Last leg of towns ‘tour’ reaches Enfield Council’s Southgate centre 

The Council’s Leader, Cllr Nesil Caliskan will host an online event from 6.30pm to 7.30pm on 8 October, where residents, visitors, businesses and those who study in Southgate will be able to share ideas to help shape the future of the area.Those who are interested in getting involved can sign up at Let’s Talk Southgate -https://letstalksouthgate.eventbrite.co.uk .Before the live online event, Cllr Caliskan will meet with a number of businesses to listen to how they think the town centre can be improved in terms of supporting the local economy, providing suitable and sustainable workspaces and improving the public realm which will in turn make Southgate a more attractive place to live, work in and visit.

Council officers will also collect views and comments to help inform the online discussion, all of which will contribute to the Southgate Town Centre Action Plan.

The events will be socially distanced and numbers tightly controlled, in light of recent COVID-19 guidelines.

Cllr Caliskan said: “In many ways, Southgate is home to a traditional high street – a long road dominated by many shops which benefits from its connectivity. However, as we know, high streets need to adapt to embrace community values and blend leisure with business, giving local people a reason to visit and spend time in the area.

“Southgate has a lot to offer but we need to hear from the people who work and live in the area to understand how we can invest in public realm that is accessible, sustainable and useful.”

Recently, Southgate has seen some changes that have been welcomed by the community. Earlier in September, local artist Dan Maier created a pedestrian crossing to show how art and public realm can come together in a fun and useful way. In August 2019, Southgate Library moved to a new home on the High Street, improving accessibility and visibility. Earlier this year, Southgate became a low plastic zone with the support of local businesses.

Cllr Caliskan has already visited Angel Edmonton, Edmonton Green, Enfield Town and Palmers Green as part of the “Let’s Talk…” series. Each town centre has its own aspirations, visions and concerns, which is why Enfield Council is not using a one-size-fits-all approach. To learn more about the current Town Centres Projects, visit https://letstalk.enfield.gov.uk/town-centres-hub

For future news, information and events, sign up to the Council’s digital newsletters on www.enfield.gov.uk/enewsletters