meeting everyone, hearing their feedback and ideas; and having the opportunity to learn more about the area. The feedback gathered on Saturday will inform the stage of the design process, which we will share in early May.
Huge thanks to Palmers Green Action team and Arbeit for their amazing organisation and delivery of the Community and Makers markets.
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Devonshire Square: Project Update
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Following an experimental traffic order and road closure in 2022, Devonshire Road underwent a temporary redesign, to create a more welcoming, flexible community space. Over the past eighteen months, different communities and local businesses have been testing out the versatility of this space by delivering community markets, outdoor dinning, greening, public art and play areas. This is to explore Devonshire Road's potential to become a permanent community 'square' and open air cultural space.
Thanks to everyone who took part in the statutory consultation on the Experimental Traffic Order TG52/1503. Anyone could make an objection or representation in writing within a period of six months that began on 8 September 2022. Please see Appendix B_Responses to Objections under key documents on the right hand side of this page.
Following a review of the feedback received throughout the six months from residents, businesses, key local partners, and emergency services, a decision has been made to make the Experimental Traffic Order permanent. Please see Traffic management orders (TG52s) | Enfield Council. This will come into force on 28th February 2024.
At the next community market on Saturday 2 March, officers from the Journeys and Places team and members of Hayatsu, the designers working on this space, will share their approach so far. Residents and visitors are invited to contribute their thoughts and ideas, and help shape this exciting new cultural and community space for Palmers Green
Join us at the Devonshire Square Market on Saturday 2 March 2024 from 11am – 2pm and meet the team working with the local community to design ‘Devonshire Square.’
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New arts trail in Palmers Green!
Share New arts trail in Palmers Green! on Facebook Share New arts trail in Palmers Green! on Twitter Share New arts trail in Palmers Green! on Linkedin Email New arts trail in Palmers Green! linkArtist and Matchbox Collective member Ellie Fryer has illustrated a beautiful map of the arts trail which is available for download here. The map will be available in printed format soon at Starfish Loves Coffee, Philanthropy CIC, The Ruth Winston Centre, Stitch! and Palmers Green Library.The Palmers Green Arts Trail features new murals created by The Matchbox Collective in collaboration with local residents and communities, supported by Enfield Council's Curate Enfield grass roots public art programme and by Arts Council England. These new murals could not have happened without the creativity, energy and commitment of public art champions, Aykut Hilmi, Lydia Hammer, Nidal Suresh, and artist Alex McHallam.
The trail also incorporates existing public artworks located around the main town centre, commissioned and curated by Palmers Green Action Team, Hive Curates and Arbeit Studios; and spotlights key cultural and community organisations delivering fantastic projects in the area.
The Arts Trail:
1. Canada Geese Mural by Laura McKendry Jointly commissioned by the Palmers Greenery community café and Palmers Green Action Team and created in 2021. This lovely painting, inspired by the wildlife of Broomfield Park, brings a flash of colour to the community run café.
Four geese and their goslings were added to the walls of the Palmers Greenery in the summer of 2021 by artist, Laura McKendry - made possible thanks to profits generated by the café.
In many respects canada geese are seen as pests: aggressive, noisy, defecating park dwellers. Their ubiquity and their unimpressive markings - compared to other species - make them one of the less celebrated aquatic birds. But for many of us during 2020, local pockets of nature grew to be our sanctuary. One precious daily walk, and all its offerings, gave new witness to the evolving dramas of the natural world on our doorstep.
In the mundanity of the every day, the seasonal habits of these previously unappreciated urban creatures provided entertainment and solace, fascination and momentum.
This work is a celebration. Of the unremarkable. Of the familiar through new eyes. Of community and locality.
About the Cafe
The Palmers Greenery Community Cafe is much more than a Park Cafe.
Powered by volunteers, who freely give their time, skills and energy, we are a social enterprise and community hub. In addition to providing a vibrant, safe and welcoming place for park users, we:
- Reinvest our profit into park wellbeing projects such as community and public art initiatives including our beautiful ‘Canada Geese’ mural, mosaic installations on the Bowls Clubhouse and Chill Out zone in the Community Growing Space
- Provide work experience and employability training for young people and adults with additional needs
- Champion environmental sustainability by using compostable disposables and encouraging customers to reuse and recycle
- Work with local partners including Friends of Broomfield Park and Palmers Green Action Team and many others, to enhance our local community
2. The Community Orchard. Stop off at this amazing addition to the park. Created by volunteers and led by David March, the orchard has over 40 varieties of apples and is set in a wildflower meadow.
3. Matchbox Murals 1, 2 & 3: The Old Changing Rooms, Broomfield Park
Artists: Will Redgrove, Ellie Fryer and Gavin McPhail, with beautiful hand drawn lettering by Trin Brierly, assisted by Chelsea Frew and Melissa Hartley
‘The Cat in the Aviary’ by Will Redgrove“This piece was inspired by hearing about the old aviary that used to be in the park*, an amazing collage of a cat and birds by a student at Laurel Park School and a beautiful drawing by workshop participant Richard, who drew some chicory flowers in one of the sessions. The real aviary was closed after a number of the exotic birds were stolen one night, the cat in the piece becomes a metaphor for this story. But in my version, the birds escape into the night sky.”
*The Aviary was built in 1960 and housed several exotic species of parrots!
‘Fire and Flight’ by Ellie Fryer
Poem by Will Redgrove
“This piece took inspiration from all of the community workshops. The birds from Starfish Loves Coffee, fruits and flowers grown in the Community Orchard, colour palettes and layering images from Laurel Park School and history and heritage from the coffee morning at Ruth Winston Centre. In this piece, the story continues, the birds that have escaped the aviary and fly into the night, over the burning of Broomfield house.”*
*Broomfield House was built in the 16th century, standing for hundreds of years before being damaged beyond repair by several fires. Enfield Council is pursuing funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund to kick-start the rejuvenation of Broomfield Park by dismantling the derelict shell of Broomfield House and reconnecting the park and the House through memorialisation, interpretation and landscaping. This will be accompanied by a two year heritage engagement programme involving local communities and resulting in a shared vision and memoralisation of Broomfield House.
‘Sanctuary!’ by Gavin McPhail Poem by Will Redgrove
‘Continuing the narrative of Will and Ellie’s pieces, the parrots fly away into the glowing sky. Their pattern evoking a bombing formation drawing association from the wartime role* of the building; the glow a sunset, the fire, a bomb? While the parrots in the story were exotics, these are the now ubiquitous Ring-necked parakeet, tying the piece back to the wildlife of the area.’
*During the Second World War, the building was a decontamination and cleansing centre of the Civil Defence. People were helped here in case of an enemy gas attack.
4. Starfish Loves Coffee
Starfish Loves Coffee are a key project partner in the Curate Enfield project for Palmers Green. Why not stop off for a bite to eat at this friendly and quirky eatery.
5. New River Life Mural in Palmers Green Station by ATM Street Artist
Commissioned by The Palmers Green Action Team. Down the side of the station, this painting celebrates the New River and freshwater life.
6. ‘Finding the Green in Palmers Green’
A series of station mosaics designed and created by Alex McHallam with Tamara Froud and students from Laurel Park School. A wonderful addition to the station, commissioned by Palmers Green Action Team and funded by Govia Thameslink Railway from the Passenger Benefit Fund.
7. Luna Woman Power Totem by Lauren Baker Commissioned by Hive Curates
The installation was commissioned as part of Enfield’s Winter Lights Festival in 2022, supported by Enfield Council. The artwork celebrates the suffragettes historical gathering on the triangle in 1914, which led to women gaining the right to vote.
8. Philanthropy CIC
Stop off and say hi to the lovely staff at Philanthropy, a second-hand shop that gives back to the community. Staff and volunteers from Philanthropy took part in engagement sessions to create and share ideas for the designs of the Matchbox murals.
9. A special mention to The Ruth Winston Community Centre, providing services to the community since 1961! The community centre hosted workshops to enable local residents to create and share ideas for the designs of the Matchbox murals.
10. The Pleasure of Friendship sculpture by Ruth Hallgarten
A memorial to one of Palmers Green’s most famous former residents, renowned poet Stevie Smith. Commissioned by The Palmers Green Action Team and supported by Enfield Council’s Story of Enfield programme.
11. Matchbox Mural 4:
‘A Rhythm of Broomfield Park’ by Bec Dennison for Greens Kitchen
Artist: Bec Dennison assisted by Chelsea Frew and Melissa Hartley. Huge thanks to Greens Kitchen for hosting this mural.
“Bees pollinate not only food for humans, like apples, but trees and flowers which provide homes for other wildlife that we cherish and depend on. We consume both honey from the bees and apples from the orchard*.
Lavender provides nourishment for bees in the form of both pollen and nectar. It typically blooms during a midsummer gap when bees are usually the hungriest but have fewer pickings.
When we humans tend to the land in a positive way, planting lavender for example, we’re actively becoming part of the cycle, giving back and helping to sustain the cycle for another season.”
*The first trees in the orchard were planted in 2009 by the Friends of Broomfield Park. There are 44 different varieties of Apples, as well as other trees including Peach, Quince, Medlar, Mulberry, Plums, Hazel, Damson and Pear trees.
12. Mural outside Arbeit Studio by Eloisa Henderson-Figueroa
A vibrant mural to celebrate the opening of Arbeit Studios in Palmers Green. Between now and 2025, Arbeit will deliver a creative, community programme to support residents and local communities in Palmers Green.
13. Stevie Smith ‘Can it be?’ poem painted by Trin Brierly as part of Enfield Council’s meanwhile development of Devonshire Square and delivered in partnership with Palmers Green Action Team and Jan Kattein Architects. Works at Devonshire Square as per the map.
Devonshire Square regularly hosts pop-up community markets, outdoor dining and live events. Enfield Council is working with the local community to define the long-term vision and deliver a redesign of this square, which will be launched in early 2025.
14. Hazelwood Lane Mural by designers Ginger & Green at Kiva Coffee House Commissioned by Palmers Green Action Team. Stop by Kiva Coffee House to take in this stunning floral mural.
15. Stitch! To finish off, why not head in to this lovely arts and crafts shop. Stitch! Is a social enterprise and crafts hub delivering regular sewing circles, classes and workshops.
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Curate Enfield in Palmers Green
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Curate Enfield is a grassroots public art programme which will create 5 new public artworks for the borough - one for each of our town centres:
- Palmers Green
- Enfield Town
- Angel Edmonton
- Southgate
- Edmonton Green
Young people and community leaders from across the borough have been recruited as public art champions to curate these commissions. The champions have selected the sites they would like to see transformed and enriched by public art; consulted their local communities for ideas and feedback and worked with local artist-mentors to devise and develop artist briefs for their respective town centres.
In Palmers Green, public art champions Aykut, Lydia and Nidal were mentored by local artist Alex McHallam and created a brief to commission a series of vibrant, eye-catching murals inspired by the cultural diversity, local nature and biodiversity of Palmers Green. Following an open call out, the public art champions then selected The Matchbox Collective to deliver this commission.
Over the past few months, Matchbox have created and designed the murals with local residents, who have participated in workshops to share ideas and produce motifs and designs for the murals. A total of four new murals are being created for Green Lanes and Broomfield Park and will be officially launched on Friday 10 November, as part of a wider tour of existing artworks in the area and supporting a new arts trail for Palmers Green!
See key dates section in right hand menu for further information about this event.
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Community Engagement: Devonshire Square
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Please join us at the next community market held in Devonshire Square on Saturday 14 October 2023 10am-4pm, where we will share the latest updates on Devonshire Square and our plans to make this a permanent public square and community space.
Following a temporary redesign of this space by Jan Kattein Architects, to make the square a more welcoming, flexible, community space; different communities and local businesses have been testing out the versatility of this space by delivering a variety of events and activities on the square. These include public art, play areas, greening, al fresco dinning and hospitality and community markets.
At the community market on 14 October 2023 officers from our Journeys and Places team will be present to share what has been happening in Devonshire Square and the surrounding area over the past year and gathering ideas for how the Square's longer term design can accommodate and best serve the diverse communities of Palmers Green.
You can also share your ideas with us via the online interactive map here.
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New Trees Planted in Green Lanes
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Enfield Winter Lights 2022
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Enfield Winter Lights celebrated Enfield's culture and heritage through a series of incredible art installations, workshops and exhibitions across the borough during February and March 2022. Enfield Council partnered with local creative business Artist Hive Studios to deliver the festival and encourage the public to visit the many local businesses and restaurants that our borough has to offer.
This festival was funded by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ (DLUHC) Welcome Back Fund, established through a grant from the European Regional Development Fund (EDRF).
Highlights of Enfield Winter Lights in Palmers Green include:
- Half a Roast Chicken: It’s Nicer to Be Nice!
- Lauren Baker: Luna Woman Power Totem
Enfield Council would like to thank Artist Hive Studios and the artists, businesses and organisations involved in bringing joy, lights and positivity to our borough!
Palmers Green Town Centre Action Plan
Devonshire Square Communication & Engagement Plan
New Murals launched in Palmers Green!
Workshops to create new murals in Palmers Green
Palmers Green Gallery
Who's Listening
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Enfield Council
