Mayor of London’s target for 7,000 homes on Barnet green belt highlights significance of land bank at Arkley valued at £150 million

A large expanse of green belt woodland and fields at Arkley – which is being held as a multi-million-pound landbank for possible future housing – is attracting heightened interest from developers.

Contractors have painted blue marks on a long line of trees in one 25-acre plot. Another 38-acre plot has a 24-hour security patrol to prevent unauthorised entry.

These plots are part of a 148-acre triangular wedge of woodland and fields to the north of Barnet Road (between The Gate public house at Arkley and Stirling Corner roundabout) and which are bounded by Rowley Lane to the east and the A1 Barnet by-pass to the west.

Online research suggests the area has space for 1,200 homes. If planning permission was approved, the plots have a potential combined value of £150 million.

This is one of the areas suggested for development in the recently published Draft London Plan.

Barnet Council has been told by the Mayor of London that up to 7,000 homes might have to be built on green belt land within the borough.

There seems a high probability that some of the woods and fields in and around Arkley might have to be sacrificed if the target is to be met.

Two other green belt sites, which are both off Rowley Lane and which could be re-designated as grey belt, are already the subject of planning applications.

Nearby residents and dog walkers recently saw contractors painting blue marks on a long line of trees in the 25-acre plot to the north of Barnet Road.

They believe these marks might possibly be plot boundaries, and together with the installation of new fences, indicate heightened interest on the part of developers.

This 25-acre site is listed online as being owned by Hallway Properties Ltd, a subsidiary of the William Pears real estate and investment group.

It is said to have the potential for 192 homes and an estimated value of £39 million with planning permission.

Another plot of 38 acres closer to the Stirling Corner roundabout includes the cleared site of a former Metropolitan Police sports ground and pavilion.

There are warning signs at the two gated entrances. A security patrol provides protection because of fears the land could be accessed by travellers’ caravans or be used for unauthorised raves.

With space for 285 homes, this site could be worth £43 million. It is listed as being owned by Modular Builders Ltd, thought to be part of a property group.

An online search indicates that another 48-acre site closer to the Rowley Lane roundabout, which is listed under the ownership of the Maccabi Recreation Trust, has space for 365 homes and could be worth £56 million.

The two requests for planning permission for plots within this triangle of land include an application from Bugler Homes of Rickmansworth to discuss plans for 230 homes and an 80-bed care home on the 17-acre site of a former pig farm off Rowley Lane.

Closer to the junction of Rowley Lane with Barnet Road, an application has been made to the council to construct a site for 12 pitches for travellers’ caravans on a one-acre plot behind Rowley Lodge.

Within the last two years most of the 38-acre site closest to Stirling Corner roundabout, which was purchased by Modular Builders Ltd in 1986, has been cleared of derelict buildings which were once part of the former Metropolitan Police sports ground.

Originally known as the Finsbury War Memorial Playing Field, the sports ground was opened by the Duke of Edinburgh in 1955 in commemoration of those who lost their lives in World War II.

It included football pitches and a running track and was taken over by the Metropolitan Police which later sold the site.

The abandoned pavilion became a magnate for graffiti artists, urban explorers and party goers. One unauthorised rave in 2014 was said to have attracted over 500 people.

Some graffiti is still visible but since most of the buildings were demolished the whole area has become heavily overgrown.

When Barnet Football Club was first considering a move from Underhill, the site was suggested as being the ideal location for a new stadium, but the owners were unwilling to consider selling the land.

The Mayor of London has proposed a ten-year target for Barnet to build 32,000 new houses including 7,000 on green belt land within the borough.

In its response to the Draft London Plan, the council says any release of protected land should only take place if there is “comprehensive master planning” for the area.

This would require significant infrastructure investment, environmental enhancement and a clear demonstration that the development could be accommodated and was sustainable.

The council stresses that any review of Barnet’s green belt should be considered alongside proposals for a possible Barnet Regional Park taking in woodland and fields in Arkley and Mill Hill.

When the plan was discussed at the recent annual meeting of Barnet Residents’ Association, there was a recognition that the loss of some of Arkley’s green belt was probably inevitable.

 Councillor Richard Barnes (Barnet Vale), who is chair of Barnet Council’s planning committee, acknowledged that housing development was likely in the green belt along Rowley Lane, Arkley Lane, and Galley Lane, and also on land to the north and south of the Stirling Corner roundabout.

These sites were listed in a 400-page London green belt assessment which was published alongside the draft London plan – a plan that was out for consultation and which he thought would take at least two years to implement.

Gordon Massey, who leads for the residents’ association on planning, warned of the consequences that lay ahead if there was extensive redevelopment in Arkley, especially in view of the London plan’s acceptance of the need for blocks of flats as high as nine storeys.

He thought there were as many as four sites in Arkley which were vulnerable, posing the threat that tower blocks could be built there.

“I hope you are wrong,” replied Councillor Barnes. “We would not support tower blocks in Arkley. Green belt at the edge of the borough needs to be protected and I have not heard of any plans to develop that land.”