Enfield Clubhouse

Enfield Clubhouse is a mental health charity supporting people living with and recovering from schizophrenia, bipolar, anxiety and depression. We help people to rebuild their shattered lives, to feel safe and supported, to make friends, to feel good about themselves, to share their skills and interests and to learn new ones, to feel like a valued and contributing member of our community. We do this by working together in the house and in the garden as well as in our office and with our new computers.

When people feel confident enough, we help them to go to college or to do voluntary work. Most of our members are doing or have done some voluntary work and a few have even received Enfield's 100-hours award in recognition of their service to our community.

In 2008 we set up our outside catering service providing buffet lunches to local community groups and council meetings. We do maybe one job a week when busy and this has provided real training and paid work opportunities for our members. We have several people accredited in Food Safety at Southgate College and received a 'good' 3 stars in our environmental health inspection. We do these things from a base we have used without any problems for five years in a residential street in Enfield.

On 24 June, Enfield Council's planning committee heard Enfield Clubhouse's application to renew planning permission [PDF] in order to continue to use our premises at 41 Ridge Avenue. Despite the recommendations of the committee to approve our application, it was overturned by a group of about 50 of our neighbours who objected to it. While making my deputation to the committee on Thursday night I was shouted down several times by a large group of neighbours holding placards stating 'We are not safe' and asking 'How many more?' Our neighbour's deputation included the claim that Enfield Clubhouse members should all be locked up.

We don't yet have any official confirmation of the decision and reasons, but I understand that minutes of the meeting will be uploaded to Enfield council's website on 8 July. (Minutes now available here - relevant part is section 35.)

We intend to appeal the decision of the committee, which was made in extremely disruptive, confusing and intimidating circumstances. We believe that we have the right to continue using the premises as normal while we appeal.

On reading the eight letters of objection submitted by neighbours and being present during the meeting on Thursday night, however, it's clear to me that their main objection is based on who we are.

I believe that our neighbours have genuine fears about their own and their children's safety, feeling wrongly that Enfield Clubhouse members are potentially dangerous. I also respect our neighbours' democratic rights to object.

But my understanding of what happened at the meeting is that our neighbours' strongest objection related to alleged noise disturbance coming from our premises. As the committee pointed out to them, however, they have absolutely no evidence to support this objection or any of their other objections. The committee advised that they could not, therefore, use noise as a reason to overturn their recommendation as it would not stand up at an appeal inquiry. Instead the committee advised and decided to use 'loss of a family dwelling house' as the official reason, despite having already stated in their recommendations for approval that this was not a reason to decline our application, as they did in 2005, too.

You can read the Enfield Advertiser's version of events here: http://www.enfield-today.co.uk/tn/news.cfm?id=22980&showcomall=y

London Daily News article is here: http://www.thelondondailynews.com/north-london-psychiatric-rehabilitation-unit-faced-with-closure-following-resident-protests-p-4326.html

You can find out more about us by visiting our website: http://www.enfieldclubhouse.org.uk/

You can join our Facebook group 'Support Enfield Clubhouse to Stay Put...'

Our achievements: http://www.enfieldclubhouse.org.uk/achievements.html

Our catering service: http://www.enfieldclubhouse.org.uk/catering-service.html

Annual review and accounts: http://www.enfieldclubhouse.org.uk/annual-report.html

How to find us: http://www.enfieldclubhouse.org.uk/how-to-find-us.html

David Marsden, Chief Executive of Enfield Clubhouse.