Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Rex Bourne and Denise Gandhi. 

Members are asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary, other pecuniary or non pecuniary interests relating to items on the agenda. 

There were no declarations of interest. 

To note the details of how to raise an item for discussion on planning applications and other planning policies. 

To consider any applications put forward for discussion. 

1.            Planning Applications

Members noted the procedure for referring items for discussion at the forum, as attached to the agenda.  There were no applications due to be considered at this meeting but the applicants for the Palace Gardens Shopping Centre proposals in Enfield Town would be invited to make a presentation to the next meeting. 

Members also requested a presentation on the proposals for Edmonton Green Shopping Centre.  They argued that they would like to receive a presentation at the earliest opportunity in order to have the chance to shape developments before a planning application was submitted and not to have to wait until after the plans were already at an advanced stage.   

Councillor Chibah agreed to feed this view back to officers. 

To receive a presentation from North London Waste on waste disposal and the North London Heat and Power Project. 

The Forum received a presentation from David Cullen (Programme Director North London Heat and Power) and Martin Capstick (Managing Director) of the North London Waste Authority.   Copies of the slides are available on the Council website. 

1.            Presentation

The following points were highlighted during the presentation:

·         The North London Waste Authority is the waste authority for 7 North London boroughs, serves over 2 million people, deals with 3% of the waste in the UK and is the second largest waste authority in the country. 

·         Their main objective was to minimise and avoid waste.  They run a large waste reduction and recycling programme.

·         Collection of waste has been key during the pandemic and they were proud to have been able to keep waste services running throughout. 

·         The authority ran the largest waste prevention programme in London including innovative schemes such as clothe swaps and low plastic zones.  This had been estimated to reduce waste by 10,000 tonnes per year. 

·         The current eco-park facility first opened in 1970 and is one of the oldest in Europe.  Work started on a replacement in 2019 following a public consultation.  The replacement is due to be completed by 2025. 

·         The project was aligned with Enfield’s ambition to make Edmonton an area of high quality industrial activity.  It will also supply heat to the Council’s company Energetik. 

·         The new facility will help tackle the climate emergency, reducing carbon emissions, promoting recycling and energy recovery.  It was a priority to avoid landfill. 

·         The new facilities will efficiently remove toxic substances from the air, equivalent to taking 200,000 cars off the road, improving air quality.

·         The district heating network is a very efficient use of energy.  The new plants will meet current and future standards. 

·         There are three elements to the proposals: 

o   A resource recovery facility which will enable more materials to be sorted for recycling and will have the capacity to manage 135,000 tonnes of material a year. 

o   The Ecopark House (a two storey pavilion next to the River Lea) which will act as a community hub for the circular economy including a visitor centre, education and community facilities and a base for Enfield sea cadets. 

o   The Energy Recovery Facility – using the latest technology to create energy with clean emissions.

·         Construction started in 2019 and the preparatory stages are now coming to an end.  The old and new facilities will be running along side each other. The whole programme will be complete in 2031.  A local company, Galldris Construction, has been employed to carry out the preparatory works. 

·         Part of the work involves diverting the path of a large sewer.  This is being done by a specialist tunnel borers Barhale. 

·         Taylor Woodrow are designing and constructing the Eco Park House and the Resource Recovery Centre. 

·         Construction work was paused in March, because of the pandemic and the authority’s determination to put safety first. Since then they had made a concerted effort to ensure that they were covid secure and have avoided transmission in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To receive a presentation for discussion on the new green infrastructure and parks strategy. 

The Forum received a presentation on the Council’s new Blue and Green Strategy.  A copy of the presentation slides are available on the Council website. 

1.            Presentation

The following points were highlighted during the presentation given by Philip Wadsworth (Infrastructure Delivery Manager). 

·         This was an update to the previous Parks and Open Spaces Strategy which ends this year and the Biodiversity Action Plan.

·         The strategy is about to go out on consultation.

·         It presented a holistic approach to plans for blue and green spaces.

·         It should be seen in the light of the coronavirus pandemic, the response to the climate change emergency and the growing acknowledgement of the value of our waterways and open spaces. 

·         Spaces have multi-functional benefits and can be used for many different types of cultural events.   

·         The plan was to expand blue and green spaces and to provide greater access for all.  It is an ambitious programme. 

·         Enfield has the second largest expanse of park and open space (900 hectares) and the greatest length of waterway (over 100 kilometres) of any London Borough. 

·         The long term vision, by 2031, is to be London’s greenest borough at the heart of a London national park.  There will be three parts to the strategy:  the strategy itself, standards and requirements and an action plan.  To create a more integrated multi-functional network within the spatial framework. 

·         There are seven aims including achieving a 25% increase in blue green infrastructure, to enable all residents to access green and blue space within a 15 minute walking distance, to make places more distinctive, healthier, attractive and culturally inclusive, to achieve a fairer distribution to overcome deficiencies, to create wilder, more natural spaces to enable biodiversity to thrive, to create a healthy water environment with increased resistance to flooding and drought, to provide innovative and multifunctional spaces and activities to meet the needs of all users. 

·         The Council will seek to improve connectivity across the network from east to west.  They are seeking to redress the balance between the east and the west, improving quality and creating new spaces where needed looking to de-culvert some of the rivers and underground drains, bring in public realm improvements and create new cycle and footpaths. 

·         A full audit of all assets will be undertaken using an integrated mapping tool to identify where the opportunities are.

·         There will be external consultation on the draft strategy between November 2020 and January 2021.  It will be adopted by Cabinet and full Council in early 2021 with a post adoption review in late 2021. 

2.    Comments/Questions

2.1         There was some concern expressed about the very large festivals held in Trent Park and elsewhere, the damage and restrictions on access that these entailed.  Officers would welcome feedback on this as part of the consultation.  There was also concern about smaller events which could be very disruptive to local residents.  A constructive meeting with those concerned about concerts in Trent Park had taken place and mitigating measures put in place. 

2.2         Any  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To receive and agree the minutes of the meeting held on 27 October 2020. 

The minutes of the meeting held on 1 October 2020 were received and agreed as a correct record.    

To note the revised work programme for 2020/21.

The Forum noted the following changes to the work programme;

·         Another session on Enfield’s housing need strategy and the types of housing planned in the borough would be included in the work programme, as this item had been rushed at the last meeting.  It was felt that the Council needed to make clear its strategy and provide a 5 year land supply document, looking at what the borough needs rather than responding to applications submitted. 

·         The item on Whitewebbs had been deferred, as there was no update to give at this time.  It will be scheduled for a meeting later in the year. 

·         The developers of the proposals for the Palace Gardens Shopping Centre will be invited to the next meeting on the 10 December.

·         The developers for Edmonton Green will also be invited to present to a future meeting. 

An item for Any Other Business would be added to the agenda for the next meeting. 

To note the dates agreed for future meetings of the Forum: 

·         Thursday10 December 2020

·         Wednesday 13 January 2021

·         Tuesday 16 February 2021

·         Tuesday 30 March 2021

·         Wednesday 28 April 2021

The forum noted the dates agreed for future meetings: 

·         Thursday 10 December 2020

·         Wednesday 13 January 2021

·         Tuesday 16 February 2021

·         Tuesday 30 March 2021

·         Wednesday 28 April 2021