Dear Friends
It’s time for an update to our many friends and supporters.
First – don’t miss the chance to tell the Council what you think about events in Trent Country Park. The consultation closes on February 14. The online survey is brief and some of the multiple choice questions don’t seem relevant, but there are small areas for comments so please have your say. Park Events Survey [More on events below].
Next – a date for your diaries. Our next Public Meeting will take place at 8pm on Wednesday April 29 at Christ the King Catholic Church, 29 Bramley Rd, London N14 4HE. We will be in the upstairs room again. A chair lift is available. We’ll send more information closer to the date.
Great successes that contribute to the splendour of Trent Country Park:
- The Limes Avenue pond is now full to the brim and looking good for the new season. With its interpretation board,it is becoming a popular stopping-off point for strollers. The colourful mandarin ducks are back in large numbers – more than 16 at last count. More planting may take place in the spring, so watch for another fun day playing in the mud!
- The Thames 21 trees planted to the east of the exhibition table and next to the path to the lakes are taking root, but some will have to be replaced. Another possible volunteer opportunity!
- LBE relented and replaced the limes along Limes Avenue. We are going to insist they are protected when more events move in through the opening.
- The trail maps fly off the shelf at the cafes and Oakwood Library so we hope more people are exploring further in our lovely park. You can also download the map from the website https://friendsoftrentcountrypark.org.uk/about-trent-park/trent-park-map/
- The lower lake is now refilled after the 2019 disaster. Steps have been taken to see there are no more accidental spillages.
- Work by the parks team and Friends volunteers in the Water Garden is bringing it back to its full glory. Pay a visit.
- Two missing pieces of play equipment in the Natural Play Area by Go Ape for older kids were finally replaced and are being used with gusto.
- The Berkeley campus is shaping up, the first families have moved in and the ground work is coming to a close. Storm water management has meant grading work around the mansion but it will all look great when the trees are planted to the south of the mansion lawn and the view is restored. The mansion is being extensively overhauled. The tennis courts are due for renovation this spring. Thousands of bulbs are due to be replaced when ground work is ended. All good news.
Mega Events.
- The Friends had more reason than ever to oppose the LBE programme of mega events in the park last summer; we hosted 42,500 attendees for the two largest commercial events, with major disruption inside and outside the park, noise and antisocial behaviour.
- Numerous meetings with LBE have taken place to press back on plans to spread events over even more of the summer holiday weeks.
- Noise is one issue we press; organisers want to deliver a deafening experience to their customers, we want to enjoy peace and tranquillity to which we have a right. LBE is not cooperating yet, claiming it has no statutory powers; we say, threaten to discontinue the event unless cooperation is forthcoming – you don’t need powers for that..
- The events are organised in conformity with the Events Strategy and this is being reviewed now. The Friends are pushing for more safeguards and less impact on the park, with more time available to regular visitors.
- The reinvestment issues remain unsolved – LBE refuses to put any of the revenues back into the park.
- The events delivery lorry that virtually demolished the grade 2 Cockfosters gate, now supported by scaffolding, will strike again unless LBE insists that smaller lorries (3tonne) are used. Once again, LBE is not listening for fear of events removing themselves elsewhere.
- The Friends continue their campaign on behalf of the many people who value Trent Park and seek a means to release it from large commercial events. We will convey onwards all objections and comments, but it’s even more effective to write directly to the Leader of the Council, with a copy to us. Her address is: Cllr.Nesil.Caliskan@enfield.gov.uk
- Please stay in touch with our campaign through Facebook and the website and respond to the call when the moment arrives to enter formal objections to Enfield Council. Every message counts; we will need everyone’s help to push back the tide of damaging and unnecessary commercialism.
Projects.
The Friends continue to work with LBE and other groups on various improvements and ecological projects in the park. Here’s a quick update:
- Water Garden maintenance – Now that some serious clearing and maintenance has been done by the Parks Department, our volunteer gardening group is thinking of starting up again. If you are interested in rolling your sleeves up and helping as a volunteer, please let us know!
- Enfield Conservation Volunteers [ECV] has two workdays coming up in Trent Park and would welcome some extra hands. Sunday 23 February The plan is to cut back sycamore growth in the Nature Trail. Meet 10am at the Council Depot [works yard] at the bottom of Snakes Lane next to the Wildlife Rescue centre and café EN4 0PS. Sunday 22 March – Camlet Moat. More clearance of the moat and undergrowth. For more information contact Judy Mayo on 07791 473844 or email judy@ecv.org.uk or visit the ECV website ecv.org.uk.
- Thames21 continues its work in the park. Watch for more opportunities to volunteer on various natural flood alleviation projects.
- Froglife should be installing new toad ponds soon. We’ll let you know if they need volunteers.
Public Safety and Crime.
The Friends continue to press for greater security in the park, especially from casual raves in the summer weeks. Also please be aware that recent crime stats show that Cockfosters and Oakwood Stations are first and eighth respectively on the Piccadilly Line in terms of crimes relative to the number of passengers.
Cockfosters Station car park development
A campaign has been formalised to oppose current plans for the redevelopment of Cockfosters Station Car Park for rental housing. The plans propose 4 towers for up to 400 homes, which will completely remove all parking for commuters and any new residents, except for a few disabled bays. We anticipate that full plans will be submitted later in the Spring. This scheme will fundamentally impact Cockfosters and probably the Park, so the Friends are monitoring it closely. The campaign will be chaired by Cllr Alessandro Georgiou, with the support of CLARA, Hadley Wood Association, Southgate District Civic Trust and other community members. A dedicated website and other communications will set up soon and links will be put on our Facebook page and website.
Membership.
Thanks to those of you who renewed for 2020 and to our Lifetime members. If you have not yet renewed or joined, please take this as a gentle reminder to visit our website, where you can renew or join via PayPal and find instructions for doing it by post.
You can also renew/ join at our next public meeting which will be at 8pm on Wednesday April 29 at Christ the King Catholic Church, 29 Bramley Rd, London N14 4HE.
Membership is open to all – a person or family, a local club, school, business, association or other group with an interest in Trent Country Park. Your membership dues of £4 per year are used for the basic running costs of the organisation, such as hall rental, printing and postage.
Website and Social Media.
Please explore this website for information about the park, its history, ecology and much more! You can also join the Friends here via PayPal. And please Like us on Facebook and join our Twitter feed too. We’ll keep you informed!
Contacts.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any concerns about the park or would like to join or help the Friends committee. You may also want to share your concerns with the three Cockfosters Ward Councillors, as follows:
Cllr.edward.smith@enfield.gov.uk
Cllr.elaine.hayward@enfield.gov.uk
Cllr.alessandro.georgiou@enfield.gov.uk
Park issues can also be reported via the Council website at: https://new.enfield.gov.uk/services/leisure-and-culture/parks-and-open-spaces/parks/
Data Protection.
You can unsubscribe from our updates and newsletters at any time by replying ‘Unsubscribe’ to one of our emails. Please visit our website for our full data protection policy.
Wishing you many happy visits to Trent Park!