S3, E24: Enfield Where Nature Meets Community With Sangeeta Waldron

Enfield is one of London’s greenest boroughs, blending nature with community.¹

Located in North London, Enfield is home to the Lee Valley Regional Park, 123 parks, 37 allotment sites, over 300 hectares of woodland, and 100 kilometres of rivers and streams¹. Enfield and its community have embraced nature and collaboration.

Enfield allotment courtesy of Enfield Council

This green London borough is a haven for both people and wildlife. It’s home to rare species like the great crested newt and the black redstart bird¹.

In July 2024, it was announced that as many as 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres) of farmland could become a nature haven in the largest scheme of its kind in London, as an extension of the Enfield Chase Landscape Restoration Project.

In 2022, Enfield Council was awarded around £500,000 to support schemes to restore nature, reduce flood risks and boost biodiversity.

Discover some of what makes Enfield special when it comes to nature and community.

Enfield Local Expert Interview

We found a local expert to take you to Enfield virtually. This 19-minute interview with Sangeeta Waldron is well worth a listen for inspiration. Check it out below.

The Enfield Local Expert Interview transcript is available here.

Enfield is dedicated to protecting its natural treasures. It has a Biodiversity Action Plan to keep its wildlife safe¹. The borough works with groups like the London Biodiversity Partnership to make sure the environment stays healthy for future generations¹.

Enfield’s natural beauty is part of its residents’ lives. From waterways to community gardens, nature and people are closely linked¹. This connection boosts community health and pride in taking care of the environment¹.

As Enfield grows, its focus on sustainable living and community will be key. It will help keep the borough’s natural charm and identity alive.

Enfield mixes urban life with green spaces beautifully. At its core is the Lee Valley Regional Park, a vast area of greenery, trails, and parks. It lets people enjoy the outdoors².

The Lee Valley Regional Park covers over 4,000 acres. It’s full of plants and animals, perfect for outdoor fun, saving the environment, and community activities. With its meadows, woods, lakes, and rivers, it’s a paradise for nature lovers².

Enfield’s beauty is also in its rivers, streams, and waterways, like the River Lee. These water bodies are home to many animals and offer fun activities like fishing and birdwatching³.

Enfield also has over 300 hectares of woodlands and urban forests. These areas are crucial for wildlife and offer peace for those who visit. They help in saving the environment too³.

Enfield works hard to keep its natural beauty alive. It has many eco-friendly projects to protect its ecosystems. The community and local authorities join hands to save these green spaces for everyone³.

Enfield shows how nature can be part of city life⁴. It has many green spaces like parks, woodlands, and waterways. These connect people with nature⁴.

These green areas improve air quality and offer places for fun and learning. They help people understand the value of nature.

Enfield Community Garden, courtesy of Enfield Council

At the core of Enfield are its community gardens and allotments. Here, people grow their own food and connect with nature⁴. These spaces build community and teach about sustainable living.

People learn about growing food organically and composting. They see the value of local food production.

Enfield’s living landscape is a beautiful mix of community and nature in Enfield, North London⁴. It shows how cities can include green spaces and sustainable living. It inspires people to value the natural world in the city.

In Enfield, nature and community come together in a big way. The Enfield Chase Landscape Restoration Project is a huge effort to make the area greener. It plans to turn up to 1,000 hectares of farmland into a lush, eco-friendly space⁵.

The Enfield Chase Landscape Restoration Project shows Enfield’s dedication to nature⁴. It aims to improve the Enfield Chase area and boost biodiversity. The project includes planting trees, restoring habitats, and listening to the community.

Enfield Chase Landscape Restoration Project, courtesy of Enfield Council

This is the biggest project of its kind in London. It focuses on saving the environment and getting the community involved.

So far, 140,000 trees have been planted in four years⁶. Enfield Council wants to plant even more. They aim to add 100,000 trees over 60 hectares in the next three years⁵.

The project will cover up to 170 hectares. This includes planting new trees and letting nature grow⁵.

Getting the local community involved is key. In June, a public consultation was held. People shared their ideas for the area, like sculpture parks and community gardens⁵.

The project also wants to make it easier for people to enjoy the outdoors. They plan to improve paths for walking, running, and cycling⁵.

The project has big plans for the future. They aim to plant more trees and create 20 hectares of new woodland at Rectory Farm. This will help capture more carbon emissions⁷.

The project’s plan has been sent to the Forestry Commission. It will be done in phases over the years⁵.

They are also working with Thames21 on flood management. This fits with the project’s goals⁵. The project will keep the area’s history and beauty in mind⁶.

Enfield works hard to save its habitats and wildlife. The Biodiversity Action Plan is at the heart of these efforts. It aims to keep Enfield’s biodiversity safe, working with others to do so⁸. This plan is part of a global push to value nature more, with big benefits for business and jobs⁸.

“Nature is key to our economy, with over half of global GDP depending on it⁸. But we need more money to protect it. So far, only 17% of funding comes from private companies, which is US$26 billion a year⁸.” – The World Economic Forum  

New ways to fund nature conservation are being explored. The World Bank’s “Rhino Bond” and the Task Force for Nature-Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) are examples. They aim to fill the US$4.1 trillion gap in funding for nature⁸. This shows we’re starting to see the value of protecting nature for our future⁸.

Enfield is a leader in environmental conservation. It offers many nature trails, green spaces, and eco-friendly projects⁹. These make Enfield a place where people and nature come together. It’s great for fun, learning, and connecting with nature⁹.

Enfield is home to many community gardens and allotments. These green spaces are changing the city for the better. With 37 allotment sites across the area¹⁰, they are centres of sustainable living and community spirit.

Urban farming projects like Go Grow With Love in Tottenham and Enfield, and Black Rootz in Haringey, are helping locals grow their own food. Led by women of African and Caribbean heritage, these projects improve food security and fight for racial equality and land reparations¹¹.

Community gardens and allotments in Enfield are more than just places to grow food. They are where people come together and care for the environment. These spaces build community, increase biodiversity, and offer chances to live sustainably.¹¹

Enfield’s gardens and allotments also offer educational programmes. From gardening classes to workshops on living sustainably, these programmes teach locals to care for the planet.¹²

The borough is dedicated to supporting these gardens and allotments. It’s working to improve park and allotment areas, especially in North East Enfield¹⁰. By doing so, Enfield ensures its residents have access to these essential community spaces. These spaces are key to promoting sustainable living and caring for the environment.

The parks in Enfield are perfect for outdoor fun¹⁶. You can join guided walks, enjoy festivals, and listen to concerts. This helps people meet and connect with each other¹⁶. There are also playgrounds for everyone, places for wheelchairs, and safety features for a safe and welcoming place for all¹⁶.

Enfield is serious about its parks and recreation areas. It shows the borough’s goal to help people live healthy, active lives and build a strong community¹⁶. These parks are key for fun outdoors, learning about nature, and meeting others. Enfield is a special place where nature and people come together beautifully.

Enfield is all about teaching people about the environment and getting the community involved. They have school projects, community workshops, and public events. These help people understand the need to protect our planet¹⁸.

• Local schools work with the council on projects like gardening and field trips. These help kids learn about nature¹⁹.
• Community workshops teach about living green and saving wildlife. They encourage people to help with Enfield’s green plans¹⁹.
• Public events like nature walks and eco-fairs get everyone involved. They inspire people to help protect Enfield’s nature¹⁹.

Enfield is teaching its people to care for the environment. This way, they can keep their natural beauty safe for the future¹⁸.

The Enfield Society was founded in 1936²⁰. It works hard to protect and improve Enfield’s environment. For just £5 a year, members get newsletters, updates, and can join walks and talks²⁰. They also sell books about Enfield’s history and nature, helping the community and environment.

The society is a charity and a company in England²⁰. It aims to keep Enfield’s landscapes beautiful. It has a say in important decisions through groups like the London Green Belt Council²⁰.

The Enfield Society has fought to save the Green Belt and Forty Hall²⁰. It has planted over 3,500 trees in 30 years²⁰. This shows its dedication to making Enfield greener.

The society does more than plant trees. It works with the Conservation Commission, set up in 2001²¹. They protect open spaces, farmland, and water sources²¹. This ensures Enfield stays a place where nature and people live together.

The Enfield Society has many projects, like the Firs Farm Wetlands Project²². It got £175,000 from the GLA to plant over 900 trees and shrubs²². This project has made the area more beautiful and attracted more visitors²².

The Enfield Society’s work shows the borough’s love for nature and community²². It keeps Enfield’s environment safe and encourages a sustainable future for everyone living here.

1. PDF – https://www.enfield.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/5392/planning-application-information-biodiversity-action-plan.pdf
2. History | Enfieldvillageassoci – https://www.enfieldvillageassociation.org/history
3. Major new woodlands and wetlands partnership begins – Thames21 – https://www.thames21.org.uk/2020/12/major-new-woodlands-and-wetlands-partnership-begins/
4. Enfield NH Town Information | Enfield NH Real Estate – https://www.marthadiebold.com/local-towns-in-new-hampshire/town-of-enfield-nh/
5. PowerPoint Presentation – https://enfieldroadwatch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Enfield-Chase-Woodland-Creation.pdf
6. The power of community: a glimpse into Friends of Enfield Chase – CPRE London – https://www.cprelondon.org.uk/news/the-power-of-community-a-glimpse-into-friends-of-enfield-chase/
7. LBE – template – https://governance.enfield.gov.uk/documents/s96030/Report – Enfield Chase Restoration Project.pdf
8. Biodiversity: Investing in the world’s most important asset – https://www.rbcwealthmanagement.com/en-eu/insights/biodiversity-investing-in-the-worlds-most-important-asset
9. Biodiversity – https://www.froglife.org/tag/biodiversity/
10. 8 Green Network and Food Growing – https://www.planvu.co.uk/enfield/written/neeaap/cpt8.php
11. Food Justice: Served Fresh From Community Farms  – We Feed the UK – https://wefeedtheuk.org/story/food-justice-served-fresh-from-community-farms/
12. Our growing relationship with community gardeners to support wellbeing | Latest News – https://www.ihprojects.co.uk/news/2021/09-September/Our-growing-relationship-with-community-gardeners.html
13. PDF – https://governance.enfield.gov.uk/documents/s36634/4Enfield 2020 Sustainability Programme final.pdf
14. Goals & Actions – 2024 – https://enfield-ct.gov/DocumentCenter/View/24964/Dept-of-Econ-Comm-Dev-2024-Strategic-Plan
15. A Tale of Two City Parks – https://theearthworm.substack.com/p/a-tale-of-two-city-parks
16. Enfield Park: a Small Park With a Big Community Feel – Explore Hamilton – https://explorehamilton.co.nz/enfield-park-a-small-park-with-a-big-community-feel/
17. Microsoft Word – POCD_04_07_11Adopted.doc – https://www.enfield-ct.gov/DocumentCenter/View/813/Parks-Recreation-and-Open-Space-PDF
18. Our Roots — The Learning Farm – https://learningfarm.org/our-roots
19. Community Youth Land Education – Learning about nature and the larger interconnectedness of ecosystems — OJI:SDA’ – Sustainable Indigenous Futures – https://www.ojisda.org/community-education
20. About the Society – https://enfieldsociety.org.uk/about-the-society/
21. Conservation Commission | Enfield, CT – https://www.enfield-ct.gov/734/Conservation-Commission
22. Agenda item – Community Initiatives Supporting Environmental Sustainability – https://governance.enfield.gov.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=50459
23. PDF – https://www.enfield.gov.uk/file/PDFs/email/01193-1-1.pdf
24. Enfield NRI – https://www.enfield.nh.us/media/8901
25. Enfield Road fields: planning application to clear trees – https://enfieldsociety.org.uk/2024/10/18/enfield-road-fields-planning-application-to-clear-trees/