Category: Green Belt

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Fiery exchanges as Labour and Conservative councillors clash over accuracy of list of green belt sites for housing around High Barnet

Barnet's Labour and Conservative councillors clash over accuracy of a list of green belt sites which could be designated for new housing around High Barnet

Concern about threats to the green belt and the loss of popular open spaces dominated a question-and-answer session held at the annual meeting of Barnet Residents Association.

Councillor Richard Barnes (Barnet Vale), who is chair of Barnet Council’s planning committee  – see above with association co-chair Ken Rowland (left) and Emma Morgan, membership secretary  –  set out the options following publication of a draft plan for London which is proposing the construction of up to 7,000 new homes on green belt land within the borough.

He ended up getting caught in crossfire between Labour and Conservatives councillors as they argued about the authenticity of a list of sites – including playing fields, golf courses and cemeteries – which could be redesignated as grey belt with potential for redevelopment for housing.

The list emerged earlier this month with Labour councillors accusing their opponents of political scaremongering whereas Conservative councillors hit back accusing the Labour-controlled council of not coming clean with residents about the potential loss of precious amenity land and much-appreciated green spaces.

The controversial list – the wording of which Councillor Barnes insisted was “misleading and inaccurate” – includes sites such as Ark Pioneer Academy playing fields, King George V playing fields, Quinta Open Space, Hendon and Finchley golf courses, cemetery land at Edgwarebury and Hendon, land north of Totteridge Common Road and Hadley Common Road.

Councillors Barnes said these sites and others were listed as being “suitable for grey belt designation” but this wording did not exist in any official document.

“This description is inaccurate and perhaps deliberately so for political effect. The list includes sites like cemeteries and playing fields which are never going to be redeveloped.”

But he did acknowledge that the 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.

He was supported at the meeting by Councillor Emma Whysall (High Barnet, Labour) who deplored the scaremongering taking place on social media.

An important point of the whole exercise was that some green belt land might be downgraded to grey belt while other sites might be upgraded to merit full green belt protection.

She maintained that many of the sites which had been listed were more than likely to be included in the council’s plans for a possible regional park which could be created to include green belt land around Arkley and Mill Hill.

She and Councillor Barnes were challenged by Councillor James Esses (High Barnet, Conservative) who insisted the list was part of formal document published alongside the draft London plan.

He thought it was wrong to suggest the list was “not official” when it was in the current plan. As it was unlikely the London plan would be revised, the Conservatives had voted against it.

Councillor David Longstaff (Barnet Vale, Conservative) said that Labour councillors were in no position to challenge the wording of the London plan which was clear that 7,000 houses would have to be built on green belt land within the borough.

The ten-year target set by the Mayor of London was for Barnet to build 32,000 new houses – a target which Councillor Longstaff predicted would see an increase in the borough’s population of 310,000 ten years ago to 430,000 in ten years’ time.

“If people don’t start objecting now in a big way, this plan will be steamrollered through, and an awful lot of the new homes will be one- and two-bedroom flats instead of family homes.”

Councillor Barnes agreed that housing development was likely on some of what is now designated as green belt, such as land in Arkley along Rowley Lane, Arkley Lane, and Galley Lane, and land north and south of the Stirling Corner roundabout.

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 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 block 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.”

Earlier Mr Massey criticised the failure of the Deputy Mayor of London to publish his reasons for overturning Barnet Council’s rejection of a Transport for London plan to build high-rise flats on the car park at High Barnet tube station.

He thought the failure to release the official notification – which could trigger a possible legal challenge – was down to the developers getting “cold feet.”

Major housebuilders were pulling out of Greater London schemes because the Mayor of London’s targets for the construction of affordable homes made these schemes unviable.

One high point of the meeting was news from several members that residents of Sunset View and Hadley Grove have been successful in their bid at an auction to buy half of a one-acre copse alongside Christchurch Lane.

A plan to build a large house on the site was rejected by Barnet Council and the residents made a joint bid to purchase half the site to ensure it remained protected woodland.

In view an offer from the Woodland Trust to maintain the small deciduous wood, the residents are hoping that Barnet Council, which owns the other half acre, might release it to the Woodland Trust.

The meeting was told that formal consultations are about to start on establishing a 20mph zone in streets in and around Alston Road and Stapylton Road.

Councillor Whysall said the plan was to create a safer zone in the streets in an area bounded to the north and west of Wood Street, High Street Road and St Albans Road.  

Posted on by — 3 Comments

Small stretch of Barnet Playing Fields at Underhill set aside for new Dollis Valley community orchard   

Small stretch of Barnet Playing Fields at Underhill set aside for new Dollis Valley community orchard   

Early next year volunteers aim to start planting what is destined to become a community orchard in Underhill situated in a corner of Barnet Playing Fields, between Ark Pioneer Academy and Grasvenor Avenue.

Along one side of the new orchard will be a freshly-seeded wildflower meadow – another of the initiatives backed by the Orchard Project which organised a display of apples and other fruit at the nearby Rainbow Centre.

Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson was shown the site of the new Dollis Valley Community Orchard by organiser Daniella Levene (above, far left) and Catherine Watling of the Friends of Underhill Green Spaces, who hope to help maintain the orchard.

There has been some mounting concern locally about the long-term future of Barnet Playing Fields in Barnt Lane, Underhill, following the publication of the London Plan and speculation that the status of Green Belt land could be downgraded to Grey Belt.

Barnet councillors for wards in and around High Barnet say they are keen to contradict misguided that claims that protected playing fields and open spaces along the Dollis Valley are at risk of being replaced with housing.

No final decisions had been taken about the future designation of local Green Belt land around High Barnet and whatever the eventual status there was no possibility of the council relinquishing community green spaces for housing.  

After being shown the site of the new community orchard, Mr Tomlinson said he looked forward to returning next February when volunteers hope to plant up to a dozen mixed fruit trees including apple, pear, quince and medlar.

“I am confident there is no chance that Barnet Playing Fields will be built on. Our green spaces are so important to the health and wellbeing of our residents.  We need to do all we can to enhance their protection.”

Small stretch of Barnet Playing Fields at Underhill set aside for new Dollis Valley community orchard   

Councillor Zahra Beg, the Mayor of Barnet – and an Underhill ward councillor – admired a display of autumn fruit. She was delighted to give her backing to the Orchard Project.

“I am proud to be here and support a new community orchard for Underhill.

“Local residents and children will want to see the planting of the fruit trees, and I am sure they will help take care of the wildflower meadow.” 

Small stretch of Barnet Playing Fields at Underhill set aside for new Dollis Valley community orchard   

Orchard Project communications manager Sarah Cossom – above, left with Rainbow Centre manager Sarah Snell – said the planting of a wildflower meadow was the first step in building up support and interest in developing a community orchard.

Spring flowers would help with pollination in the area and especially for the new fruit trees.

Small corner of Barnet Playing fields set aside for Dollis Valley community orchard at Underhill, an iniiative supported by Mayor of Barnet Councillor Zahra Beg and Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson

Daniella Levene, founder of the Community Harvesters project, was keen to show visitors a full range of the various varieties of apples, pears and other fruit which could be grown so easily in gardens at home.

She said that given warmer summers, pomegranate was one of the fruits which now fared well in the UK and could withstand prolonged dry weather.         

Posted on by — 4 Comments

Barnet residents alarmed at prospect of a second site for travellers’ caravans in Arkley’s Green Belt

Barnet residents alarmed at prospect of a second site for travellers’ caravans in Arkley’s Green Belt

An application to Barnet Council for planning approval for a site for 12 travellers’ caravans in former woodland off Rowley Lane, Arkley, is meeting stiff objections on the grounds it would be a significant breach of the Green Belt.

Nearby residents say the caravans would overlook their homes and would result in further damage to a designated site of importance for nature conservation.

Barnet residents alarmed at prospect of a second site for travellers’ caravans in Arkley’s Green Belt

Woodland has already been cleared to create an entrance from Rowley Lane. On the plot itself, mature oak trees have been felled without permission.

A For Sale sign has been erected by a gate at the entrance to the site, which is bounded by Rowley Lane and Windmill Lane, and which extends to around an acre and a quarter.

Barnet Council failed in April to halt the go ahead for another travellers’ caravan site on a field in Green Belt land off Mays Lane, Arkley.

An attempt to secure a full judicial review of a planning inspector’s decision in favour of the travellers was rejected in the High Court allowing work to go ahead on preparing the site for two static caravans, two mobile homes and two day rooms.

The Rowley Lane application, which is for six pitches, each with a static and a touring caravan, has been made in the name of an agent, Philip Brown Associates of Rugby.

Barnet residents alarmed at prospect of a second site for travellers’ caravans in Arkley’s Green Belt

Objections include comments from residents of Windmill Lane who say approval would breach Green Belt policy and set a precedent for further development in woodland which the applicant claims should now be designated as “grey belt”.

Barnet residents alarmed at prospect of a second site for travellers’ caravans in Arkley’s Green Belt

Robin Bishop (above right), who leads on planning and the environment, said the Barnet Society was “strongly minded” to object to the application.

“Not only would it contravene Green Belt and Travellers policies in Barnet’s Local Plan, but it is also outrageous that protected trees have been illegally felled to clear the site.

“If approved, it would set a deeply worrying precedent for the remaining greenery between Akley and Borehamwood.”

Earlier this year Arkley residents protested to Barnet Council about the unauthorised felling of trees in the Rowley Lane protected woodland.

Trees were cut down across the plot which is one of ten in a ten-acre woodland which is at the rear of Rowley Lodge, and which were sold off for a combined total of £1.3 million.

Barnet residents alarmed at prospect of a second site for travellers’ caravans in Arkley’s Green Belt

So far, no work seems to have started preparing the site for travellers’ caravans in Mays Lane. The two-acre paddock was previously used for grazing horses.

Quinta Village Green Residents’ Association, which opposed the Mays Lane site and which was disappointed by the High Court setback, expressed its determination to continue doing all it could to protect the Green Belt along Mays Lane.

Gina Theodorou, chair of the association, said at the time that she feared the council’s failure to halt the scheme would result in further applications for travellers’ sites in Arkley’s Green Belt land.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

With a rapidly approaching deadline for bids, Quinta Village Green residents step up their campaign to take over derelict youth club

With a rapidly approaching deadline for bids, Quinta Village Green residents step up their campaign to take over derelict youth club

A packed meeting at Underhill gave enthusiastic support to a community bid to purchase the derelict former Quinta Youth Club in Mays Lane which is being sold off by Barnet Council.

Fears that the building might go to the highest bidder because of the council’s dire financial position led to a last-minute appeal to local residents to demonstrate the strength of their campaign to secure a new combined community hub and youth centre.

Gina Theodorou, chair of the Quinta Village Green Residents Association, made a passionate plea to the neighbourhood to demonstrate to councillors why the council should respect the wishes of those who lived in Underhill.

Provision of services and support for young people was lower in the Underhill area than in the rest of the Borough of Barnet and the meeting was adamant the former youth club, which the community built in the mid-1960s, should be returned and redeveloped for their benefit.

With a rapidly approaching deadline for bids, Quinta Village Green residents step up their campaign to take over derelict youth club

Leaders and representatives of other groups and organisations from in and around High Barnet lined up to give their backing to what they agreed was a well resourced and imaginative bid to buy back a building on which the council has placed a £300,000 valuation.

“Of course, there are other bidders, and we know there is a major risk that another group or organisation might try to outbid us, but Barnet Council should realise this is the preferred scheme of those who live in Underhill,” said Ms Theodorou.

Quinta Village Green Residents Association has campaigned long and hard for the restoration or replacement of the former youth club and secured a six-month pause in the sale of the building after they succeeded in persuading the council to declare it an asset of community value.

With a rapidly approaching deadline for bids, Quinta Village Green residents step up their campaign to take over derelict youth club

Plans and artists’ impressions of the proposed community hub were presented to the meeting by architect Simon Kaufman – with the help of his daughter Ana.

With a rapidly approaching deadline for bids, Quinta Village Green residents step up their campaign to take over derelict youth club

A preferred option was for the new hub to have a central corridor with a sports hall on one side and activity rooms on the other with a new community café looking out on to Quinta Village Green.

All the rooms would have sliding walls offering flexible space for different activities together with plenty of storage space.

A single storey building was proposed but if there was sufficient funding there could be an upper floor.

Full advantage would be taken of their site in the Green Belt with community gardens and perhaps an orchard alongside the building.

Along the Mays Lane frontage there would be 19 parking spaces, including accessible spaces for wheelchairs, plus 40 cycle spaces as the new hub could become a stopping off point for cyclists along the Dollis Valley green walk.

Ms Theodorou stressed the importance of residents expressing their support before the deadline for bids on 23 October – even the smallest donation would help https://gofund.me/70e0fe9c2 as would responses to their community survey https://forms.gle/Ynmib6DYGKxCTcoD7

Two charities – Hadley Trust and Common Nature – have told the residents association that financial assistance might well be available towards the purchase and reconstruction if the local community unites around the plan and succeeds with its bid.

Quinta Village Green residents step up campaign to take over derelict yourh club as deadline approaches for bids to Barnet Council

Among those attending the meeting – see above, from left to right – were Underhill Councillor Josh Tapper, Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson, Gina Theodorou, and Julian Desborough, trustee of the Hope Corner Community Centre which was re-opened as part of the Dollis Valley regeneration.

Mr Desborough said the 12,500 residents of the Underhill ward were in desperate need of more community space and services for young people. What was so important about the Quinta project was that, unlike Hope Corner, it was in the middle of an open space in the Green Belt.

His plea for more services and activities for Underhill’s youngsters was reinforced by Amber Jones of the Young Barnet Foundation.

Out of 223 organisations offering services for young people across the borough, there were less than 20 in the north of the area and only four in Underhill.

Andy Rimmer, vicar of Christ Church, Barnet, added his support for Ms Theodorou’s argument that Underhill was in desperate need of a safe space for young people and a centre offering warm surroundings for the elderly in winter.

Among those to be canvassed later this month for ideas for a youth centre will be students at Totteridge Academy – an initiative welcomed by Eve Rogers, managing director of Grow, the academy’s school farm.

After the meeting, both the Chipping Barnet MP and Underhill councillor, stressed the importance of the council considering all the bids free of political interference.

Dan Tomlinson said that nonetheless he hoped the council would “consider very carefully the strength” of the Quinta community bid.

“We have to bring the derelict youth club back into use and bring it back in a way which serves the local community.  There is a massive need for space which helps provide activities for young people.”

Josh Tapper insisted that as a Barnet councillor he could not take a position and had to remain neutral during the bidding process, but he had been anxious to attend the meeting and listen to the case being put forward by the community.   

Posted on by — 3 Comments

Community offer to assist after four e-bike vandals chased on golf course and photographed by a dog walker

Community offer to assist after four e-bike vandals chased on golf course and photographed by a dog walker

After four youngsters on e-bikes and e-scooters caused fresh damage to greens at the Shire London golf course, a group of High Banet residents are hoping to discuss with the club’s management ways to prevent further vandalism.

Dog walkers and other locals are anxious to preserve uninterrupted access to a perimeter path around the 27-hole course which is set in 220 acres of Green Belt land just north of the Barnet boundary.

Nearby residents are seeking a meeting with the club’s director Tony Menai after contacting neighbourhood police officers to pass on information from dog walkers who witnessed the latest incursion.

Community offer to assist after four e-bike vandals chased on golf course and photographed by a dog walker

Four youngsters wearing balaclavas, riding three e-bikes and an e-scooter, were seen speeding across the greens, leaving deep cuts in the turf.

Two members of the staff drove round the course to try to stop them.

“Their bikes were reaching speeds in excess of 40mph, and we were unable to catch them,” said Mr Menai.

Later, when the youngsters were seen stationary on the perimeter path, they were confronted by a woman walking her dog.

She took close-up photographs of them –without their balaclavas – in the hope this might deter them.

Community offer to assist after four e-bike vandals chased on golf course and photographed by a dog walker

Regular dog walker Chris Nightingale is helping to organise a community response in the hope of co-operating with the golf club to come up with a joint solution to curb vandalism while maintaining access to the path.

A meeting attended by dog walkers and local residents agreed to write to the club seeking a meeting and inform Hertfordshire County Council which is the footpaths authority for the golf course site.

“We should be able to work together,” said Mr Nightingale who has been discussing what to do following complaints after access to the golf course path was blocked by eight-foot-deep trenches in a bid to thwart the e-bikes.

“We have informed neighbourhood police officers about what has been happened in the latest incident and told them that we have photographs and two witnesses.

“We fear that if the youngsters go onto the course again it might lead to an horrific accident. It is only too easy to imagine one of them falling off while golf club vehicles are in hot pursuit.”

Mr Nightingale’s initiative is aimed at defusing a rapid deterioration in relations between the golf club and local walkers who enjoy using a permissive path which was agreed when the golf course, designed by Steve Ballesteros, was granted planning permission in the early 1990s.

After the first incursion by e-bikes the club dug eight-foot trenches at the boundary between the golf course and Byng Road playing fields to prevent e-bikes entering the site.

Community offer to assist after four e-bike vandals chased on golf course and photographed by a dog walker

Club director Mr Menai said that a wooden pallet was placed across the trench, and this provided access for another incursion by e-bikes riders.

“The damage which they are causing is devastating. This cannot continue any more as it is having a serious impact on our business.

“We also have a legal responsibility and duty of care to our members, staff and visitors from dangerous situations caused by kids wearing balaclava and riding illegal e-bikes.

“Over the years we have continually had kids draw phallic symbols on the greens with sticks, stealing flags and tee markers, and throwing them into the lakes around the course.

“We have also had dogs off their leads attacking swans and killing cygnets.

“Surely the question should be how can we protect the golf club and the wildlife from this nonsense? How can we as a community stop these abuses and protect what is a haven for wildlife?”

Community offer to assist after four e-bike vandals chased on golf course and photographed by a dog walker

Dog walkers and others also have complaints. They claim that fallen trees and trenches are being used to block the perimeter path.

Mr Nightingale said he hoped a meeting with Mr Menai would be a chance to explain that the community wanted to work together with the club.

“I am sure that neither of us would want to return to the bad old days of the early 2000s when we were having to contact Hertfordshire County Council frequently about lorry movements and blockages to the perimeter path.

“Our hope is that by meeting Mr Menai we can resolve these issues in a spirit of helping each other.”

Photos of e-bike damage to golf course greens courtesty Shire London Golf Club

Posted on by — Leave a comment

E-bike vandalism at Shire golf course leads to closure of entry points to a popular footpath upsetting local dog walkers

E-bike vandalism at Shire golf course leads to closure of entry points to a popular footpath upsetting local dog walkers

Turf on three of the greens at the Shire London Golf Club off St Albans Road has been churned up and damaged by youngsters riding e-bikes on recent evenings.

To prevent further vandalism, several access points to the public footpath around the perimeter of the golf course have been closed off including two well-frequented entry points from the Byng Road playing fields.

Walkers and dogs on leads are still welcome to use the perimeter path around the course but Tony Menai, director of Shire London, told the Barnet Society that malicious damage to the greens was proving costly to repair and could not be tolerated.

“We have eyewitness accounts of how three e-bikes ridden by sixteen and seventeen-year-olds wearing balaclavas have been speeding around the greens purposely cutting deep tracks.

“The Police have advised us that the only way to prevent e-bikes and other vehicles getting on to the course is to close off and secure all the unofficial access points along St Albans Road and along the boundary hedge with Byng Road playing fields.

“People are welcome to walk around the course. They should use the main entrance on St Albans Road and keep their dogs on a lead.”

E-bike vandalism at Shire golf course leads to closure of entry points to a popular footpath upsetting local dog walkers

Geoff Arnett, who walks his dog across the playing fields and who has regularly used one of the access points to the golf course perimeter path, described his shock and outrage at seeing that two eight-foot-deep trenches had been dug across the two access points.

He acknowledged the challenge facing the golf course management over malicious damage but was disappointed there had been no warning, explanation or any kind of consultation.

“The footpath beside the golf course provides a lovely walk to a bluebell wood near Trotters Bottom and a route further on towards St Albans Road and the Green Dragon public house.

“For years now, dog walkers and other people have accessed the footpath from Byng Road playing fields and it can’t be right to deprive us all of access from roads like Byng Road or Cavendish Road.

“It is no answer to say we should access the footpath by the Shire main entrance on the St Albans Road – that’s a mile away and would mean going along a busy main road.”

Access points on Byng Road playing fields to popular path around Shire London golf course blocked off to dog walkers after e-bike vandals damage turf of greens

Mr Arnett said that if unauthorised vehicular access was the problem, a solution might be to provide a kissing gate or stile so that there was access for pedestrians but not for vehicles.

“It is the responsibility of Shire London to secure the golf course and, at the same time, allow access to the footpath.”

In response to complaints about the closure of the playing fields’ access to the footpath, the Barnet Society has notified Barnet Councillors, the Ramblers Association and Hertfordshire County Council’s footpaths department as the golf course is over the Barnet boundary into Hertsmere.

E-bike vandalism at Shire golf course leads to closure of entry points to a popular footpath upsetting local dog walkers

Tony Menai said the damage to the greens caused by the e-bikes was the most persistent and most serious since the club was established in 1994.

“We have been so tolerant over the years and recognise that kids will be kids. There has been vandalism and damage in the past but our success as a club depends on the quality of our 18 green course and our nine academy greens.

“If the greens are going to get churned up like this, it will put the Shire out of business.”

E-bike vandalism at Shire golf course leads to closure of entry points to a popular footpath upsetting local dog walkers

Chris Nightingale, another regular dog walker, promised to look into it further with Hertsmere Council and Hertfordshire County Council.

“One of the conditions of planning permission for the course is that the owners should maintain a public path around the perimeter, from the St Albans Road entrance round to another St Albans Road entry point closer to the Green Dragon.

“Residents in the roads around Byng Road and further afield have always accessed that perimeter path from the Byng Road playing fields and those two entry points should not have been blocked off without at least some consultation with those living in the neighbourhood.”

Photos of e-bike damage to the golf course greens courtesy of Shire London Golf Club

Posted on by — 2 Comments

Mayor Khan’s proposed London Plan puts pressure on Barnet

view of derelict Green Belt land near Stirling Corner
Mayor Khan’s proposed London Plan puts pressure on Barnet

Barely five years after Mayor Khan’s current London Plan came into force, he’s consulting on a new one. The good news is that it will be a lot slimmer than the present version. The bad news for Barnet is that he’s upping his target for new homes in our borough, and he’s identified places in the Green Belt where some of them could be built.

The draft new Plan was published in July and is open for comments until 15 October. Its housing target for Barnet is to build 32,730 new homes between 2028 & 2037 – a 38% increase on the present London Plan. That still won’t be enough to deliver the Labour government’s pledge of 1.5 million new homes over the lifetime of this parliament. The Mayor and other Labour politicians are increasingly keen to pull any levers that might boost housing supply.

Since brownfield sites within Barnet are limited and more expensive to build on, the Mayor wants the Council to build 7,000 homes in its Green Belt (see map below). He states a preference for using those parts of it deemed ‘Grey Belt’, which could include derelict land in Arkley such as the site illustrated above. But he acknowledges that some greenfield areas will have to be sacrificed.

Mayor Khan’s proposed London Plan puts pressure on Barnet

On his election as MP for Chipping Barnet, Dan Thomlinson said, ‘Our green spaces and the beautiful Green Belt here in this constituency is something that I will always fight for and protect’. We hope he still keeps that promise.

The Plan would require at least 50% of new homes in the Green Belt to be ‘affordable’, or 35% in the case of schemes for 10-35 homes. (Developments of fewer than 10 homes are exempt.) These are ambitious targets, significantly higher than normally offered by developers. If they can be achieved, the Barnet Society might consider that a reasonable trade-off for the loss of some poor-quality Green Belt.

The Plan would subject any residential development in the Green Belt to conditions. Notably, the vast majority of the new homes would have to be located either within 400m of an eligible bus route or 1.2km – 15 minutes’ walk – from one of seven ‘well-connected’ rail and tube stations in Barnet. But that puts most of the constituency of Chipping Barnet in the frame, i.e. from Arkley to Hadley, and from New Barnet to Whetstone.

In addition to these seven ‘broad locations for growth’ (BLGs), the draft Plan also identifies ‘future industrial-led Green Belt candidates’ around the A1 at Borehamwood. This could include the extensive tract of land north-east of Stirling Corner (pictured at the top of this post).

Other industrial-led sites are by the M25 in Enfield, possibly associated with a 21,000-home new town at Crews Hill. That proposal is supported by the government and the Mayor of London, though – since the May local elections – no longer by Enfield Council.

The Plan also sets out strategic criteria for the construction of additional data centres across London to meet the growing demand. These are typically enormous boxes that consume large quanties of electricity and water (for cooling).

The draft London Plan makes no mention of the proposal in Barnet’s Local Plan to create a new Regional Park on the Green Belt and Metropolitan Open Space stretching between Arkley, Scratchwood and Mill Hill. Unless kept to the absolute minimum necessary for sustainable management of the Park, residential or commercial development within this zone would defeat its whole point.

You can read more about these threats and opportunities in my previous web post on the Green Belt.

Barnet Council has declared its objection to the Mayor’s proposals for housing and the Green Belt, which contradict the Local Plan that it adopted only last year. Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Homes and Regeneration, Cllr Ross Houston, said:

“Barnet Council will carefully assess the detail of the draft London Plan before submitting its formal response to the consultation and we will continue to work with residents, communities and partners to ensure any future growth delivers the homes, opportunities and neighbourhoods that people need and want to see.”

Cllr Houston, the Barnet Society would be delighted to work with you, especially on the existential threat to our Green Belt.

Mayor Khan’s proposed London Plan puts pressure on Barnet

Above: Cllr Ross Houston speaking at a Barnet Society public meeting on housing in Barnet in 2023

You can view the draft Plan here. Tell Mayor Khan your views by doing one of the following:

– complete the online survey,
– email londonplan@london.gov.uk(External link

– write to Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, Draft London Plan, London Plan Team, Planning & Regeneration, City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, London, E16 1ZE.

The deadline for comments is 5pm on Thursday, 15 October 2026.

Mayor Khan’s proposed London Plan puts pressure on Barnet
Posted on by

Planning Inspector dismisses appeal to build mansion in Christchurch Lane spinney

??????????

An Inspector has dismissed an appeal by developer Christchurchgrove Ltd against Barnet Council’s refusal of its planning application to build a 5-bedroom house in a wood in Chipping Barnet. The decision concludes a successful campaign by local residents, with help from the Barnet Society, to save a cherished natural habitat in the Monken Hadley Conservation Area. It also sends a message to developers about the Council’s commitment to protecting green spaces in Barnet.

Although only one acre in area, the spinney beside Christchurch Lane forms a link in a green chain connecting Old Fold Manor golf course and Hadley Green, both in the Green Belt. Both are also designated Areas of Particular Importance for Biodiversity in the Mayor of London’s Nature Recovery Plan. Many trees in the wood are subject to Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) and it is a haven of wild life, for example the Muntjac deer and her fawn in the photograph above (courtesy of neighbour Marianne Nix).

Planning Inspector dismisses appeal to build mansion in Christchurch Lane spinney

Concerns arose two years ago, when it emerged that the Council had authorised the sale of the part of the spinney that it owns for £430,000, subject to the buyer obtaining planning consent. But its own planning and biodiversity officers took issue with aspects of the preliminary ecological appraisal commissioned by the developer and breaches of Barnet’s Local Plan.

In parallel local residents monitored wildlife in the wood, photographing and recording a fascinating range of birds, bats and animals coming and going within 200 metres of Barnet High Street (as reported in our web post on 31 January). A petition to Save Chipping Barnet Woodland was started in September 2025, and within a few months had been supported by over 2,250 signatures. 

A planning application was eventually submitted in January this year. It comprised a new mansion, designed in the Arts & Crafts style of existing houses in Sunset View, with a private garden and an enclosed swimming pool. In response to Society suggestions, the house boundaries were softened to integrate the garden more closely with the existing vegetation, and a plan was offered to manage the whole of the spinney. Despite constructive pre-application discussions between the developer and the Society, however, the final proposals did not go far enough to safeguard the existing environment and we objected to them – as did 278 other members of the public. Not a single comment was submitted in support.

Barnet planners recommended refusal of the application. Not only did the application breach several policies in its Local Plan (adopted only last year), it would have contradicted the Green Manifesto which had formed part of Labour’s platform in the 2022 local elections. Perhaps with an eye on the impending May local elections, the Council rejected the application on 10 March.

Almost immediately, the developer appealed against the Council’s decision.

The Planning Inspectorate’s verdict, published on 10 July, is unambiguous:

‘…the development of the site would have a harmful impact on the character and appearance of the area…and would fail to preserve the character or appearance of the Monken Hadley Conservation Area [MHCA]’, as well as being contrary to policies in The London Plan and the Barnet Local Plan.’

The Inspector echoed the opinion of local residents:

‘The sense of depth and scale that the woodland currently possesses is of considerable value…It provides a characterful wooded setting to the adjacent development and ties these roads into the wider landscape character of the MHCA…’

S/he also noted that,

‘This impact would be exacerbated by the proposed design…the proposed dwelling would appear to sit within an overgrown garden without a clear visual and spatial connection to the road or the sense of grandeur that many dwellings in the area possess.’

Regarding the hedge proposed around the site perimeter, the Inspector commented,

‘It is however highly doubtful that it would be possible to plant and successfully establish a continuous hedge in this location given the number of trees that would be retained around the edges of the site and their scale.’

Furthermore,

‘…the value of the woodland and the presence of a veteran tree, have not been accurately assessed, resulting in an unreliable biodiversity net gain calculation.’

The Society and campaigners have welcomed the Inspector’s decision. Retired GP Richard Norris commented,

‘Very definite rejection from Planning Inspector Tucker, very detailed, gives me faith in our institutions.’

Marianne Nix, who was instrumental in setting up the Save Chipping Barnet Woodland website and petition said,

‘I am delighted and hugely relieved that the Planning Inspectorate has dismissed the Appeal. The local community has worked together tirelessly to raise funds to publicise and to fight the potential destruction of this precious pocket of green on our doorsteps. Together we have gained the support of thousands of Barnet residents as well as petition signatures from all parts of the UK and even overseas. The World is waking up to the fact that we need to protect even the smallest pockets of nature and biodiversity that we in Barnet are lucky enough to enjoy.’

She thanked everyone who had objected to the planning application. But she went on to warn,

‘Although the veteran trees and wildlife are safe for now, I have a feeling there will be another application, this time with two or three houses.’

So we can’t relax. The Barnet Society was founded specifically to protect London’s Green Belt and the wider environment, and these are under greater threat than ever. We need funds to continue doing so. If you haven’t done so already, please join us or donate – just go to the top of this page.

Planning Inspector dismisses appeal to build mansion in Christchurch Lane spinney
Posted on by

Volunteer guardians of Chipping Barnet’s open spaces, countryside and community initiatives praised by MP Dan Tomlinson

Volunteer guardians of Chipping Barnet’s open spaces, countryside and community initiatives praised by MP Dan Tomlinson

Volunteers who look after the countryside and manage outdoor activities met their MP Dan Tomlinson at a reception at the House of Commons where he congratulated them for all they did to preserve the greenery which he said was such an attractive feature of the Chipping Barnet constituency.

What linked his guests was that they were all nature lovers determined to help others enjoy the natural world – whether it was growing fruit and vegetables, caring for the natural environment or protecting the green belt.

Seven allotment sites in the constituency had representatives at the reception as well volunteers from Barnet Environment Centre in Byng Road and the campaign to keep Dollis Brook clear of litter.

Another guest was award-winning Wendy Alcock, founder of Incredible Edible Barnet, a community group which encourages home cultivation in gardens and on un-used land.

“What people love about Barnet are our green spaces and all of you are the corner stone in protecting them,” said Mr Tomlinson.

A team of supporters from GROW, the school farm at The Totteridge Academy, were delighted to hear the MP’s praise for a project which produces fruit and vegetables for the school kitchen as well for sale to the community.

Team Grow – above, from left to right, Sam (trustee), Dan Tomlinson, Tara (communications lead), Marta (senior grower) and Lynn, volunteer – were keen to use their meeting with their MP to help promote a series of events at the farm in Barnet Lane: Open Day on June 27; Pick Your Own Flowers on 25 July, 8 August and 5 September; and Pumpkin Time on 24 October.

Volunteer guardians of Chipping Barnet’s open spaces, countryside and community initiatives praised by MP Dan Tomlinson

Mr Tomlinson reminded his guests that after his recent launch of a community action network for his constituency he was hoping to help promote initiatives where local people could get together to assist with non-partisan campaigns and projects.

His search for a project met an immediate response from leading members of Friends of Tudor Park and Pavilion who have launched a bid to rescue and renovate the abandoned former cricket pavilion in Barnet Vale.

He told their deputation – above, from left to right, Simon Kaufman, Alexander Cohen, Dan Tomlinson, Hannah Lawrence and Simon Cohen – that he was very supportive of their campaign to save the pavilion.

“I will be looking to see what more I can do as their MP to help get the project off the ground.”

Currently the abandoned pavilion is considered unsafe and is cordoned off but what concerns the activists is that the building is deteriorating quite rapidly – a crack in the western elevation has expanded to two inches in width within a year.

“A structural engineer has told us that this crack needs to be repointed to stabilise the building otherwise it could become a risk to public safety,” said Mr Kaufman.

“We are frustrated by the length of time it is taking Barnet Council to finalise the paperwork for the Friends to sign an agreement to lease the building, so any help from our MP would be much appreciated.”

MP Dan Tomlinson praises nature lovers who care for green spaces in his Chipping Barnet constituency and who encourage home cultivation of fruit and vegetables

Robin Bishop, who leads for the Barnet Society on planning and the environment, (above right with Barnet Society member Kim Ambridge) used the reception as a chance to impress on Mr Tomlinson the need for action over the long-standing proposal to create a regional park to the west of Barnet.

A large swathe of green belt and metropolitan open land stretching west from Arkley and south to Mill Hill was earmarked as a possible regional park in the Barnet strategy plan for 2019-2030.

Given all the pressure for new housing – and the likelihood that substantial parts of Barnet’s green belt could be designated ‘grey belt’ for residential development – Mr Bishop said a regional park designation could safeguard farmland and open spaces and open them up to the public.

“A regional park designation would become a significant planning consideration, to which any planning inspector would have to give it due weight. It is proposed in Barnet’s Local Plan, but so far nothing has been done about it,” said Mr Bishop.

“Safeguarding this open land from development is the only way we can preserve a green gap between Barnet and Borehamwood.”    

Posted on by — 1 Comment

After another record year for Barnet Medieval Festival, Wars of the Roses re-enactors are hoping to lay on an even better display next summer

After another record year for Barnet Medieval Festival, Wars of the Roses re-enactors are hoping to lay on an even better display next summer

An expanded site for Barnet Medieval Festival with a much larger battlefield for re-enactments and displays won high praise from a record attendance of well over 600 Wars of the Roses enthusiasts.

Re-enactments of the Second Battle of St Albans and the Battle of Barnet filled the arena with ample space all around for crowds of spectators and living history exhibits.

Such was the enthusiasm for what is fast becoming one of the premier engagements in the calendar of Wars of the Roses celebrations that re-enactors and medieval traders left Barnet at the end of the two-day event declaring they were confident the long-term prospects for the festival could not be better.

After another record year for Barnet Medieval Festival, Wars of the Roses re-enactors are hoping to lay on an even better display next summer

Given its location in accessible Green Belt fields off Galley Lane at the Lewis of London Ice Cream Farm, the festival’s setting – lined with woods and uninterrupted views – is regarded as having a close resemblance to the countryside north of Barnet where the Yorkists fought the Lancastrians in 1471.

Innovations this year included many more events for children.

After another record year for Barnet Medieval Festival, Wars of the Roses re-enactors are hoping to lay on an even better display next summer

A period costume competition was won by Princess Sophia whose dress caught the eye of Queen Elizabeth who judged the competition with Edward IV.

After another record year for Barnet Medieval Festival, Wars of the Roses re-enactors are hoping to lay on an even better display next summer

Linda Godden, event co-ordinator from the House of Bayard, expressed her delight at the way the festival – now in its seventh year – has continued to expand and grow in popularity.

“Even with the bad weather on Saturday, the re-enactors sensed the strength of loyalty among the festival supporters and local community.

“It is such encouraging atmosphere, which is why we all want to keep coming back for the Barnet festival.”

A third eight-acre field has now been set aside for re-enactments – increasing the total site to 20 acres – and the extra space has made all the difference by allowing room for larger displays with mounted knights in full armour joining the battles.

“The site is fantastic with the extra land, and hopefully we can grow the festival with even more re-enactors and medieval traders.

“What we desperately need are more local volunteers to help the festival organisers,” said Ms Godden.

After another record year for Barnet Medieval Festival, Wars of the Roses re-enactors are hoping to lay on an even better display next summer

Among the new attractions was a display of birds of prey – with barn own Buzbee delighting the crowd with his aerial dexterity at the command of his handler Kevin Lochner of Hawking About.

Buzbee was hand-reared and cannot hunt in the wild so eats defrosted mice.

After another record year for Barnet Medieval Festival, Wars of the Roses re-enactors are hoping to lay on an even better display next summer

Events for children included a mock battle which was conducted with the help of parents, under the capable control of Ico Willis of The Past Presents.

After another record year for Barnet Medieval Festival, Wars of the Roses re-enactors are hoping to lay on an even better display next summer

A period costume and fancy-dress competition was judged by King Edward IV (Will Carr) and Queen Elizabeth (Eleanor Eden).  

After another record year for Barnet Medieval Festival, Wars of the Roses re-enactors are hoping to lay on an even better display next summer

With better weather for the second day of the festival, the highlight of the morning was the re-enactment of the Second Battle of St Albans.

After another record year for Barnet Medieval Festival, Wars of the Roses re-enactors are hoping to lay on an even better display next summer

Expert commentary on the Lancastrians’ victory was provided by Rupert Hammerton-Fraser (above) and Allan Harley, both members of the Beaufort Company, one of the 40 different households represented at the festival.

Re-enactors have high praise for expanded site for Barnet Medieval Festival with enlarged arena for re-enactments of Battles of St Albans and Barnet

They were back in action for the re-enactment of the Battle of Barnet which rounded off the weekend in spectacular fashion with spectators still arriving late in the afternoon, crowding around the battlefield arena.

After another record year for Barnet Medieval Festival, Wars of the Roses re-enactors are hoping to lay on an even better display next summer

Daniel Lewis, proprietor of the Lewis of London Ice Cream farm, said he and his family had been bowled over by the growing popularity of the festival.

“I’m already getting excited thinking about next year’s festival. It’s been so rewarding to see that all the additional space has been put to such good use with extra displays and encampments and events for children.

“We doubled the size of the site this year and I am hoping there can be even more entertainment for the public next year.”

Posted on by — 28 Comments

Promise of 100 affordable new homes influences final go ahead for tower blocks at High Barnet tube station and loss of car parking

Promise of 100 affordable new homes influences final go ahead for tower blocks at High Barnet tube station and loss of car parking

Approval has finally been given by the office of the Mayor of London for the redevelopment of land around High Barnet tube station with five blocks of flats despite warnings this would cause irreparable damage to an historic skyline.

A deputation from the town’s community groups told a hearing at City Hall that squeezing 328 new homes into a narrow strip of land between the tube line and the Barnet Hill trunk road was the “wrong scale in the wrong place”.

Promise of 100 affordable new homes influences final go ahead for tower blocks at High Barnet tube station and loss of car parking

Objections were overruled by Jules Pipe, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Regeneration, who said that although three of the blocks would exceed the seven-storey limit agreed in the Barnet local plan – and one block would be 11 storeys – the impact of the height and massing of the flats would be negligible on the neighbourhood and no reason for refusal.

Building more affordable homes was the mayor’s priority and the High Barnet Place scheme would provide 100 new homes at low-cost rent or shared ownership.

“We must take advantage of sites which offer a high proportion of affordable homes and where the key travel infra-structure is in place,” said Mr Pipe.

“Inevitably schemes like High Barnet Place would be visible, including long range views…but the alternative would be to drive such schemes to the green belt and to less sustainable sites.”

Objections to the loss 160 spaces in the station car park – and the provision of only eight places for Blue Badge holders – were rejected by Mr Pipe on the grounds that encouraging tube passengers to walk to the station or take a bus would encourage “more sustainable means of travel and improve air quality”.

Developers Barratt and Transport for London’s investment subsidiary, Places for London, hope to start construction in February next year with the first affordable homes being available in February 2029 and the scheme completed by April 2030.

Mayor of London's office gives final go ahead for blocks of flats around High Barnet Station, Key factor 100 new affordable homes, a priority for the Mayor but station will lose its car park.

Simon Kaufman, a chartered architect (above, second from right), made a joint presentation on behalf of members of the Barnet Society and Barnet Residents Association.

He said many of the flats in the five tower blocks would be of poor quality, single aspect and reliant on mechanical ventilation.

The design of the scheme exemplified the social and management failures of high-density blocks of flats built across London in the 1960s and 1970s.

After Mr Pipe announced the scheme would go ahead, Mr Kaufman said the conscience of the objectors was clear.

“We listened to the lessons of history, and we are not prepared to see a repeat of the mistakes of the past. We did our best to prevent a development which we fear will become a disaster in years to come.”

Promise of 100 affordable new homes influences final go ahead for tower blocks at High Barnet tube station and loss of car parking

Neil Smith, senior project planning officer for the Greater London Authority, opened the hearing by reminding the Deputy Mayor that Barnet Council had refused permission for the blocks of flats because of their excessive height and harm to the character of the surrounding area.

However, the GLA considered the height and massing of the blocks responded well to the immediate context and would make “a positive contribution to the local townscape”.

Given the loss of the car park, there would be nine drop off short-stay spaces and eight Blue Badge spaces, but otherwise the development would be car-free with an enhanced public footpath on the station approach.

A significant public benefit of the scheme would be 100 affordable new homes and there were “no material considerations of sufficient weight to justify refusal”.

Promise of 100 affordable new homes influences final go ahead for tower blocks at High Barnet tube station and loss of car parking

In opening for the objectors Simon Kaufman said that when seen from the surrounding green belt countryside the proposed tower blocks harmed the historic skyline of High Barnet where the defining landmark on the hill had been the parish church.

“This is an over-scaled urban insertion imposed on to an historic hill town.”

An issue which eroded public confidence was that many residents were troubled by the fact Transport for London was effectively promoting development on its own land while the Greater London Authority and the Mayor of London were the decision-maker.

Promise of 100 affordable new homes influences final go ahead for tower blocks at High Barnet tube station and loss of car parking

Mr Kaufman criticised the removal of the station car park without providing a realistic alternative and the steep topography of the station approach meant that women, older residents and disabled users would continue to face intimidating routes, particularly after dark.

Promise of 100 affordable new homes influences final go ahead for tower blocks at High Barnet tube station and loss of car parking

Janet Littlewood of Barnet Residents Association, speaking on behalf of Gordon Massey, said the blocks of flats on the site would add to the existing chaos on the station approach where there were often traffic jams.

The area around the station was isolated and many women would not leave the station unless they could exit by car.

Nick Saul, a retired civil engineer, warned that the loss of the car park and the failure to provide bus access to the station forecourt raised serious concerns for women and the disabled.

Serious assaults to passengers when on foot or on cycle were not uncommon where parking had already been lost at tube stations.

Flaws in the design and access in and around suburban stations were a key factor in the prevalence and location of attacks.

Promise of 100 affordable new homes influences final go ahead for tower blocks at High Barnet tube station and loss of car parking

Dame Theresa Villiers, formerly MP for Chipping Barnet, who described herself as a resident and passenger, insisted that the loss of the station car park would damage the quality of life of many thousands of Barnet residents.

Anyone with impaired mobility would be at a disadvantage and the suggestion that more people might like to cycle to the station ignored the steepness of Barnet Hill – as she could testify personally it was “a tough climb for cyclists”.

“High Barnet station has been my station for 21 years. It is our get away to the world. Please don’t curtail the freedom of High Barnet people to live our lives the way we want to.”  

Promise of 100 affordable new homes influences final go ahead for tower blocks at High Barnet tube station and loss of car parking

There was one speaker in support of the scheme, High Barnet student Yana Kostova, who said that given the pressure on local housing the only chance was to build upwards.

The prospect of more affordable homes was a relief. She thought High Barnet could “blossom and attract a younger generation with such schemes”.

In response to questions from the deputy mayor, Martin Scholar, head of planning for Places for London, said the developers Barratt Homes had maximised the number of affordable homes at High Barnet Place which would allow more people to get on the housing ladder.

“Forty per cent affordable homes at High Barnet is much higher than for most schemes in London” – a consideration that was given emphasis in the deputy mayor’s final decision.

In a statement issued after the hearing, Dan Tomlinson, MP for Chipping Barnet and Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, criticised the go ahead for a scheme which was clearly not in line with the local plan.

“Planning decisions aren’t mine to make as the local MP, but Barnet Labour has made it views very clear on these proposals.

“It is in black and white in Barnet’s local plan that seven storeys is the maximum for housing on this site.

“It is not right for the GA to overrule elected councillors to approve a scheme with an 11-storey block that contravenes the plan.”

Mr Tomlinson’s statement was followed by a statement from Barnet Labour Party expressing its opposition to the go-ahead for high storey blocks of flats at High Barnet tube station and GLA approval for the Great North Leisure Park development:

“It is extremely disappointing that two local planning decisions based on the local plan and London plan and with the backing of the local community have been overturned by the GLA.

“Local councillors should be trusted to make decisions based on the best interest of their communities.”

Promise of 100 affordable new homes influences final go ahead for tower blocks at High Barnet tube station and loss of car parking

Posted on by — 4 Comments

High Court backs approval for two travellers’ caravans in a Mays Lane paddock once used for grazing horses

High Court rejects attempt by Barnet Council to halt the go ahead for a site for two travellers' caravans on a paddock in Mays Lane Green Belt

Barnet Council’s attempt to halt the go ahead for a travellers’ caravan site on a field in Green Belt land off Mays Lane has failed in the High Court to the disappointment of a local residents’ group.

Gina Theodorou, chair of the Quinta Village Green Residents’ Association, said that despite the setback they were determined to continue their fight to protect the Green Belt along Mays Lane.

Failure by the council to secure a full judicial review of a planning inspector’s decision in favour of the travellers site means that work installing hard standing can now go ahead in a two-acre paddock – see above – which was previously used for grazing horses.

Space has been approved for two static caravans, two mobile homes and two day rooms to be occupied by two traveller families.

The application was made by brothers Patrick and J Casey.

A refusal by the council to grant approval led to a lengthy planning inquiry last year when the inspector decided that the “very special circumstances” of the two families outweighed any harm to the Green Belt.

This ruling was challenged by the council on the grounds that the inspector’s conclusion was factually flawed because of his conclusion that a go ahead for the site was in the best interests of the “seven young children” involved.

In its challenge, the council argued that the evidence showed that in fact only four or five children would live on the site.

After a two-hour hearing – which Ms Theodorou attended – the High Court accepted that while there was a factual error in the inspector’s decision it did not materially affect the outcome of whether to allow the site on Green Belt land. Development could now proceed.

“We are disappointed because although this decision affects only one site, it means that once the land is developed it undermines the protection for our local green spaces,” said Ms Theodorou.

“There could now be future proposals for travellers’ sites on Green Belt land on both sides of the paddock and this approval would make it easier to justify.

“But that is how the Green Belt is gradually eroded.

“Our focus now has to be to focus on the bigger picture – to protect what remains of our Green Belt along Mays Lane and to ensure that our local green spaces are managed in a way that benefits both the environment and the community.”   

Posted on by — 2 Comments

Anger in Arkley over plans for a massive new housing estate attracts tv news team ahead of Barnet Council elections   

Anger in Arkley over plans for a massive new housing estate attracts tv news team ahead of Barnet Council elections   

A controversial plan to build up to 230 houses and an 80-bed care home on a former pig farm at Arkley was featured by ITV News London in a report ahead of May’s council elections about the political arguments surrounding the development of green belt land.

Bugler Homes of Rickmansworth is hoping to take advantage of new guidance allowing house building on “previously developed” sites which can now be deemed to be grey belt land.

Arkley resident Hayley Winton (above) told ITV London political correspondent Simon Harris that if Barnet Council approved the scheme, it would have a “huge impact” on life in the village, increasing its size by 25 per cent.

“Arkley is a small village with low density housing, in the middle of the green belt, and a high-density development of 300 homes doesn’t feel right.”

Anger in Arkley over plans for a massive new housing estate attracts tv news team ahead of Barnet Council elections   

Hayley’s opposition to the scheme was shared by another resident Jyoti Dhanak who said it would be shocking if such a large part of green belt was built on.

“Once the green belt has gone, it has gone, and it cannot be replaced.”

Anger in Arkley over plans for a massive new housing estate attracts tv news team ahead of Barnet Council elections   

Because access to the site had been refused, camera operator Gemma Green used a drone to film the 17-acre former pig farm, which is off Rowley Lane, Arkley, and is in the middle of scrubland and woods bordered by the A1 Barnet by-pass.

Anger in Arkley over plans for a massive new housing estate attracts tv news team ahead of Barnet Council elections   

In its “initial vision” for the development, Bugler Homes has applied to the council to discuss plans to build 230 homes, with 50 per cent affordable housing; an 80-bed care home; publicly accessible green spaces and allotments; and improved public right of way footpaths.

Anger in Arkley over plans for a massive new housing estate attracts tv news team ahead of Barnet Council elections   

Robin Bishop (above) who leads for the Barnet Society on planning and the environment, told Simon Harris the development would represent a “substantial erosion” of the green belt which had separated Barnet and Arkley from Borehamwood for the last 80 years.

The fields and woodland around Arkley are included in plans to create a new regional park which is included in Barnet Council’s latest local plan.

“If this development were to be approved it would be a major breach of the proposed regional park.

“A new regional park is a much welcome proposal. It would help to create a comprehensively managed area like the Lea Valley regional park.”

Anger in Arkley over plans for a massive new housing estate attracts tv news team ahead of Barnet Council elections   

Mr Bishop urged planning authorities to proceed with care before allowing development in what housebuilders claimed was now the grey belt.

“If councils give permission for every derelict site in the green belt much of the new housing will be highly unsuitable, in places where people will not be close to amenities or public transport.”

The Rowley Lane pig farm site is part of a triangle of land which is bounded by Barnet Road, Barnet by-pass and Rowley Lane.

Anger in Arkley over plans for a massive new housing estate attracts tv news team ahead of Barnet Council elections   

The illustration above shows how the land — to the east of the by-pass — has been parcelled into different plots.

Online research has revealed that 148 acres of land within this area – almost all of which is green belt – is owned by housebuilders and other associated companies and could provide space for up to 1,200 new homes.

If planning permission for housing could be obtained the land would be worth over £150 million.

One housebuilder owns 25 acres, with potential for 192 houses, on a site worth £39 million; another has 22 acres, with room for 285 homes, on a site worth £43 million.

Robin Bishop said the revelation that so much of the green belt land to the north of Arkley is effectively a land bank for housebuilders only serves to highlight the looming scandal over the likely approval of grey belt land for housing and other needs.

“There seems every likelihood that unlocking grey belt land for development will result in windfall profits for developers who have wilfully neglected land which they have been sitting on for years.

ITV News London to feature controversial plan for massive new housing estate in Arkley as part of report into political row over green belt land ahead of council elections.

Close to the pig farm site there has been unauthorised clearance of woodland in what had been declared a site of importance for nature conservation.

Hayley Winton said Arkley residents had been appalled when they saw a bulldozer hacking away at mature trees and levelling an acre of the woodland.

“Apparently the land has been sold as three plots for housing but there is no planning permission.

“We reported what happened to Barnet Council who say this is one of the worst cases they have ever seen of destruction of protected trees.

“We were told there will be consequences but how do you replace woodland like this which is in the green belt and was supposed to have special protection.”

Posted on by — 3 Comments

Government and developers set their sights on the Green Belt

View of Green Belt south of Potters Bar showing green fields, trees and hedges with M25 in background

This swathe of Green Belt (above) will be mostly built over if current plans are approved. And within Barnet, dozens of so-called ‘Grey Belt’ sites are being targetted for new homes (few of which are likely to be affordable). The Labour Council promises to create a Regional Park, which could prevent that. This should be an issue in our local election in May – but do voters know or care?

Between Potters Bar and Borehamwood, several enormous data centres have already been approved on land in the foreground of the photo above. Beyond the M25 will be a major expansion of Sky studios. For land off to the left of the photo, a planning application for 900 new homes has been refused by Hertsmere Council, but the developer has appealed against the decision.

Crews Hill & Chase Park new town

Between Barnet and Enfield, the government proposes a new town of 21,000 homes on Green Belt land. The plans are supported by Enfield Council and the Mayor of London but opposed by the Enfield Society and Enfield RoadWatch.

Government and developers set their sights on the Green Belt

The Barnet Society has objected to any loss of the green buffer that exists between Barnet and Enfield. It is vital to preserve the separate identities of settlements that would otherwise merge into amorphous suburbia, and a vital reservoir of biodiversity.

Just ahead of the local elections in May, groups and communities across the UK will be taking part in a UK-wide Day of Action for Nature, Parks and Green Spaces on Saturday 18 April. Its purpose is to demonstrate, visibly and collectively, that people everywhere care deeply about the natural world and want to see it protected and restored. Join the national day of action here.

Government and developers set their sights on the Green Belt

Barnet’s Green Belt

Government and developers set their sights on the Green Belt

The countryside on three sides of Chipping (or High) Barnet was saved in 1945 from housing development, largely by the efforts of the Barnet Society. In 1955 it was formally designated part of the London Metropolitan Green Belt. The map above shows how well it has survived – at least until now.

For decades developers have tried to build in it. So far, our Council has effectively prevented most new development. Exceptions have generally been restricted to replacement of obsolescent farm buildings.

Lately, however, we’ve seen an increase in speculative purchases of, and planning applications for, Green Belt land. Also notable has been unsightly and apparently deliberate neglect of existing buildings and landscape. The prospect of profiting from escalating land values and house prices beats the cost of maintaining or restoring property.

Expectations have been fuelled by the housing crisis, which has driven up mortgages and rents. And building costs have soared due to Brexit, Covid-19, wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and the higher safety standards introduced since the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Building on city brownfield sites has become less financially viable. No wonder the Green Belt, where building is cheaper, has become so appealing to developers and politicians.

And Labour politicians have opened the door to its development.

Grey Belt sites

In 2024, Sir Keir Starmer promised to release low-quality or neglected Green Belt land for housebuilding. In 2025, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was revised to allow housing development on Grey Belt sites subject to ‘Golden Rules’. And public consultation recently closed on further relaxations of the NPPF.

The consequence has been a flood of planning applications for allegedly Grey sites. In December 2025 CPRE, the countryside charity, reported new research revealing that the Grey Belt policy is enabling large-scale development on England’s unspoilt rural landscapes – not, as ministers promised, on unused car parks and derelict petrol stations.

Since December 2024, when the policy was introduced, 13 developments of 10 or more homes have been approved by government Planning Inspectors on Grey land in the Green Belt. The approvals have been granted over the heads of local councils. Of the 1,250 homes these schemes will deliver, 88% will be built on previously undeveloped countryside.

In Barnet, it’s becoming routine for prospective developers of Green Belt land to describe their sites as Grey. Although some sites are quite small, they’re dotted around and have a disproportionately harmful impact on the countryside. Most aren’t served by public transport and won’t be developed for affordable (let alone social) housing. A selection is illustrated below.

Government and developers set their sights on the Green Belt

Barnet Regional Park

Barnet Labour Party’s local election leaflet contains this pledge:

“We will… create a ‘Regional Park’ in the green belt.”

It would be centred on the astonishingly intact and peaceful fields and woods between Arkley and Mill Hill (below).

Government and developers set their sights on the Green Belt

The concept is already embedded in Barnet’s Local Plan (adopted by the Council last year) where Policy GSS13 states,

“The Council supports the creation of a new Regional Park within designated Green Belt or Metropolitan Open Land in the Brent Valley and Barnet Plateau Green Grid Area…”

Inspired in part by the success of the Lea Valley Regional Park, interventions would include “the enhancement of footpath, cycling and bridleway networks; improved green corridors and nature conservation areas [and] a network of new strategic recreational destinations.”

The map below (from the Council’s 2019 Growth Strategy) shows its intended configuration.

Government and developers set their sights on the Green Belt

Most importantly – since the Regional Park contains several of the Grey sites illustrated above – designation should provide stronger protection from inappropriate development. It would bring better public awareness and funding to ensure high design standards and long-term management of the area.

An imaginative suggestion from Roger Chapman of Barnet Green Spaces Network is for a regional food and biodiversity park to encourage a wide range of food growing practices. Linked with primary, secondary and post-16 education institutions and forest schools, it would provide an inspiring setting for environmental education and pathways to vocational qualifications in horticulture, animal husbandry and other skills essential for future food security.

As Roger says, “The park would build upon Barnet’s extensive agricultural history and heritage, enabling old stories to be retold and new ones to be created.” That’s an idea worth voting for.

The need for proper planning

Debate about the Green Belt is hampered by the lack of any regional strategy. There has been no planning body for the South-East for decades. Responsibility for the Green Belt is split between dozens of Local Planning Authorities.

The Mayor of London launched a London-wide review of the Green Belt to identify Grey Belt land for housing to tackle London’s housing crisis, but it is limited to the Greater London area. It was expected to be completed by the end of 2025 but is still awaited.

As a consequence every planning application in the Green (or Grey) Belt, however minor, becomes a bitter battle between developers, planners and residents.

The creation of the Green Belt was made possible by the government’s adoption of Patrick Abercrombie’s Greater London Plan, which created a ring of new towns around London, outside the Green Belt, to absorb the demand for new housing and promote alternative centres of growth. If we had a vision as sensible and comprehensive as that for our society – and for the natural world with which we co-exist – surely most of us would accept development in the most sustainable (or least harmful) locations in exchange for guaranteed long-term protection of our most beautiful and biodiverse environments.

Crews Hill & Chase Park new town and Barnet Regional Park could be examples of such an approach. As yet details of both projects are far too hazy for a final public decision. But each could transform substantial sectors of their borough. Whether to proceed with project planning, feasibility studies and technical investigations ought to be a matter of great public interest. This coming election is an opportunity to test the popularity of both projects.

Posted on by — 10 Comments

US tech firm reveals more about its plans to build one of Europe’s largest data centres in green belt land just to the south of Potters Bar

US tech firm reveals more about its plans to build one of Europe’s largest data centres in green belt land just to the south of Potters Bar

Potters Bar residents have had their first chance to learn more about a proposed data centre which is to be built on an 85-acre suite alongside the M25 motorway.

Itwill be so big it will almost fill the fields between the South Mimms service station at Junction 23 and Dame Alice Owen’s School – see diagram above.

Outline planning permission was approved by Hertsmere Borough Council a year ago for a 2 million square foot development which local objectors claim will be equal to the size of Wembley stadium and will obliterate green belt countryside.

Equinix, a US tech firm which is one of the world’s largest data centre operators, is proposing to invest £3.9 billion in the new centre which will be known as the Hertfordshire Campus, and which will be one of the largest in Europe.

The campus will require 250 megawatts of power – enough to run the equivalent of about 200,000 homes – and to meet the demand, National Grid is to supply the new campus with its own connection to the electricity grid ready for the data centre to come on stream in 2031.

US tech firm reveals more about its plans to build one of Europe’s largest data centres in green belt land just to the south of Potters Bar

A two-day exhibition of Equinix’s plans was held at Dame Alice Owen’s School where a group of local objectors gathered outside to express opposition to the loss of “incredibly precious countryside” for a development which they say will blight the area.

Ros Naylor (above, second from right), who is one of the lead protesters, said Potters Bar residents had enjoyed walking, riding and cycling along 11 rights of way across the fields between the outskirts of the town and the M25.

“The visual impact alone is going to obliterate local green belt land and instead we are going to have a monster development the size of Wembley stadium.”

She was joined for the protest by (from left to right) Fleur Albrecht, Councillor Simon Rhodes, and Margaret Ohren.

US tech firm reveals more about its plans to build one of Europe’s largest data centres in green belt land just to the south of Potters Bar

Councillor Rhodes, who serves on Hertfordshire County Council, pointed to the fields which would be lost when the data centre is built.

He had been shocked to discover that the emergency entrance would be via Bridgefoot Lane, directly opposite the entrance to Dame Alice Owen’s School.

“We are only just finding out what Equinix is proposing. We have checked with residents in around 1,500 houses nearby and none of them knew about it. Since January we have as a group registered 950 objections.”

US tech firm reveals more about its plans to build one of Europe’s largest data centres in green belt land just to the south of Potters Bar

Equinix is proposing to build a campus which would comprise four separate data centre buildings – three would be of 72-megawatt processing capacity and one of 48-megawatt capacity.

Building the campus at South Mimms would represent a £3.9 billion investment in the area, creating 2,500 construction jobs and 200 permanent skilled roles. The campus would generate £18 million a year in business rates.

Potters Bar residents get chance to learn more about massive data centre to be built alongside M25 motorway on fields between Junction 23 service station and Dame Alice Owen's School

In presenting an artist’s impression of how the campus would look, Equinix said it intended to retain and improve all the pedestrian, cyclist and bridle ways across the site.

During March there would be an archaeological fields inspection of the site followed an ecological survey in May.

Outline approval for the scheme was granted to a consortium known as DC01UK.

Equinix signed up to proceed with the project and the company’s aim is to submit a detailed planning application in August/September in the hope of starting construction in mid-2027 and the centre going on stream in 2031.

Posted on by — 4 Comments

Request for pre-planning negotiations over possible development of a large housing estate in green belt land off Rowley Lane, Arkley

Request for pre-planning negotiations over possible development of a large housing estate in green belt land off Rowley Lane, Arkley

An application has been made to Barnet Council by a housing developer seeking permission to start discussions on building up to 300 homes on 17 acres of green belt land off Rowley Lane, Arkley.

Part of the site was a former pig farm – see above – and the proposed development would take place in woods and scrubland between Rowley Lane and the A1 Barnet by-pass to the north of the Stirling Corner roundabout.

Bugler Homes of Rickmansworth is hoping to take advantage of new government guidance which came into effect a year ago and which allows for the release of some green belt land for housing.

Where there is green belt land which was “previously developed” and which does not “strongly contribute” to limiting urban sprawl, it can now be deemed grey belt land and can be developed for housing and other needs.

Arkley’s community group – Arkley Association – has been informed that Bugler Homes is at “an early stage of exploring opportunities to bring forward a grey belt application”.

The site has been purchased unconditionally by the company which says an assessment of the site indicates that it that would meet the criteria for grey belt approval.

Its “initial vision” is to build approximately 230 homes, with 50 per cent affordable housing; an 80-bed care home; publicly accessible green spaces and allotments; and improved public right of way footpaths.

“We want to work with the community to ensure the proposals reflect Arkley’s character and identity, help address local needs, and contribute positively to village life.”

Bugler has asked for a meeting with the association to discuss its proposal – a plan which has shocked and surprised many Arkley residents.

They fear that if approval is given it could connect to another large site closer to Stirling Corner which has been vacant since the demolition of a former police academy.

“Before we know it approval will have been given for housing on the whole of the triangle of land between Barnet by-pass, Barnet Road and Rowley Lane,” said one resident.

“That would desecrate the green belt, damage the village surroundings of Arkley and would lead to even more urban sprawl between Borehamwood and Barnet.”

Most of the houses in and around Arkley village are individual detached properties and except for Rockways off Barnet Road there are no significant housing developments.

If approval was given for up to 300 homes off Rowley Lane it would be Arkley’s first housing estate.

Request for pre-planning negotiations over possible development of a large housing estate in green belt land off Rowley Lane, Arkley

The 17-acre site which includes the former Rowley Bank Farm is to the rear of houses in Amethyst Close – see above – at the junction of Rowley Lane and Rowley Green Road.

Bugler Homes has asked to meet representatives of the Arkley Association which says it will now hold an extra-ordinary annual meeting to decide what action to take. Other interested groups will be invited to take part.

Government guidance on green belt land which might now be redesignated as grey belt says that this applies particularly to “previously developed” land such as the site of dis-used petrol stations or abandoned car parks.

Arkley Association informed of pre-planning application to build up to 300 homes on a 17-acre site off Rowley Lane. Bugler Homes to have discussions with Barnet Council.

The Arkley site includes abandoned buildings from the former pig farm – which have more recently been used for storage – and extensive hard standing.

When considering Bugler Homes’ plan, Barnet Council will be required under the government’s national planning policy framework, to assess the contribution which the site makes to the green belt and whether a grey belt approval would result in the remaining green belt in the area being “fundamentally undermined”.

Posted on by — 4 Comments

Unauthorised tree felling in protected woodland at Arkley has angered residents who fear a covert attempt to secure residential development

Unauthorised tree felling in protected woodland at Arkley has angered residents who fear a covert attempt to secure residential development

Arkley residents who have been campaigning for several years to safeguard woodland in Rowley Lane were shocked to see protected trees being felled across a one-acre plot – and their anger increased still further when Barnet Council apparently failed to take immediate action to stop the clearance.

They say it took the council’s tree protection team over 24 hours to intervene and by then most of the trees had already been cut down. Only a few that had been badly hacked about were still standing.

The plot where the clearance has taken place is part of a ten-acre woodland which is protected by a special nature conservation order designed to protect it from any land use change which might damage a protected habitat or species.

The residents fear that if developers get their way the woodland will be turned into sites for new houses.

Unauthorised tree felling in protected woodland at Arkley has angered residents who fear a covert attempt to secure residential development

Once this Green Belt land has been cleared of trees, the concern in the surrounding community, is that Barnet Council might be more likely to grant planning permission, despite approval having been refused in the past.  

When an adjoining one-acre plot was cleared in 2023 without permission the residents succeeded in obtaining a tree preservation order covering the whole site.

The wording of the nature conservation order was also strengthened to reflect the character of the land as “wooded with open glades of grass or scrub”.

The woodland, which is at the rear of Rowley Lodge, was sold off by a previous owner of the house and was subdivided into ten separate one-acre plots which were sold for a combined total of £1.3 million.

What has so angered the residents is that they say nothing happened on the day they complained to the council (18.2.2026) and when they notified the council again the following morning (19.2.2026) the protection team did not arrive until the afternoon.

“Within that 24-hour period the trees had been cut down. It is devastating. We now have Arkley’s very own Sycamore Gap; a woodland left with a gaping hole. It is a tragedy,” said one distraught resident.

Workmen who were challenged by the residents said the one-acre which was being cleared was being subdivided into three plots for houses.

Unauthorised tree felling in protected woodland at Arkley has angered residents who fear a covert attempt to secure residential development

“We have been assured planning permission will not be granted because it is Green Belt but the boarded off entrance to the woodland already has an agents’ sign indicating that plots are for sale.

When the ten acres were first sold off, five of the individual acres were purchased by householders whose properties backed on to the land and who were determined that it should be preserved as a woodland.

Two of the five acres in the hands of individual plot holders have now been cleared without permission and residents fear that there might be an attempt to prepare the other three acres for residential development.

Residents have appealed to Barnet councillor Emma Whysall to intervene of their behalf.  

(Photos supplied by residents)

Posted on by

A community orchard is the latest feature to be completed at a new base in Mays Lane for outdoor activities for young people

A community orchard is the latest feature to be completed at a new base in Mays Lane for outdoor activities for young people

Despite the wettest of winters and having to struggle through mud, volunteers completed the planting of a community orchard in former farmland off Mays Lane, Barnet, which has become the home of The Green Wellbeing Hub.

A five-acre site within the Dollis Valley Green Belt was made available to the charity by Barnet Council as a base for outdoor activities to support young people with social, emotional and mental health needs.

Students from secondary schools and alternative education across the borough are among those who take part in activities at the hub and the planting of the orchard was a project which brought together youngsters and families.

A community orchard is the latest feature to be completed at a new base in Mays Lane for outdoor activities for young people

Charlotte Antoniou, hub co-ordinator (see above) said apple, mulberry, quince, greengage and fig were among the fruit trees which had been planted after the land had been cleared of blackthorn and undergrowth.

Since moving on to the site in the summer of 2024, Charlotte and fellow co-ordinator Janine Young (above, right), have seen through the installation of facilities such as a wet-weather shelter, composting toilet and other features including a log campfire circle for events in the summer.

“The Green Wellbeing Hub is so fortunate to have use of the site which is made up of emerging woodland and tree covered glades,” said Janine who has been working on the project with Charlotte for the last five years.

Support and funding to help establish the hub has been provided by a range of groups including the charity Wild About Our Woods, Young Barnet Foundation and Big Lottery.

Oak trees are well established on much of the site and where areas have been cleared of blackthorn and undergrowth, there have been new plantings of wild cherry, rowan and birch. Many of the saplings were donated by the Woodland Trust.

The Green Wellbeing Hub, in Mays Lane, Barnet, an outdoor centre for activities for young people, is adding new attractions such as a community orchard and biodiversity pond.

Recent excavations include digging out a pond which it is hoped will add biodiversity to the hub and attract frogs, newts and perhaps dragon flies.

“We are developing what we hope will be a unique nature-based programme using tried and test outdoor therapeutic interventions to support the positive mental health of young people and adults,” said Janine.

“Activities connected with nature and outdoor skills such as cooking and bushcraft help young people build resilience and the deal with the challenges they face.”

The hub is close to the Dollis Valley Green Walk – which forms part of the London Loop – and the site can be accessed from either Underhill or Hendon Wood Lane providing an excellent route for summer walks, avoiding traffic on Mays Lane.  

For more information email: thegreenwellbeinghub@gmail.com

Posted on by — 1 Comment

A great spotted woodpecker – and a sparrow hawk above – were just two of the species recorded during a Barnet Big Garden Bird Watch.

A great spotted woodpecker – and a sparrow hawk above – were just two of the species recorded during a Barnet Big Garden Bird Watch.

A sparrow hawk seen hovering and alighting in the trees disrupted the start of the Big Garden Bird Watch which was held at the Barnet Environment Centre in Byng Road.

Once it had flown off and they no longer felt threatened by a bird of prey, smaller birds returned to the centre’s bird table.

At the end of the hour allocated for the watch, a total of 13 different species had been recorded.

Ian Sharp – above, far left – group leader of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds for Potters Bar and Barnet – said he was impressed by the centre’s nature reserve.

It was his first visit to the Byng Road centre to assist with a Big Garden Bird Watch, and he was delighted with the range of birds they had seen and identified.

To have seen a sparrow hawk – and the fear it created among smaller birds – was always a special moment and another treat had been to see a great spotted woodpecker.

Other birds seen during the watch included three great tits, four fieldfares, a redwing, a gold finch, and a blackbird, plus two of the inevitable parakeets.

Ian said that so far this winter he had not detected signs of the invasion of redwings, fieldfares and siskins from as far afield as Scandinavia which had been reported in some parts of the country due to hard winter weather in Europe.

RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch at Barnet Environment Centre records 13 different species including a great spotted woodpecker sparrow hawk

However, just after finishing the one hour allocated for the birdwatch, there was great excitement when a small flock of 11 fieldfares was seen flying into the nature reserve.

What Ian said he had found so encouraging was the environment centre’s success in attracting a younger generation of bird watchers and its extensive programme of visits by pupils from schools around Barnet.

Posted on by — 7 Comments

Planning application in to build a house in Christchurch spinney

Planning application in to build a house in Christchurch spinney

Above is a visualisation of the new 6-bedroom house proposed by its designers, Alan Cox Architects, in secluded woodland barely 200 metres from Barnet High Street. The site is described by the applicants as ‘unkempt’, and by locals petitioning against development as a ‘wildlife haven’. The site is within the Monken Hadley Conservation Area and close to the Green Belt. Some trees have individual Tree Preservation Orders; however all the trees are protected by the conservation area status.

The application is a test of Barnet Council’s commitment to protecting the environment. You can comment on the proposals until Thursday 12 February – see below for details.

Planning application in to build a house in Christchurch spinney

Barnet Council declared a Climate and Biodiversity Emergency in 2022. Barnet Labour’s Green Manifesto promised to ‘Protect ALL existing green spaces in the Borough’. And its recently-adopted Local Plan contains policies and supplementary planning documents specifically to protect green spaces. Mayor Khan has similar planning policies, and recently consulted on London’s first Nature Recovery Plan to reverse biodiversity loss.

The site is mainly established deciduous woodland. Although small in area its ecological value is great because it provides a vital undisturbed ‘green corridor’ for the transit of insects, animals and flying creatures between the Old Fold Manor golf course and Hadley Green, both of which are in the Green Belt. It is not managed, however, and its biodiversity is limited by the dominance of cherry laurel and bramble on the east side of the site.

In 2024 the Council authorised the sale of part of the spinney that it owns for £430,000, subject to the buyer obtaining planning consent.

The planning application is by Christchurchgrove Ltd, a developer in a joint venture with Barnet Recreation Trust (BRT), which owns the other part of the present site. BRT is a charity that supports ‘the provision of facilities in the interest of social welfare for recreational and leisure-time occupation’ locally.

Both organisations would profit from the sale of the substantial (567 sq m) new house and garden that would occupy about a third of the site. The house-owner would be responsible for the rest of the (0.4 hectare / 1 acre) site, which includes almost all the existing protected trees. (See plan below by Helene Landscape and Garden Design).

A public consultation on the proposals was held before Christmas, and Nick Jones’s report on that can be found here. You can also read my earlier post on the issues this project raises for nature protection.

Planning application in to build a house in Christchurch spinney

Ideally, the Barnet Society would like to see Christchurch spinney and its wildlife conserved, enhanced and protected, with a minimum of landscaping to enable some public access. In practice, that would require funding and organisation that the Council can’t currently provide. It’s a pity no effort seems to have been made to find a community group or charity to take it on.

Although we’d prefer no house to be built at all, we wouldn’t object to permission being given for one on the least ecologically valuable part of the site on certain conditions:

  • The house and garden must be in keeping with their natural setting.
  • They must be built to high environmental standards.
  • The site as a whole must be subject to a long-term management plan to safeguard and enhance the environment.

The scheme the Society was shown last year fell short on all these counts. To the developer’s credit, however, it has been improved in the light of our comments. Overall, therefore, we’re neutral about the application. But because we aren’t yet convinced about a number of critical details, we’ll submit a list of conditions that must be met before approval.

Planning application in to build a house in Christchurch spinney

How you can comment

Have your say one of these ways:

  1. on the Council’s planning portal (ref. no. 26/0116/FUL) via the Comments tab;
  2. email comments direct to planning.consultation@barnet.gov.uk (cc tania.sacordeiro@barnet.gov.uk); or
  3. post your comments to the Planning Officer: Tania Sa Cordeiro, Planning and Building Control, Barnet Council, 2 Bristol Avenue, Colindale, NW9 4EW.

In the cases of 2 & 3, be sure to include:

  • the application ref. no. (26/0116/FUL) clearly at the top
  • the site address (Land Opposite 15 Sunset View Barnet EN5 4LB) and
  • your name, address and postcode.

Sending a copy to our MP dan.tomlinson.mp@parliament.uk and to your local Councillors will increase the effectiveness of your comments.

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Barnet Football Club abandons planning appeal over stadium at Underhill as Bring Barnet Back identifies possible new locations   

Barnet Football Club abandons planning appeal over stadium at Underhill as Bring Barnet Back identifies possible new locations   

A short list of four or five possible locations for a new stadium for Barnet Football Club is now being considered in depth by supporters of the Bring Barnet Back campaign after lengthy discussions with Barnet councillors and planners.

In view of what the campaign says is now a “very positive” dialogue, the club has decided not to appeal against the strategic planning committee’s refusal last July to approve an application for a new stadium on Barnet playing fields at Underhill.

The last date for an appeal is January 24, but the Bring Back Barnet campaigners urged the club’s chairman Tony Kleanthous against challenging the council.

“Constructive conversations” with councillors and planners have succeeded in producing a shared sense of good will over the push to secure a move from the club’s existing stadium at The Hive, Harrow, and a return to the town.

A total of 51 alternative sites for a stadium were identified and evaluated by the campaign and the highest scoring four to five sites will now be assessed in greater detail.

They are all in what is described as a “ring of suitable sites” – in an area within High Barnet, New Barnet and East Barnet.

As an indication their good faith in trying to find a site acceptable to the council, the campaigner says they will not identify sites on their short list so as to prevent the long-standing controversy over Barnet FC’s return to the town becoming a political football at the council elections in May.

Bring Barnet Back had been thinking of whether to promote candidates – or a symbolic single candidate – in the May elections to demonstrate the strength of their support but decided against the move so as not to jeopardise the constructive relationship which they have established with councillors across the political parties.

However, the campaign will establish a clear public record of which candidates “clearly articulate” their backing for the principle of the club’s return so that supporters can make “informed decisions”. 

The application for a new stadium at Underhill was rejected by the strategic planning committee last July – see supporters above outside the town hall at Hendon – on the grounds that it failed to demonstrate “very special circumstances” for breaching the Green Belt.

Barnet FC’s planning consultants, WSP, and other consultants, advised that the club would have a “very good opportunity” to appeal on the grounds that the government was now encouraging certain developments within what was deemed “Grey Belt” land.

But the campaign feared an appeal might take 12 to 18 months, with no guarantee of success and even less likelihood of the council agreeing to lease a site on Barnet playing fields.

Conversations over the last few months have indicated that councillors believed the campaign had not been “sufficiently explicit” about why returning to the town was essential for the club.

At stake was the long-term sustainability of the club, given its reliance on continued financial support for the chairman.

The current stadium at the Hive is over an hour away from Barnet on public transport and over a quarter of the club’s local fans no longer attend, creating an annual deficit for Barnet FC of over £1 million.

“Without a permanent asset – a stadium – in its home town, the club’s long-term future remains structurally insecure.

“We now believe there is a shared understanding with all councillors we have spoken to that this is not a matter of sentiment, but of sustainability.”

However, the campaign recognised that the needs of the football club could not be considered in isolation and needed to be grounded in the “delivery of clear, substantial and demonstrable community benefit”.

Barnet Football Club abandons planning appeal over stadium at Underhill as Bring Barnet Back identifies possible new locations   

Although the July application for a stadium had included proposals for a sports hub, medical facilities and wider economic benefits for the town, councillors were clear that a fresh application needed to be “more tightly and explicitly” linked to the need for additional community facilities and collaboratively designed to help deliver the council’s wider objectives.

Any revised plan would take into account issues like the number of school pupils with special education needs, how best to alleviate pressure on the adult social care budget, community-based medical provision and support for young people.

“Prior to these conversations Bring Back Barnet did not fully understand why the original application failed; these discussions have now provided clarity and are reshaping the approach going forward.

“Councillors stressed the importance of designing proposals with them rather than for them.

“The original application was perceived as presenting a largely complete scheme, with limited opportunity for councillors and officers to shape its form, priorities and trade-offs at an early stage.

“Finally, councillors highlighted the need for deeper consultation with key local groups prior to submission.

“In particular, the opposition from Northway School and Ark Pioneer Academy was seen as avoidable had those institutions been engaged meaningfully at an earlier stage.

“When a suitable location is identified and finalised by the planners, Bring Barnet Back will work with local groups to ensure the plans benefit as many as possible.”

Barnet Barnet Back campaign says it has short list of four to five locations for a new stadium for Barnet FC following club's decision to appeal over Underhill plan

Whereas the previously suggested Barnet playing fields site had scored strongly on technical planning grounds, it failed to meet the political test required for approval.

Therefore, any alternative site would have to command sufficient support from councillors to secure permission.

Until further enquiries, technical work and extensive private consultation, the campaign will not reveal the location of the four to five sites on its short list.

“Publishing a potential site prematurely, without full due diligence, would be irresponsible. It would risk exposing early-stage options to speculation, misinformation and unnecessary opposition.

“We fully understand – and share – the frustration this lack of public detail may cause. However, particularly in an election year, it is essential that any future proposals are robust, well-evidenced and carefully prepared.”

Bring Barnet Back statement in full: https://public.hey.com/p/76F1KjJccqW7Q9577B1aTzg3

Posted on by — 11 Comments

Public consultation on proposed new house in Christchurch Lane spinney

Public consultation on proposed new house in Christchurch Lane spinney

Local developer Christchurch Grove Ltd expects to submit a planning application soon to build a house within existing woodland on the east side of Christchurch Lane (see plan above by Helene Landscape and Garden Design). It raises an increasingly urgent question in Barnet: how much, if any, green space should be sacrificed for new homes?

I wrote about this peaceful haven of wildlife less than 200 metres from Barnet High Street in a recent web post. Situated within the Monken Hadley Conservation Area, with numerous trees protected by Tree Protection Orders, it forms a ‘green corridor’ between two major pieces of Green Belt land, Old Fold Manor golf course and Hadley Green. Its value for biodiversity is greater than its small size (0.438 hectare / 1 acre) would suggest. https://www.savechippingbarnetwoodland.org/ is petitioning to save it from development.

The Barnet Society got involved 18 months ago when the Council decided to sell its portion of the land for £430,000, subject to the buyer obtaining planning consent. Since the part of the site where development is proposed has the least ecological value, a case could be made for building a single house.

Our concerns were twofold. The quality of the wood had to be conserved and enhanced wherever possible. And any house and garden must be in keeping with their natural setting and built to high environmental standards.

The initial plans fell short on all counts. To the developer’s credit, the scheme has now been revised. Whether it meets our original concerns we’ll find out at a public consultation on Friday 12 December from 4.30pm till 7:00pm at Pennefather Hall (next door to Christ Church), St Albans Rd, Barnet, EN5 4AL.

The developer’s team of planning, architectural, ecology and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) consultants will be on hand to advise on their proposals. They are also offering to place a covenant on the site to the Barnet Planners to restrict planning permission to one residential property only, to allay concerns about any future or further development of the land.  

They trust that this transparency will dispel many negative comments, especially on the ecology and BNG improvements to the site. 

There is limited parking available on site, which is only a 5-minute walk from The Spires and alternative parking. 

Below is a visualisation of the proposed house by Alan Cox Architects.

Public consultation on proposed new house in Christchurch Lane spinney

Response from Andrew Robinson, Project Manager, Christchurch Grove Ltd.

As the person responsible for bringing forward the plans for a new home on this neglected pocket of land in Hadley Green, I am obliged to the Barnet Society, for giving me the opportunity to correct a number of errors in the recent article and the basis for the petition which has recently been organised.

Robin’s article queries that the site in Christ Church Lane, which he describes as a “haven of wildlife” has not been included in the London’s wildlife plan [Nature Recovery Plan]. The answer is simple. Whilst the site is home to a number of fine tress (all of which are protected) it has a low level of biodiversity. We know this because we have had it surveyed by an expert ecologist.

This survey has shown that there are absolutely [no] mammals living here. No badgers, foxes, bats, deer or hedgehogs as the promoter of the recent petition would have you believe or, in fact, any protected species.

Nature needs nurturing. Unfortunately, this site been left unkempt for over 60 years! Whilst many of us see an abundance of greenery as a good thing, here the result of our survey has shown that due to neglect the area has become overrun by invasive species which are undermining the quality of the soil and preventing daylight to the understorey, thereby killing of what remains of the indigenous habitat.

We all know that wildlife needs help to flourish in urban environments. That is why the scheme that we will bring forward will guarantee a habitat management scheme supervised by experts. This will cover 70% of the site with the remainder forming the garden for the new home.

Gardens themselves are good for nature of course. The RHS research has shown that levels of biodiversity are just as high in cultivated gardens and that is why Hadley Green generally benefits from having so many. Even with a new home here built within the site, we will provide a 10% increase in biodiversity!

Indeed, according to the Council’s Conservation Area Appraisal a quarter of Monken Hadley is in residential use, typically large houses, in substantial plots with cultivated gardens. So I question why would any supporter of the Barnet Society want to oppose a plan for scheme which so typifies the area.

Why would anyone support the continuation of neglect of an area where the habitat and protected trees are being slowly eroded by invasive species?

I would also like to point out that the beneficiaries of this proposal will be Barnet residents. That is because the two landowners promoting it are, the Council and the Barnet Recreational Trust. The latter is a local charity which in the last five years has financially supported almost twenty different local organisations including the Parish of Monken Hadley where it has recently donated £110,000 toward the re-building of the Church Hall. The proceeds flowing from this project would similarly be invested.

Finally, I would like to thank all those who attended our public consultation last week. I was grateful to be able to have the opportunity of providing the evidence behind the claims we have made in relation to the project. If anyone who was not able to attend would like to see the material, please do not hesitate to let me know.

Footnote I would also like to put the record straight as regards that my option deal is with Barnet Estates and not with Barnet Homes.

Posted on by

Two re-laid pitches and installation of new floodlights are the start of extensive improvements at Barnet’s Byng Road playing fields

Two re-laid pitches and installation of new floodlights are the start of extensive improvements at Barnet’s Byng Road playing fields

Barnet Council has contributed to the upgrading of the rugby pitches at the Byng Road playing fields by paying for the installation of six new floodlights.

Two of the pitches were re-laid during the summer and will remain fenced off until the start of the new playing season next autumn to give the grass ample growing time to bed in.

Barnet Elizabethans Rugby Club, which has planning approval for an extensive programme of improvements at Byng Road, is delighted with the council’s investment in new floodlighting which it says will do so much to extend the opportunities for playing and training.

Funding for the floodlighting was provided through the council’s income from the community infrastructure levy which is paid by developers.

Relaying the first two pitches was a costly exercise for the club because of the sloping ground at Byng Road and a poorly drained surface liable to get waterlogged.

During the worst of the winter months the pitches have often been unplayable for up to eight weeks.

If the two newly laid pitches are ready for use next autumn, the club will engage contractors to relay and resurface the playing area nearest the clubhouse.

Two re-laid pitches and installation of new floodlights are the start of extensive improvements at Barnet’s Byng Road playing fields

Alex Bell, chair of the group responsible for ground improvements, said a target date had not yet been set for the demolition of the Elizabethans’ clubhouse, which dates back to the late 1950s, and which is in urgent need of replacement.  

Planning approval for a new clubhouse was obtained two years ago.

“Our aim is to start work on the clubhouse in the next couple of years once we have dealt with and met all the conditions which go with the planning agreement.”

After these conditions were finally agreed between the council and the club, there was a unanimous vote in favour of the scheme by the strategic planning committee despite fears that a new two-storey clubhouse and floodlighting would result in “substantial harms to the sense of openness” to the Green Belt countryside surrounding the playing fields.

There was concern that the scale of the new clubhouse together with 108 car parking spaces and a total of 12 floodlights would be highly visible and have a harmful impact.

Given the strategic significance of the Byng Road playing fields for Barnet Elizabethans – and the importance of maintaining outdoor sports facilities within the borough – the committee considered these “very special” circumstances outweighed any harm to the Green Belt.

The elevation of the new clubhouse – with eight changing rooms on the ground floor and a function area above – far exceeds the dimensions of the current building, increasing the height by 3.4 metres to 7.6 metres and increasing the volume by 150 per cent to just under 1,000 square metres.

However, these dimensions are just below the threshold to be referred to the Greater London Authority.  

Posted on by — 4 Comments

Protecting green spaces – how serious are our politicians?

View of Christchurch spinney in early autumn

This peaceful spinney in Christchurch Lane is a haven of wildlife less than 200 metres from Barnet High Street – but it’s threatened by new building. How can that be?

Barnet Council declared a Climate and Biodiversity Emergency in 2022. Its recently-adopted Local Plan contains policies and supplementary planning documents specifically to protect green spaces of all kinds.

Mayor Khan has similar planning policies and is currently consulting on London’s first Nature Recovery Plan (LNRS) to reverse biodiversity loss. Surely the spinney’s future is safe?

Worryingly, the answer is no.

Last year the Council authorised the sale of part of the spinney that it owns for £430,000, subject to the buyer obtaining planning consent. Existing covenants on the land restrict development to private residential use. A planning application is expected before long.

The site is mainly well-established woodland with several Tree Preservation Orders but would benefit from sensitive management. Although small in area (0.438 hectare / 1 acre), its ecological value is great because it provides a vital undisturbed ‘green corridor’ for the transit of insects, animals and flying creatures between the Old Fold Manor golf course and Hadley Green, both of which are in the Green Belt.

Local resident Marianne Nix says ‘The spinney is a rich and biodiverse habitat, regularly visited by badgers, foxes, muntjac deer, bats and hedgehogs as well as birds on red and amber conservation list 5.’ Above and below are some of her recent photographs.

Protecting green spaces – how serious are our politicians?

The spinney’s location within the Monken Hadley Conservation Area should provide it with statutory protection. But the Barnet Society knows from bitter experience over the Whalebones Estate housing development that the Council can override Conservation Area status if it decides that development would be ‘less than harmful’.

Protecting green spaces – how serious are our politicians?

The plan above is based on an interactive map that is a key component of the draft London LNRS. It shows Areas of Particular Importance for Biodiversity (such as Hadley Green – purple on the plan) and Areas that Could Become of Particular Importance (such as Old Fold Manor golf course – sage green on plan).

On it is marked Christchurch spinney, highlighting its value of as a strategic link between the golf course and green. Unfortunately, the spinney itself is not designated in the LNRS.

Mayor Khan’s draft explains the purpose of an LNRS, identifies six overarching priorities for London and describes in impressive detail the range of landscape characteristics and wildlife species that deserve protection. It’s a welcome framework for the guidance of future development across London.

Development of the LNRS has enabled Council Biodiversity Officers to check the existing data. It turned out that much was inaccurate, out of date, incorrect or non-existent. It has now been updated and significant effort has gone into identifying potential sites of particular importance and for taking action. So thanks to the LNRS, we now have a better baseline for our local nature.

There’ll be a chance to suggest new locations such as Christchurch spinney when the LNRS is next reviewed, which will take place every three to 10 years (the government will advise on the timeframe). Until then, the Council’s duty is to protect the spinney.

In 2022, Barnet Labour’s Green Manifesto promised to ‘Protect ALL existing green spaces in the Borough’. In the May 2026 local election Barnet voters will be able to hold Councillors to account.

You can comment on the draft LNRS here. The deadline is Wednesday 29 October 2025.

Below: LNRS map extract showing designated areas in Chipping Barnet parliamentary constituency

Protecting green spaces – how serious are our politicians?
Posted on by — 17 Comments

Planning inspector is being asked to reconsider Barnet Council’s rejection of plans for Barnet Football Club’s return to Underhill

Planning inspector is being asked to reconsider Barnet Council’s rejection of plans for Barnet Football Club’s return to Underhill

Barnet Football Club has launched an appeal against the refusal of Barnet Council to approve an application to build a new stadium at Underhill.

A public inquiry before a planning inspector will give the club a chance to explain what it believes are the reasons why a new football ground should be permitted on playing fields close to the club’s previous stadium.

Despite being within the Green Belt, the club hopes an inspector will overturn the planning department’s advice that a new stadium in a “valued local park” would result in “substantial and irreversible harm to the openness and function of the Green Belt”.

BringBarnetBack, the group which is campaigning to bring the club back to a site as close as possible to its original home at Underhill, believe every effort should be made to secure a full public hearing.

When the application was considered by the strategic planning committee in July, members voted by 6-0 to reject the plan (with three councillors abstaining).

Councillor Barry Rawlings, leader of the council, told the Barnet Society that planning officials were now assessing the grounds of which the club had launched its appeal.

As the debate about whether Barnet FC should return to Underhill – from its current base at The Hive, Harrow – was now “a live issue” once again he was restricted in what he could say.

But he wanted to emphasise that his door as council leader remained open if the club did come forward with other alternative sites for a new stadium in or around High Barnet.

“It is difficult because of the proximity of the Green Belt, but as a council we would be prepared to look at other sites suggested by the club, such as a ground shared with another club or land already designated for sport.”

A survey conducted by the Barnet Society among community groups and councillors before decision in July, showed that the town was split down the middle over whether a 7,000-seat stadium should be built on Barnet Playing Fields.

Underhill Councillor Zahra Beg, who spoke out against the application in July, said she remained opposed to using the playing fields for a football stadium, but she was anxious to understand the grounds on which the club was appealing.

Planning inspector being asked to reconsider Barnet Council's refusal to grant planning permission for new stadium for Barnet Football Club at Underhill.

In view of promotion to League Two of the Football League, BringBarnetBack believe the club’s current success – it is currently placed 10th in the League – strengthens the case for securing a return to Underhill which they argue would provide a tremendous boost to match attendances and boost the High Barnet economy.

Posted on by

Campaign underway to secure long-term future for highly successful on-site school farm at Totteridge Academy

Campaign underway to secure long-term future for highly successful on-site school farm at Totteridge Academy

A bumper summer crop of pumpkins, tomatoes, cucumbers and other produce is another illustration of the continuing success of GROW, the school and community farm which has been created on a six-acre field next to The Totteridge Academy in Barnet Lane.

Visitors were welcomed at an open day by the farm’s managing director Lucy Hollis (above, far right) who is encouraging local residents to give their opinions on whether GROW should be granted a ten-year lease of the land.

There was nothing but praise for the way this educational charity has encouraged pupils at The Totteridge Academy to get involved in the planting and growing of vegetables, fruit and flowers.

A fascinating look back at the inspiration behind the development of an innovative school farm – and GROW’s success over the last six years – has been prepared by Anna Robins (see her text below).

Some of the produce from the farm goes straight to the school kitchen for seasonal meals for pupils and surplus is sold at a farm shop at the school entrance.

GROW’s contribution to the community has expanded since it opened in 2019 with the introduction of raised-bed gardens for use by families who have no outdoor space and through the organisation of regular gardening clubs for children on Saturdays and in school holidays.

GROW’s aim is to gain security of tenure of its site with a ten-year lease and ensure community support for any future planning applications.

The open day marked the start of a month-long consultation to test public support for the farm and to gain approval for a lease agreement with United Learning Trust (on behalf of Totteridge Academy) and the Department of Education.

For Rob and Yvonne Verrill – above with Lucy Hollis – the chance to be shown around the farm brought back family memories.

“Our son went to The Totteridge Academy, and it is great to see how the school is now offering local children the chance to learn how to cultivate and grow food.

“It is so beneficial to get children involved out-of-doors activities. It is great for their self-esteem.”

Campaign underway to secure long-term future for highly successful on-site school farm at Totteridge Academy

Another first-time visitor Nick Gagen was shown the raised beds where families without gardens can grow produce.

“I live in Manor Road and have walked past the farm lots of times but never been inside. It’s great to see what GROW does for the school and local community.

“I grew up in the Cambridge Fens, so I know how important is to understand all about nature and plants.

“My family used to say that when children who were evacuated from London during the last war arrived to stay, they had no idea that food was grown out in fields. They thought it all came in tins and boxes.”

Campaign underway to secure long-term future for highly successful on-site school farm at Totteridge Academy

For farm manager Chis Haigh the tomato crop has exceeded expectations with lots of varieties doing well – heritage tomatoes, Roma, gourmand and gardener’s delight.  

He says that securing a long lease on their field – which was previously unused by the school – would assist in planning future cultivation and make it worthwhile to plant more fruit trees such as apple, pear, quince, plum and mulberry.

GROW has already planted over 60 fruit trees and around 500 hedge-row trees around the perimeter of the farm.

Campaign underway to secure long-term future for highly successful on-site school farm at Totteridge Academy

In her history about the development of GROW, Anna Robins (above) – chair of the Byng Road Allotment Committee – explains that this initiative was part of a recovery plan for The Totteridge Academy after several troubled years and a falling school roll.

In 2016, Chris Fairbairn was appointed the new head teacher by United Learning Trust, which had taken over the management of the school, and he set about a five-plan to make Totteridge the “most improved school in London”.

Anna – who said Mr Fairbairn knocked his promise “out of the park within two years” – takes up GROW’s story:

“While Mr Fairbairn and his team steadied the ship and set it on a course to success, the school was also moving up the social ladder. The school’s hall was featured in a 2018 John Lewis advertisement and Mr Fairbairn’s invited his university friends to deliver assemblies and classes – radio and television presenter Rick Edwards, historian Dan Jones, and television presenter George Lamb.

“According to George Lamb’s interview with the Harmony Project, he was having his own crisis that mirrored The Totteridge Academy.  While he achieved success as a radio and television presenter, he ‘felt empty’ and his achievements were ‘pointless and did not know what to do with himself’ – a fact echoed by his dad: ‘a game show host […] Not a very serious guy in the scheme of things’. 

“Affected by the 2011 riots, George Lamb threw himself into volunteer and community work focussing on disenfranchised and disengaged people.  In 2016, like The Totteridge Academy, in times of turmoil, George Lamb also turned to Mr Fairbairn.  Over the next few years, George Lamb became a regular visitor at Totteridge because he “liked the energy that his friend brought to the school”. 

“He was looking ahead to the next generation, realising that raising young people’s environmental IQ was important as ‘there will be no human rights, if there is no planet’.  On his next visit to TTA, George Lamb spotted a derelict six-acre field next to the school’s old car park that was supposed to be redeveloped into football pitches.  Due to a lack of funding and declining pupil numbers, this was never actualised, and so these six acres were dedicated to GROW.

“In December 2019, GROW submitted a planning application to change the use of these six-acres from school playing field to a City Farm with educational farming.  Officially launched in 2019 by George Lamb, the school grounds started their transformation into a community farm. In June 2021 it featured in the Evening Standard, on BBC’s Gardeners World in October 2021, and Children in Need in 2024. 

WHAT DOES GROW DO?

“By far the main beneficiary of GROW is the Academy itself. The initiative’s biggest achievement is connecting the school kitchen to GROW’s food to create seasonal dishes for pupils and staff.  Pupils can see the journey of their food from field to fork. Over the past six years, GROW has provided food for over 100,000 school lunch plates for the Totteridge Academy community.

“Also, GROW’s aim is to integrate itself with the entire school curriculum and to apply the subject knowledge on the farm. While some subjects are easily applied to the GROW farm, like science and the recently revived Food Technology, GROW’s challenge is to support all subjects across the curriculum so all pupils can access and learn from GROW.  Other subjects that have used the GROW farm are photography, English, and geography – most of which were re-introduced to the Academy’s curriculum due to its academic success.

BENEFITS FOR LOCAL COMMUNITY

“The local community can access GROW: by a community stall in the academy’s car park, where fresh food is affordable and accessible for all ( Wednesday 3pm-6pm. from November 3pm-5pm); Grow-Cook-Share which provides local families with no outdoor space with a raised bed to grow fruit and vegetables; and BUNCH an AQA qualification in floristry for people aged between 13-16 years old. 

“GROW also provides after-school programmes and holiday clubs for free school meal recipients. 

“In the last few years GROW has spread its initiative across the London Borough of Barnet.  They are working with Underhill School & Children’s Centre and Whitings Hill Primary School by supporting them to set up their own farms to help their communities access fresh food and enhance their wellbeing through farming.

“Grahame Park now has its own community garden welcoming local residents to grow food, learn new skills, and connect with their neighbours. It is a thriving hub with over 550 visitors joining the community garden. 

“Together with Live Unlimited, GROW runs two additional clubs on Saturdays.  Live Unlimited was set up in 2018 for children who are or have been Looked After by the London Borough of Barnet.  Its aim is to help children gain life skills, build relationships and networks, reduce isolation and providing them with the best opportunities possible.  Live Unlimited ensures that all care-experienced children and young people reach their potential and lead happy and fulfilling lives. 

VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES

“Residents of London Borough of Barnet can also access GROW by volunteering to help grow food and flowers, learn how to farm their own food as well as help with their mental health.  It is available to anyone over the age of 16 years old and takes place on Wednesday morning from 10.00am – 4.00pm.  Wellies, waterproofs, gloves, and tools are also available for volunteers to use. If that is not enticing enough GROW also provides a vegan lunch made from GROW farm produce and offers a 20% discount at their community stall. 

“Adults who need additional support are not forgotten either.  They are invited to volunteer at GROW Friday from 10.00am to 1.00pm.  Volunteers will work in a group of no more than five adults and will get involved in a range of activities that best suit their individual needs and interests.

“Since January 2025, GROW has sown over 25,000 seeds – 1,200 pumpkins, 5,000 leeks and 450 tomatoes and are on target to sow a total of 64,500 seeds by the end of August.  It has sold a half a tonne of food to the community, had 153 people participate in their various programmes and had another 48 volunteers join GROW.” 

For further information, please visit their website:  https://www.wearegrow.org/.  Or if you have any questions or would like to volunteer at GROW please contact:  hello@wearegrow.org

Posted on by

Barnet Council goes to High Court to challenge a planning inspector’s go ahead for a travellers’ caravan site in Mays Lane

Barnet Council goes to High Court to challenge a planning inspector’s go ahead for a travellers’ caravan site in Mays Lane

An application has been made to the High Court to challenge the go ahead for a travellers’ caravan site on a field in Green Belt land off Mays Lane, Barnet, on the grounds that the decision was inaccurate.

A planning inspector approved the plan for pitches for two travellers’ caravans because the needs of two gypsy families with seven young children “tipped the balance” in their favour.

Barnet Council had previously refused permission but after a lengthy planning inquiry, the inspector, Graham Chamberlain, decided that the “very special circumstances” of the two families outweighed any harm to the Green Belt.

In seeking to reverse the decision through a judicial review, the council will have to indicate why it believes the inspector’s conclusion was factually flawed.

Mr Chamberlain had concluded that the best interests of the “seven young children” in case would be served by “establishing a secure permanent home” for them at the appeal site”.

But in challenging the decision, the council is expected to argue that the evidence showed that in fact only four or five children would live on the site, with just one of them enrolled in school.

Therefore, the council could insist that the inspector’s decision was legally unsound.

Quinta Village Green Residents’ Association – which opposed the caravan site, and which was disappointed by the go ahead given by the inspector – has welcomed the council’s High Court challenge.

When he overturned the council’s refusal to grant planning permission, Mr Chamberlain acknowledged that a travellers’ caravan site on a two-acre paddock, previously used for grazing horses, would result in “some modest harm to the character and appearance” of the Mays Lane area.

However, he concluded that the balance in favour of the scheme changed significantly when the personal circumstances of the two gypsy families were factored in, especially the best interests of the seven children.

“Indeed, personal circumstances tip the balance in favour of the scheme when all other considerations are contemplated cumulatively…It follows that the very special circumstances necessary to justify the development have been demonstrated.”

Members of the residents’ association have now been told of the legal challenge which is being made by the council close to what would have been the end of the six-week period for a judicial review.

In going to the High Court, the association hopes the council will emphasise that Green Belt protections carried substantial weight under national planning policy.

Inappropriate development of the kind proposed, should only be allowed in “very special circumstances”.

While the welfare of children was rightly a primary consideration, it had to be based on accurate evidence.

The inspector had relied on the advice of the barrister for the brothers Patrick and J Casey, who had made the planning application, but by seeking a judicial review the council implies these submissions were incorrect and failed to consider the actual circumstances of the children involved.

Posted on by

Family needs for travellers’ caravan site outweighs Green Belt protection for Mays Lane countryside says planning inspector

Family needs for travellers’ caravan site outweighs Green Belt protection for Mays Lane countryside says planning inspector

Spirited opposition by a residents’ association has failed to prevent the go ahead for the development of a site for pitches for two travellers’ caravans and other buildings on a field in Green Belt land off Mays Lane, Barnet.

An application for permission was rejected by Barnet Council but this has now been overruled by a planning inspector who said the needs of two gypsy families with seven young children “tipped the balance” in their favour.

Quinta Village Green Residents Association, which had argued that a travellers’ site would harm the openness of the Green Belt and the character of Mays Lane, expressed their “deep disappointment”.

After a lengthy inquiry, the inspector Graham Chamberlain acknowledged there would be “some modest harm to the character and appearance of the area” but there were “very special circumstances” which outweighed the harm to the Green Belt.

The application to station caravans for residential use with hardstanding and dayrooms was made by Patrick Casey who appealed against the council’s refusal to grant planning permission on the grounds that it breached the Green Belt.

Mr Chamberlain said that he understood Mr Casey, who was currently living at the Barley Mow site near Hatfield, and his brother J Casey, were both “unlawfully doubling up as a temporary measure” and needed a secure and settled site.

“The Casey brothers are gypsies, and they want to follow a traditional lifestyle that involves living in culturally appropriate accommodation, this being a caravan on a pitch.”

There were seven young children in the case and their best interests would be served by “establishing a secure permanent home at the appeal site given the lack of suitable alternatives, including where they currently live unlawfully”.

Family needs for travellers’ caravan site outweighs Green Belt protection for Mays Lane countryside says planning inspector

Mr Chamberlain did conclude that a travellers’ site was inappropriate development; would harm the Green Belt; and that the unmet need for caravan pitches in the London Borough of Barnet was not extensive.

However, the balance in favour of the scheme changed significantly when personal circumstances were factored in, especially the best interests of the children.

“Indeed, personal circumstances tip the balance in favour of the scheme when all other considerations are contemplated cumulatively…It follows that the very special circumstances necessary to justify the development have been demonstrated.”

In expressing their frustration at Mr Chamberlain’s go-ahead for the site, the residents’ association said that during the inquiry “no robust evidence of these personal or accommodation circumstances was provided by the appellant, despite repeated requests, and yet these claims were given decisive weight by the inspector.

“The decision overrides local and national planning safeguards, potentially setting a concerning precedent for Green Belt protection.”

Much of the inquiry revolved around whether establishing a site for travellers’ caravans on a two-acre paddock which had been used for grazing horses would extend urban sprawl along Mays Lane and encroach the countryside.

Planning inspector agrees to site for pitches for two travellers' caravans in Green Belt land off Mays Lane, Barnet, despites residents' opposition.

The field is next door to the Mays Lane car park of the Centre for Islamic Enlightening (formerly a Brethren Gospel Hall).

In his report allowing Mr Casey’s appeal, Mr Chamberlain agreed that the paddock had an open rural character free from development, and it was open land that one would expect to “strongly contribute to restricting the urban sprawl of Barnet”.

Accordingly, he recognised that a caravan site next to the Islamic Centre and opposite the Partridge Close estate, would “compound an incongruous finger of development in the countryside” – a factor which was outweighed by the “very special circumstances” he subsequently outlined.

Concerns about the impact on great crested newts and bats were among the issues raised by the residents’ association, but these were not upheld by Mr Chamberlain.

He said a survey showed there were no great crested newts present on the site, and he did not believe either that travellers’ caravans would have an adverse impact on the bat population.

When Mr Casey made his application in 2023, after purchasing the field at auction, the residents’ association raised objections with Barnet Council and welcomed the refusal to grant permission.

The association, which is named after Quinta Village Green and represents 150 families living nearby, succeeded in raising only half of the £15,000 needed for legal representation at the inquiry after already securing a barrister.

“Without access to the council’s expert evidence, the association was left to try to continue contesting the issues alone and under-resourced.

“Adding further controversy, the inspector rejected Barnet Council’s request to limit the planning permission to a five-year temporary term, instead granting permanent consent.

“Residents fear this undermines policy safeguards and opens the door to piecemeal development across London’s Green Belt.

“This is a disappointing outcome for our community, and a worrying moment for Green Belt protections in Barnet.

“Residents engaged in good faith, supported their council, and upheld planning policy – but this decision shows how fragile these protections can be when decision-makers prioritise unevidenced claims over adopted policy.”   

Posted on by — 3 Comments

Bees stay in Hive for now: Council rejects Barnet FC plans for new Underhill stadium

Bees stay in Hive for now: Council rejects Barnet FC plans for new Underhill stadium

A 100+ crowd packed planning committee rooms at Barnet Town Hall last night for the big match – Barnet Football Club v defenders of Barnet Playing Fields, the proposed site of a new 7,000-seat stadium. After more than two hours of impassioned debate, the result was announced: 6-0 against the Bees.

Barnet FC left its traditional home turf at Underhill for The Hive in Harrow in 2013, selling its site for the Ark Pioneer academy. Ever since, fans have pined for its return to the Borough, and the Club’s recent promotion to English Football League 2 has exacerbated pressures on The Hive. Design began on a new stadium, culminating last December in the outline planning application that was now to be determined by Barnet’s Strategic Planning Committee (visualisation by And Architects below).

Bees stay in Hive for now: Council rejects Barnet FC plans for new Underhill stadium

There have been vigorous campaigns both for and against the proposal. Barnet FC’s Bring Barnet Back (BBB) claimed 9,500+ supporters. Save Barnet Playing Fields (SBPF – see photograph above) asserted that 90% of local residents opposed the development, and CPRE London said that almost 19,000 had signed a petition against it. The Council received 1,274 online comments plus 72 letters supporting the proposal (35%), as against 1,162 online and about 1,308 paper objections to it (64%). The numbers can be disputed, but division was clearly deep.

The Planning Officer’s report, which recommended refusal, ran to 120 pages – unusually thorough for a project of this size. For comparison, the report last year on the Whalebones application was a mere 103 pages. It reflected local sensitivity, especially around development in the Green Belt. As Committee Chairman Councillor Nigel Young noted, approval could set a precedent for building on other Barnet green spaces.

The significance of the matter was demonstrated by no fewer than five local politicians addressing the meeting in person (in addition to the nine Councillors on the Committee itself). Cllrs Zahra Beg (Underhill), Paul Edwards (High Barnet), David Longstaff (Barnet Vale) and London Assembly Member Anne Clarke all wished to see Barnet FC return to the Borough, but opposed a stadium on Barnet Playing Fields. Only Cllr Tim Roberts supported it.

They were followed by Robert Verrall representing opponents of the scheme, and by Ian Botterill and Sean McGrath representing BBB and the Club’s design team respectively.

All spoke with passion, occasionally interrupted by bursts of audience applause and heckling despite the Chairman’s repeated requests for quiet.

Committee members then discussed the proposal between themselves. Most reiterated support for Barnet FC’s return, just not to this particular location. Several called for consideration of alternative sites, but as the Chairman pointed out, the Committee could only decide on the application in front of them.

In the end, the outcome was decisive. Three members abstained but the others were unanimous in denying planning permission.Their key reasons for refusal were that

‘the proposed development would result in substantial and irreversible harm to the openness and function of the Green Belt, and…the applicant has failed to demonstrate the very special circumstances necessary to justify such harm. The proposal would also result in the loss of valued public open space…’

Other reasons for refusal were insufficient information to safeguard protected species; insufficient information on archaeology; inadequate assessment of on-street parking impacts; unacceptable site access and junction design; and lack of a Section 106 Agreement (detailing the applicant’s financial contribution towards community infrastructure costs).

Barnet Society position

Consultation with our members last February indicated that they were roughly evenly split over the scheme.

Our Committee agreed that we wholeheartedly support the principle of Barnet FC returning closer to its historic roots. And a building and landscape design of exceptional quality could enhance Barnet Playing Fields, which make only a limited contribution to local biodiversity and are little used for sport. But we had severe reservations about key aspects of the Club’s case with regard to the Green Belt and the environment; transport and parking; community uses and benefits; and economic value.

We therefore took a neutral stance but submitted detailed comments that you can read on our website.

What will happen next?

Barnet FC has the right to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate against the Council’s refusal, but its chances of overturning the decision are not great – and will involve yet more expense.

A better way forward would be to build on the constructive discussions that its team held with the Barnet Society and Barnet Residents Association, and to engage more closely with the Council and other stakeholders about alternative sites.

Although disappointed, Bees fans remain defiant. As BBB organiser Keith Doe (seen below with Ian Botterill) said after the meeting, ‘One way or another, we’ll bring Barnet back!’

Bees stay in Hive for now: Council rejects Barnet FC plans for new Underhill stadium
Posted on by — 8 Comments

With a decision likely within weeks, BringBarnetBack step up their campaign for Barnet Football Club to return to Underhill

With a decision likely within weeks, BringBarnetBack step up their campaign for Barnet Football Club to return to Underhill

In advance of a key meeting which campaigners understand will be held in mid-July, BringBarnetBack have launched a last-minute appeal to Barnet Council to give the go-ahead for a new football stadium at Underhill.

From their own extensive soundings, they believe that there is a 50/50 chance of the council’s strategic planning committee granting planning approval for a 7,000-seat stadium at Barnet Playing Fields.

If the application is rejected, they are confident that the club will launch an appeal and they think it could become a test case in the push by the government to free up some Green Belt land for redevelopment.

However, BringBarnetBack warn that if the playing fields are redesignated as Grey Belt and freed for development, there is a danger the open space might be lost to make way for new housing.

At issue is the argument between many local residents who want to preserve the playing fields as a vital open space and Barnet FC supporters who are fully behind the offer of the club chairman Tony Kleanthous to move the club from The Hive at Harrow to a new £14 million stadium at Underhill.

BringBarnetBack have issued a 14-page dossier examining the arguments for and against the application which ends with a plea to the council to vote for a project that would be a sustainable development; enhance the surrounding Green Belt land; and bring back a football club that has “never stopped believing in coming home”.

(Bring Barnet Back – The Case http://eepurl.com/jhcTaU )

With a decision likely within weeks, BringBarnetBack step up their campaign for Barnet Football Club to return to Underhill

The proposed stadium would take up 22 per cent of the southern section of the playing fields – see above – which BringBarnetBack argue is in effect a “de-facto abandoned field with a monoculture of weeds and grass”.

Campaigners have visited the site at “hundreds of different times and in all weather conditions and claim there were “no people” on the proposed site, beyond the odd dog and its owner.

They believe the case for it becoming the new home of Barnet FC is strengthened by the fact that under a previous plan Barnet Council had proposed redeveloping the playing fields with a new 10,000 square foot destination sports hub that would have included two multi-purpose activity spaces, a cafe, six changing rooms and 55 new car parking spaces.

Because of severe funding restraints the council has not proceeded with its own plan and the reality is that all these facilities – and more – could be included in the new Barnet FC stadium “at no cost to the council”.

 Included in the new stadium would be medical facilities, which could be used by NHS patients; new public toilets which could encourage more use of the existing children’s playground and basketball courts; and community space for local food hubs and other charitable organisations.

One issue not addressed in the BringBarnetBack dossier is the wider use of the playing fields for large public events.

Last minute appeal by BringBarnetBack campaign to persuade Barnet Council to give go ahead for a new football stadium at Barnet Playing Fields

In May the playing fields hosted a five-day visit by Zippos Circus and other events are planned for later in the summer.

Organisers who have previously presented music and community festivals at other nearby sites such as Trent Park and Oak Hill Park, are switching to the playing fields at Underhill because of what they say is excellent access to public transport.

Other events being advertised at the playing fields are the Eagle Festival of Music over the weekend of June 21-22; the Ghana Party in the Park festival and the Mauritius open air festival which will be staged separately on the Saturday and Sunday of July 12 and July 13.

BringBarnetBack underline the urgency of the application: currently Barnet FC is loss-making and kept afloat at Harrow by Mr Kleanthous who is “willing to subsidise the club at a personal loss”.

Since moving to The Hive from Underhill in 2013 the club has lost between 25 per cent and 30 per cent of its core support and despite its promotion to the League Two of the English Football League, Barnet’s future is “unsustainable away from its home”.

Securing a return to Underhill – its home of 107 years — represents in planning terms “very special circumstances” to justify building a stadium on Green Belt land.