Southgate Town Centre

Join us on Saturday 7th December from 2pm to 5pm at the Pocket Park near Southgate Station and at St. Andrew’s Church to celebrate the latest projects delivered in the Town Centre and to discuss the future vision for Southgate.

2pm - 2:45pm at Pocket Park, Station Parade, N14 5BJ

Join us for the Pocket Park launch! Enjoy some warm refreshments and festive tunes performed by Singers from Enfield Choral Society.

2:45pm - 3pm, walk along Chase Side

Take a walk with us along Chase Side to celebrate the launch of the Rain Gardens Trail, concluding at St. Andrew’s Church.

3pm - 5pm at St Andrew’s Church, Chase Side, N14 5PP

Visit the Open City exhibition featuring models built by Year 6 students at St. Andrew’s, Walker and West Grove primary schools showcasing their visions for the future of Southgate and share your thoughts and ideas to inform the development of a longer-term masterplan vision for Southgate Town Centre.

In case of adverse weather, the event will take place at St Andrew’s Church

We have been engaging the Southgate community in conversations about the opportunities and challenges for the town centre over the past few years. Through the Council’s Journeys and Places programme, this has led to a series of interventions across Southgate having been delivered in 2024 as the first step in developing a Masterplan Vision for Southgate. We now want to engage residents and businesses in the next phase of this conversation and hear from them about what them want to see in the future for Southgate, to improve the public realm, encourage active travel and enhance the everyday experience of the Town Centre for residents and visitors.

Your views will inform the Southgate Masterplan Vision. This will define a long-term plan of improvements for the Town Centre focusing on public realm and transport facilities to improve the everyday experience of Southgate and create a more vibrant, greener and healthier town centre. Please read through the engagement boards and share your views with us.

There are a number of ways you can get involved and share your views.

We look forward to hearing about what the local community wants to see in the future in Southgate online or at one of the events above. A summary of what we hear from local residents and stakeholders through this engagement period will be published early next year and will inform the Southgate Masterplan Vision which will be developed and published later in 2025.

The Journeys and Places team at Enfield Council has partnered with Open City, an educational charity empowering young people to have a role in shaping places where they live, to run a series of workshops in primary schools in Southgate. The workshops are part of an ongoing community engagement programme to inform the development of a new masterplan vision for Southgate, a cohesive strategy of place and transport interventions to re-imagine the everyday experience of the Town Centre.

The first workshop took place across 7,8 and 9 October at St. Andrew’s Primary School where 30 Year 6 pupils were guided on a walkabout through the Town Centre and then invited to share their concerns and ideas for future improvements.

Their proposals covered a wide range of topics, including greenery, play spaces, accessibility, colour and lighting and were presented to Enfield Council officers using drawings and physical models.

We will soon be engaging the community on the future of Southgate. We will be sharing more information with residents and on this project page in the coming weeks.

We are nearing completion of the Chase Side rain gardens and Pocket Park. These interventions have been implemented by Enfield Council's Journeys and Places programme in Southgate to enhance the high street, bring greenery to the area and provide space to stop and rest as well as for families and young people to spend time with each other.

Pocket Park

The Pocket Park is located adjacent to the Southgate bus interchange. Natural oak felled trees from Epping Forest were carved into seating units and stepping logs and installed in Southgate’s Pocket Park last week. They include text and icons that celebrate the significance of Enfield Chase (the royal hunting ground) in the history of Southgate Town Centre.

The Council’s contractors are now adding new plants and wildflowers to the green area as well as making the space accessible by lowering the kerb at two locations. Work will continue for the next two weeks with completion expected by mid-November.

Local community members will be involved in planting flowers and shrubs in the Pocket Park on 11 November 2024.

Rain gardens

There are three rain gardens that have been installed along Chase Side. Two have now been completed with plants, and the third will soon be completed and planted by local community members on 29 October 2024.

Next week will also see two new trees being planted in the rain gardens. Some final details, including bench armrests and interpretation boards, will be installed in mid-November.

The rain gardens will contribute to managing flood risk and purifying the water coming off roads and footways. They will also create a habitat for biodiversity and offer a place for people to sit and rest.

We will provide a further update as these interventions are completed.

Enfield Council's Journeys and Places team is working with East Architecture to develop a strategic master planning vision for Southgate Town Centre. The master planning vision seeks to address the issues and opportunities identified in the Town Centre Action Plan (published in 2022). We will be engaging the local community across various community events.

The vision will capture a cohesive strategy of place and transport interventions to re-imagine the everyday experience of Southgate, a Town Centre where visitors are welcomed to enjoy a greener and more attractive public realm, local businesses and communities are involved in programming a diverse and accessible cultural and community offer, and local stakeholders are involved in the stewardship of the area.

The vision, developed in collaboration with the local community, will be presented in March 2025. Future interventions, to progress with the phased delivery of the masterplan, will be implemented in consultation with Cabinet Members, and subject to statutory consultation over the coming years as funding becomes available. More information about the upcoming engagement with the community to develop the master planning vision for Southgate will be shared with residents and on this page in the coming months.

Priorities

The master planning vision for Southgate Town Centre will focus on the following priorities:

Everyday experience

Re-imaging the everyday experience of the Town Centre is essential to a successful and vibrant Southgate, where an enhanced public realm design provides safe, welcoming and equitable spaces.

Healthy Streets

The masterplan will deliver measurable improvements to the Healthy Streets indicators, making Southgate healthier and more accessible to pedestrians from all walks of life and encourage them to walk, cycle and use public transport

Southgate’s identity

The new vision will help re-build Southgate’s image as a welcoming, green and vibrant Town Centre whilst maintaining its strong links to the station, the town’s heritage and past

Community-led

This vision is an opportunity to invite the local community into a collective journey to shape the future of Southgate and encourage long-term stewardship.

Culture Place

The Town Centre vision will explore the delivery of a “Culture Place” for Southgate integrated into the public realm improvement, to provide activities that focus on local culture, learning and wellbeing that are open to all.

Community engagement

We have set out a strategy for meaningful community engagement which will include residents, community organisations, traders and businesses. We will explore opportunities to build on existing relationship with local groups and we will organise activities to reach community members who haven't been involved in previous engagement sessions.

These events will be an opportunity for the whole range of community groups in Southgate to feed into and collaborate with our team in order to identify and raise what changes they would like to see in the town centre to improve the public realm and enhance the everyday experience.

Details on community engagement activities can be found on this page as well as on the "Southgate Communications, engagement and consultation plan" located on the right column on the main page.

Delivery

Southgate master planning vision will be published in March ’25 as a bid-ready document to allow the Journeys and Places team to apply for external grant funding for the incremental delivery of selected interventions within the masterplan.

Should you have any general queries about the upcoming works or about the projects, please email contact the Journeys and Places team at JourneysandPlaces@enfield.gov.uk

For more information on the projects taking place in Southgate Town Centre, please visit the project page at: https://letstalk.enfield.gov.uk/southgate

Enfield Council is delivering a series of interventions across Southgate throughout 2024. Delivered by the Journeys and Places programme, this will be the first step in the development of a new longer-term vision for Southgate, created in collaboration with the local community. The interventions will improve key walking routes and enhance the public realm with greenery and public art.

We are soon going to be introducing three rain gardens along the footway on Chase Side and making improvements to the green area or ‘Pocket Park’ that sits adjacent to the bus station.

Chase Side rain gardens

Rain gardens are a form of Sustainable Urban Drainage (SuDS), designed to manage and mitigate the impact of surface water run-off. They will bring some nature into a very congested area of the Town Centre. Based on the feedback from the walkabout last year with the local community and businesses, our team has identified three areas where the designed rain gardens will be installed:

• in front of Classy Cleaners, 26 Chase Side N14;
• in front of Ellinikon Bakery, 42 Chase Side N14; and
• by the bus stop in front of the Kodak Express, 59 Chase Side N14.

This project aims to respond to some of the concerns raised by members of the local community about Chase Side having an unpleasant environment for people walking, and a lack of green space. These rain gardens will help to provide a space where people can feel more connected to nature and at ease amidst a heavily congested environment.

Details of the proposal

Rain gardens are a type of SuDS, which stands for Sustainable Drainage System, and are designed to manage and mitigate the impact of surface water runoff in a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner.

They have a number of benefits:

• Flood risk reduction: Rain Gardens help to control and reduce the risk of flooding by slowing and managing surface water runoff. This can help protect properties and infrastructure during heavy rainfall events.
• Water quality improvements: SuDS systems filter and treat runoff water, removing pollutants and sediments before it enters river and other water bodies.
• Biodiversity enhancement: SuDS incorporate green spaces and natural elements that provide habitat for wildlife and promotes biodiversity in urban areas

Enfield Council will regularly maintain these rain gardens, but local businesses and residents are welcome to participate in the upkeep of the planting to help them to flourish.

The construction of the rain gardens will take place between Monday 16 September to Monday 28 October 2024. This will require the temporary closure of some car parking spaces and a bus stop during the period of construction.

Pocket Park

We will also be delivering improvements to the green area adjacent to the bus station and Southgate Tube Station to turn this into a Pocket Park that offers a space for play and rest for children and families. The concept for the Pocket Park has been developed collaboratively with the community through a series of engagement events.

The Pocket Park will feature bespoke carved log seating units, new attractive planting as well as playful features that celebrate Southgate’s history. These features form an educational trail for the children which will encourage a sense of both play and learning.

The construction of the Pocket Park will take place between Monday 7 to Monday 28 October 2024. This will require the temporary closure of some car parking spaces on Crownfield Lane for three weeks.

We understand that construction works of this nature can cause some disruption and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. We and our contractor work hard to ensure that disruption is minimised where possible whilst the works are undertaken.

The Southgate Launches event was held on the 9th of March with approximately 80 people attending throughout the day at 3 different locations. The event was an opportunity to celebrate the newly completed projects and present the other interventions that the Council will be delivering in Southgate throughout 2024, as well as hear from local people about what they would like to see in the future for Southgate to inform a longer-term vision for the Town Centre. The event was delivered in partnership with Festival of Industry, Southgate Library, Ashfield Parade businesses, ECYPS, Doodle Design, Southgate District Civic Voice and Southgate Club.

Following the launch events a community engagement session on of future projects in Southgate Town Centre took place at the Southgate Club. This included:

Presentation of the Guidance for planning outdoor community events

This document has been published to provide support to any community groups which don’t have any previous experience in organising small events. The Guidance empowers residents and community groups to take positive action in their neighbourhoods, building social capital and networks which help make the borough better for everyone.

A printable version of the guidance can be found here: Guidance for Planning Outdoor Community Events

Presentation of upcoming projects to be delivered in Southgate in 2024

These include:

• The enhancement of the Pocket Park, improving planting and public realm to create a space where people can gather and spend time together
• The introduction of rain gardens along Chase Side to mitigate the impact of surface water runoff and bring nature into a very congested area
• Portrait of Southgate: a new arts trail featuring a series of mosaics celebrating Southgate’s art deco architecture and local heroes.

Engagement on Southgate longer-term vision

Council officers heard from the local community and stakeholders about concerns and opportunities in the Town Centre

Thank you to all those who attended.

Two new parklets have now been installed in Ashfield Parade following construction in February.

Designed by an Kattein Architects following consolation with local residents and businesses, the parklets are part of a series of integrated interventions that Enfield Council will deliver in the Town Centre throughout 2024. These will improve key pedestrian routes and enhance the public realm using greenery and public art, to transform the Town Centre. These interventions are the first step in the development of a new longer-term vision for Southgate conceived collaboratively with the local community.

The art piece installed on the parklets was developed by the young people of Southgate at a workshop held earlier this year at Alan Pullinger Youth Centre during ECYPS TeenScheme programme. Inspired by myths and stories of the ancient woodland of Enfield Chase, the local young people shared their own memories about the personal significance of nature & trees and co-created their own modern folklore of Southgate, which is now illustrated on the parklets.

Enfield Council will be delivering improvements across Southgate throughout 2024 to make the everyday experience of the Town Centre more welcoming and vibrant for people who live, work and visit there. These interventions aim to improve key routes for people walking to, from and around Southgate, and enhance the public realm with greenery and public art to transform the Town Centre.

The first interventions to be completed in February are:

• two new ‘parklets’ that will introduce greenery and public seating in Ashfield Parade, to welcome more diverse people into this area, introducing shade, shelter as well as places to stop and rest.
• a vibrant, colourful public artwork displayed temporarily in the windows of Southgate Library that celebrates Southgate’s horticultural heritage, created by local artist Dan Maier for the Festival of Industry programme

The Journeys and Places Team invites the local community to celebrate the launch of these two projects at a community event that will take place on Saturday 9 March 2024 across three locations: Southgate Library, Ashfield Parade and Southgate Club.

The event will be an opportunity to celebrate the newly completed projects and present the other interventions that the Council will be delivering in Southgate throughout 2024 as well as hear from local people what they would like to see in the future for Southgate to inform a longer-term vision for the Town Centre.

Should you wish to join us along the way, the order of events are as follows:

10am to 11.30am at Southgate Library - High St, N14 6BP

Join artist Dan Maier for a drop-in activity to create a unique bunting for the library, inspired by the iconic Cuthbert’s Seeds packet designs. Visitors of all ages can join the community production line as we assemble the bunting to celebrate the launch of Dan’s artwork at 12pm.

12pm – Southgate Library - High St, N14 6BP

Inauguration of a new artwork by local artist Dan Maier that celebrates Southgate’s horticultural heritage as part of the Festival of Industry programme.

1pm – Ashfield Parade – N14 5EH

Inauguration of Ashfield Parade parklets and presentation of the drawings developed by local young people at ECYPS as part of the project.

2pm – Southgate Club - 17 Chase Side, N14 5BP

Presentation of future projects to be delivered in the coming months in Southgate Town Centre and refreshments.

We look forward to seeing you at the event on Saturday 9 March! You do not need to register, please just come along.

The Journeys and Places Team partnered with ECYPS, Doodle Design and Jan Kattein Architects to involve young people from Southgate in developing ideas for an artwork to decorate two new parklets that are being installed in Ashfield Parade.

A workshop took place on 12^th and 13^th February at Alan Pullinger youth centre and provided the young participants with the opportunity to understand & follow a rigorous process when designing a piece of public art. They learned how to respond to a brief, how to research and develop design concepts and how to use different materials and techniques to present their ideas. At the end of the two days, they handed over their work to an artist from The Matchbox collective who will install the artwork on the parklets in the coming weeks.

The workshop provided a platform for local young people to share their own memories about the personal significance of nature & trees. Inspired by myths and stories of the ancient woodland of Enfield Chase, they co-created their own modern folklore of Southgate which will be illustrated on the parklets.

ECYPS provided an AQA accreditation for all the young people that engaged on the project, which will be presented at the parklets’ launch event on 9^th March.