Category: High Street The Spires

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A dozen full English breakfasts served in the first couple of hours at the Corner Cafe – a new business in a popular venue

After being closed for three months over the summer the former Dory’s Cafe has re-opened as the Corner Cafe at the junction of St Albans Road and Barnet High Street.

It is new beginning for Kevin Callaghan, proprietor of the former Hole in the Wall Cafe which is about to be demolished during clearance of the Meadow Works site on the Great North Road at Pricklers Hill.

Fortuitously just as Dory’s cafe was closing down at the end of July – after 71 years in business – Mr Callaghan was on the lookout for new premises for the Hole in the Wall.

Said to be the town’s oldest cafe, the Hole in the Wall was tucked away behind hoardings and was one of the last small firms to vacate the Meadow Works site before work starts on the construction of a new self-storage depot.

All change in High Barnet: Dory's Cafe, popular High Barnet institution re-opens as Corner Cafe as the Hole in the Wall Cafe finds a new home

Moving up the Great North Road to High Barnet – and re-opening in the former premises of another local institution – has presented Mr Callaghan with the challenge of living up the popularity of Dory’s.

He and his staff had the weekend to transfer the business ready for a Monday morning start.

“Everything had been left spick and span by Angela and Guiliano so we started cooking straightaway.

“We did a dozen full English breakfasts in our first couple of hours, so we know what some of our customers appreciate.

“Everyone has given us a warm welcome.

“It’s really nice to be up in High Barnet in the town centre.

“I think it’s going to be very lively for us.”

The Hole in the Wall’s position on the Great North Road on the approach to High Barnet had led it become a well-used pit stop for lorry drivers and motorists heading out of London.

Developers Compound Real Estate have promised Mr Callaghan a new home for the Hole in the Wall as part of what it says will be a development comprising a new state-of-the-art self-storage facility and co-working spaces.

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Campaign by St John Ambulance to increase public confidence in responding to cardiac arrests by using CPR techniques and defibrillators

Despite the widening public provision of defibrillators, the Barnet branch of St John Ambulance is keen to do more to increase people’s confidence in responding to cardiac arrests by embarking on cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillation treatment.

To help improve survival rates, members staged a Restart a Heart event at The Spires shopping centre where St John Ambulance nurse Emma Ball (above) gave a demonstration.

Currently less than one in 12 survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and the aim of the Barnet first aiders is to encourage community support and interest in first aid and to recognise that defibrillation can more than double the chances of survival.

Emergency responder Winnie Bacon (above right) of the Barnet St John community engagement team helped to organise the event so that volunteers could train people in key first aid skills.

“We want to familiarise people with defibrillators and so that one day, perhaps, they can save a life by having the confidence to step in if there is an emergency.”

Ruth McQuillin (left) insisted that the instructions inside defibrillators – and there is one on the wall at the entrance to The Spires – are clear and simple.

“There are diagrams showing where pads should be applied to the chest and a defibrillator gives spoken instructions on what to do.”

Alongside the demonstration was an exhibition showing the history of the St John Ambulance branch in Barnet which has a membership of 60 volunteers.

The display was compiled by archivist Stephen Krause (left), who joined the branch in Barnet 47 years ago.

He is a member of the St John Fellowship and chairman of the St John Ambulance Historical Society.

Barnet’s branch dates back to 1903 and, says Mr Krause, is one of the oldest in the borough.

“Alfred Mosley, an entrepreneur, sponsored a hospital in South Africa during the Boer War and he was so impressed by the dedication and skill of the St John volunteers that he decided to pay for a branch to be set up in Barnet.

“At the time there were lots of accidents in workplaces, especially on the railways and in mining, which St John volunteers attended.

“The Barnet branch has always had a high profile, and we’ve become very well known.

“For 38 years we provided first aiders at Barnet Football Club matches at the old Underhill stadium.”

Winnie Bacon joined the Barnet branch in December 2020 to help with covid injections after St John Ambulance secured a contract with the NHS.

“Today you can see St John Ambulance volunteers at all sorts of events, such as the London Marathon and here in Barnet at events like East Barnet Festival and the Barnet Christmas Festival.”

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Building on a retail opportunity: starting with a stall at Barnet Market to opening a delicatessen in The Spires shopping centre

Delihouse might be the smallest shop in The Spires – and only opened in the summer – but proprietor Jonathan Beecham is already expanding a delicatessen business which started with a Saturday stall at Barnet Market.

His deli and coffee shop offers freshly prepared bagels and sandwiches with a choice of fillings and has shelves stocked with a wide range of delicatessen products and baked breads.

Jonathan has been so encouraged by the support of a loyal band of customers that with the approach of winter he is proposing to offer a range of hot soups.

To meet demand for specialist cheeses, charcuterie, fish and fresh bakery, he is also planning to start a Friday delivery service for his range of artisan foods.

From starting with a stall in Barnet Market to opening a shop in The Spires shopping centre-- delicatessen trader's new opportunity.

After building up his experience in deli foods and catering, he took a stall at Barnet Market three years ago and trade was so strong he decided in the summer to take on a small vacant unit in The Spires, directly opposite Waitrose.

“I am so pleased to be welcoming loyal customers who got to know me at the market. Trade has been great.

“I’m definitely the smallest shop in the shopping centre and certainly the smallest deli and coffee shop I know, but customers say Delihouse is just what the Spires needs.”  

Delihouse is open from 9.30am to 4pm every day except Monday and from 8am on Saturday.

Platters of bagels and charcuterie board for parties and business events – and the Delihouse range of products – can be ordered online. See www.delihouseuk.com

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Plain clothes police proving more effective in tackling Barnet’s shoplifting and drug users than uniform patrols in High Street

Since the start of the year police officers in the neighbourhood team for High Barnet and Barnet Vale have spent most of their time in plain clothes targeting persistent offenders including shoplifters and drug dealers and have made a total of 55 arrests.

Their team leader, Sergeant Glenn Parker, acknowledges that many residents would like to see more uniformed officers on duty in the town centre, but he insists their tactics are currently proving to be far more effective.

Through tackling shoplifting and arresting repeat offenders, there had been a decrease in house burglaries over the same period – down by 25 per cent in High Barnet and 52 per cent reduction in Barnet Vale.

Sergeant Parker – seen above, from left to right with police constables Sam Emmott, Richard Maggott, Sergeant Parker, and Mike Tearle – addressed the annual meeting of the Barnet Society (19.6.2025).

He said that the neighbourhood police team had a choice: go back to visible policing in the High Street, which could be ineffective, or adopt plain clothes tactics to tackle shoplifters and drug dealers to help restore trust in the Police.

“I would like to send officers out into the town centre in uniform, but my priority is to tackle the shoplifters, so either you have officers parading up and down the High Street or you take action that will really help to make people feel safe.

“I know residents want to see officers out on the beat, but we have to assess whether having officers walking up and down the street is effective. We want the public to have faith in what we are doing.”

Before the team started their targeted operation, there had been a tangible loss of trust among High Barnet shopkeepers and businesses.

On taking up his position in January, Sergeant Parker said he had been distressed to find that the manager at Waitrose in The Spires had felt it was no longer worth reporting shoplifting because of a lack of a police response.

“The shops had videos of shoplifters filling their bags and walking out. That was the challenge. We need the shops to engage with us.

“If the public see a policeman in uniform in the High Street, they might think that is fantastic, but the criminals can see us as well and I don’t want them to have that advantage.”

Since the start of the year the team had been building up intelligence passed on by retailers and arrests had followed.

One persistent offender, known to have been involved in 40 shop lifting offences in and around High Barnet and Barnet Vale, had been arrested and sentenced to 96 weeks in prison.

Sergeant Parker said the turn-around in arrests had been seen in wards across the northern parts of the borough – High Barnet, Barnet Vale, Underhill, East Barnet, Totteridge, Whetstone, Mill Hill and Edgwarebury.

During 2024 there were a total 34 arrests across the eight wards – a result which he considered was unacceptable; there were only 12 stop and searches of suspects.

In the five and a half months up to June 18 this year there had been 154 arrests across the same eight wards – five times the number of offenders arrested – with 55 arrests in High Barnet and Barnet Vale.

“If we had not deployed officers in plain clothes, it would have been half that.”

Sergeant Parker stressed the importance of stop and search, a tactic which had decreased massively in it use because of a lack of trust in the Police. He was determined to change that.

In the last three months 27 people had been stopped and searched in High Barnet and Barnet Vale resulting in 13 arrests for offences including knives and stolen items. There had been 20 drug searches and five arrests.

Further targeted operations, based on intelligence, were about to be launched including in one in an unnamed street where there was “a nuisance address” from which offenders had been causing problems. He promised they would be “smashed and removed”.

In opening the meeting, Mahender Khari, chair of the High Barnet community action panel which liaises with the police, praised Sergeant Parker and his officers, describing him as an “action man” who was building the strongest police team in the borough.

In replying to questions, Sergeant Parker told Dr Jenny Remfry, the society’s vice president, that currently the best way to report non-urgent suspected offences or get crime advice,  was to email the neighbourhood police team or to ring 101 which went through to the call centre in Hendon which would assess the information and could forward it to the neighbourhood teams.

A new messaging service for public use — known as Met Engage – was about to be introduced by the Metropolitan Police.

Training for neighbourhood officers began a month ago and it would create a centralised system for alerts to be emailed directly to the police and allow officers to respond.

Once residents signed up, email groups could be established, perhaps in a road or a group of streets, and this could facilitate police appeals for CCTV and other information.

In response to another question about the use of new technology, Sergeant Parker explained the value of the rapid increase in the installation of CCTV, door cameras and dash cams.

Although a potential intruder might be wearing a balaclava when caught on a door camera, offenders might well be captured on a neighbour’s camera further along the street, perhaps removing a balaclava – footage that could be of potential significance.

“Once it is up and running in the next couple of months, a system like Met Engage will make it easier for people to give us local intelligence.

“We will be able to reply, and it should make it easier for neighbourhood policing to integrate with the community.”

He told the society’s vice chairman Eamonn Rafferty, who was concerned about drug users congregating in the car park at Chipping Barnet Library, that this was precisely what they wanted to hear about.

“We need to the community to step up. The more information we get, the more action we can take.”  

Barnet Society member John Gardiner asked whether neighbourhood policing was still being disrupted by the extraction of officers from the suburbs for deployments elsewhere by the Metropolitan Police.

Sergeant Parker said that increasingly neighbourhood policing was being “ring fenced” and other officers were being deployed. In May, no officer in his team had been extracted for other duties and there had been only two occasions so far in June.

Frances Wilson, the society’s minute secretary, asked if there was any chance of the Metropolitan Police re-opening High Barnet police station to the public.

Sergeant Parker said there no plans to re-open station for operational police officers with a custody suite and desk open to the public, but it would continue as a base for the neighbourhood teams and other police services.

Robin Bishop (above left), who leads for the society on planning and the environment, warned that significant planning decisions were on their way.

Transport for London through its development subsidiary Places for London was due to submit an application by the end of June to build flats on land around High Barnet tube station and an application to build a new stadium for Barnet Football Club at Barnet Playing Fields was due to be considered by the strategic planning committee in July.

 

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High Barnet police crackdown on shoplifting leading to more arrests in the last five months than the previous three years

A concerted police operation targeting shoplifting in Barnet High Street and around the Everyman cinema has resulted in 47 arrests in the last five months – far more than the total number of arrests made during the previous three years.

High Barnet and Barnet Vale neighbourhood police teams believe their crackdown is helping to restore confidence among shopkeepers and retail businesses while also easing concern among shoppers.

In several operations, plain clothes police officers were deployed to monitor shops which have suffered most from shoplifting.

There have also been a series of arrests for the theft of motor vehicles and of motorcyclists who have been loitering in the High Street with other motorcycle riders waiting to make fast-food deliveries.

Police Sergeant Glenn Parker (above, far right), who has been leading the High Barnet team since the start of the year, said he made tackling the increase in shoplifting his top priority.

Members of the Barnet Society will have the chance to put questions direct to Sgt Parker at the society’s annual meeting at Pennefather Hall, Christ Church, St Albans Road, on Thursday 19 June. (Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start).

When Sgt Parker took up his post in Barnet in early February – after two years serving with a police response team based at Colindale – he realised that shoplifting in the High Street and in the shops close to the Everyman cinema had become a real problem.

“Unfortunately, a lot of shopkeepers and business owners had lost confidence in the police to such an extent that they had stopped reporting cases of shoplifting.

“Since we stepped up the level of engagement, we have made progress, and shopkeepers are now reporting offences, and they are doing much more to co-operate with the police.

“One regular shoplifter who had been targeting the same shops has now received a 92-week sentence.”

Another prolific offender was seen by two plain clothes officers stealing from the High Street – and whose theft was also recorded on CCTV – was sentenced to seven days in prison plus a £400 fine.

Sgt Parker – seen above with PC Richard Maggott, PC Tabitha Hutchins and Mahender Khari, chair of High Barnet community action panel – was praised for his determined approach when he reported on the neighbourhood team’s success to community representatives.

The knock on from targeting shoplifting was that it seemed to have influenced a 25 per cent reduction in the number of residential burglaries. Often those responsible were linked to shoplifting.

He said that since the start of the year there had been seven arrests for car theft – including the arrest of three suspects who were caught driving in Barnet Gate Lane with a Range Rover stolen in Hertfordshire.

Sgt Parker acknowledged the complaints about obstruction and intimidation caused by motorcycle deliver riders congregating with their bikes in parking spaces in the High Street outside or close to McDonalds and other fast-food businesses.

“We have arrested four motorcyclists this week when loitering in the High Street. We can only start checking their licences and documents if they are seen moving with their machines.

“We need to make a vehicle stop so we can be sure the motorcyclist is with his machine otherwise it is not so easy to intervene if all the machines are parked in the street.

Mahender Khari – seen above (right) with Sachin Rajput, chair of the Barnet Vale community action panel – said there was no doubt that shopkeepers and shoppers had appreciated the impact of the police crackdown on shoplifting.

“We know Barnet shopkeepers are more reassured than before. Shoppers have also noticed the change. Elderly people were worried by the possibility that shoplifters were carrying weapons.”

Mr Khari said the rapid response of the safer neighbourhood police team was badly needed: of the 118 offences reported in High Barnet in February this year, 22 related to shoplifting.

Yet during the whole of 2024 there had been only two arrests for shoplifting in High Barnet.

Dramatic results from police crackdown in shoplifting in High Barnet town centre -- 47 arrests in five months.

Shops that have been monitored and targeted by the police this year included Waitrose, Poundland and JD Sports in The Spires shopping centre; Boots and Iceland in the High Street; and Tesco and the BP petrol station shop near the Everyman cinema.

Mr Rajput said the response in Barnet Vale – and especially around the junction of Station Road and the Great North Road – had been impressive.

“We certainly do have at present a very pro-active team which is addressing the concerns in our area. What is so important as well is there is now a definite police presence.”

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Franchise operator announces plans to keep Barnet Post Office at the heart of the High Street and local community

Franchise operator announced for Barnet Post Office with UOE retail group pledging to keep it at the heart of the Barnet community.

The UOE Store group which operates a chain of franchised Post Offices around London and the Home Counties – including at Potters Bar and East Finchley — is to take over the operation of Barnet Post Office.

The High Street branch is one of the last 108 Crown offices which are being closed by the Post Office when it ceases its retail operations later this year.

In a statement UOE says Barnet is one of 30 post offices being transferred to the company in August as it expands its network.

Elliot Jacobs, who is chief executive and Postmaster for the franchised business, told the Barnet Society that the UOE network was “really proud to be taking on Barnet Post Office and enhancing this essential service at the heart of the community”.

“As a local independent business, we’re here for the long term – excited to play our part in the vibrant Barnet community.”

By 2026 the additional 30 branches will be “transformed into UOE’s award-winning format – integrating essential Post Office services with trusted retail experiences that put community at the heart of the High Street.”

Already included in the UOE network are Post Offices and banking hubs at Potters Bar, East Finchley, Camden, Crouch End, Hertford, Muswell Hill, Stoke Newington, Ware and the Ware banking hub.

Among the 30 to join the group in August – as well as Barnet – are post offices in Golders Green and Hampstead,  

The Barnet Society understands that the Post Office will remain in its current High Street premises initially for at least year.

UOE says its franchised Post Offices offer a range of other services: stationery, greeting cards, packaging, craft supplies, as well as printing, copying, scanning, binding, laminating, faxing and digital passport photos.

The group says its mission statement is that together UOE and the Post Office will “deliver a retail experience that’s rooted in trust, driven by purpose, and built for the future of the High Street.”

Mr Jacobs says that by late 2025 UOE will have a 40-branch network which will combine “high-footfall Post Office locations with UOE’s award-winning retail format – creating modern, multi-service stores that meet the evolving needs of customers and reinvigorate the High Street.”

He believes the “integrated UOE store and Post Office model” is a concept that has proved to be successful commercially and remains community focused.”

UOE expects its 40 franchised Post Offices will be attracting over 9 million customer visits in 2026 and many might open seven days a week.

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Changing face of Barnet town centre with refurbishment of historic premises and creation of flats above High Street shops

Planning applications have been approved for changes to several of the iconic buildings at the historic heart of High Barnet’s conservation area.

Work is to start in late April on a “makeover” at the town’s oldest coaching inn, The Mitre.

Further up the High Street, closer to the town centre, approval has been given to build a flat above the traditional sweet shop, Hopscotch.

Work has already started converting the first and second floors of the former Barnet Press office – now a Costa Coffee shop – into five self-contained flats.

Refurbishment of the Costa Coffee premises has also resulted – at long last — in the clock at the front of the building telling the right time.

Another very noticeable change is at the Mama Fifi restaurant — at the entrance to The Spires shopping centre – which is now resplendent with a full-length spring display of Sicilian lemon blossom.

Hopscotch, a single-storey shop constructed in the 1930s, is like a missing tooth along the High Street but, under a design approved by the council, the gap – as seen above – would be filled by the addition of a one-bedroom home over the sweet shop.

Simon Kaufman Architects say the scheme has been carefully designed to preserve the character of the Wood Street Conservation Area and will provide a high-quality living space above the existing retail unit.

The project embraces a lightweight construction approach with only minimal internal strengthening to provide “a cost-effective and sustainable alternative to rebuilding from scratch” which is in full compliance with heritage and conservation policies.

Michael and Alice Kentish, proprietors of Hopscotch, say they are thrilled that planning approval had been given as they believe providing homes above High Street shops is one way of revitalising town centres.

“There are so many under-developed properties along Barnet High Street and there is so much residential accommodation which could be provided within existing buildings.

“What we need is for the government and Barnet Council to adopt a regime which encourages the use of empty space above shops. It would provide much needed homes and help increase business along the High Street.”

Hopscotch and its rear garden are a designated area of archaeological significance as the previous medieval buildings on the site formed part of the narrow street of shops and inns beside Barnet Parish Church which was known as The Squeeze.

Until its demolition in 1933 – and the construction of the present single-storey shop – 88 High Street was a Dutch-style timber building with a gabled façade and distinctive Oriel windows.

Work has already started on the refurbishment of the upper floors of the Costa Coffee shop which will provide five self-contained flats.

P2M Coffee, which has the High Barnet franchise, says the frontage of the building will be repainted. It promised that the clock, which dates back to the days when it was the home of the Barnet Press, would be repaired as soon as scaffolding was in place to allow access for a clock repairer.

True to their word, the clock was telling the right time within days — although when this picture was taken, the clock face, just visible behind the scaffolding, was still stuck at 12.34 as it had been for several years!

What is described by brewers Greene King as a “makeover” to give The Mitre a “fresh look” will result in the pub being closed from Monday 28 April to Friday 23 May.

Several suggestions made by the Barnet Society regarding the refurbishment were accepted by Greene King and the company’s willingness to engage with local groups was welcomed by Robin Bishop who leads for the society on planning and the environment.

Etched glass bay windows which were going to be removed will now be retained. Although only 20th century, the etched glass is attractive in its own right and illustrates the “fascinating evolution of High Barnet’s oldest inn”.

An investigation to date the timbers in the ceiling and roof has now been conducted by Historic England. If the tests indicate the timbers date from around 1360 — similar to those discovered in the neighbouring building, Elisana Florist — it could be that together with the Mitre, they represent the oldest group of timber-framed buildings in London, predating Westminster Hall.

Enfield and Barnet Campaign for Real Ale has announced that The Mitre has been voted pub of the year for 2025 – and will present the award in May.

Mama Fifi restaurant – which won the 2024 prize for the best High Barnet Christmas window competition – is again attracting plaudits for its latest display.

Mural artist Alessandra Tortone has decorated the side windows in the entrance to The Spires shopping centre with a spring design of Sicilian lemon blossom.

Alessendra is seen with her team after the competition of the mural – from left to right, Alessandra, Roberta Piras, Kateryna Vilkul, and Radhika Ganapathe Ulluru.

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Decision on future operation of Barnet Post Office is likely by the autumn as part of a switch to franchising the business  

Barnet Post Office is to become a franchise operation along with another 107 crown offices across the country where the Post Office is to cease its own management and staffing.

Applications to run these businesses as a franchise are currently being considered. New owners could be in place by the end of September.

So far there has been no announcement about the precise future for a franchise for the crown office branch in High Street, Barnet.

The Post Office says it hopes that a majority of the remaining 108 crown offices will continue in operation at their existing locations, but some buildings could be closed if a franchise operator moves to different premises.

Over the coming weeks the company hopes to supply local communities and stakeholders with more detailed information.

By switching to a franchise model – which is already the case with other local post offices – the company says it will mean that towns like Barnet which “currently have a directly managed branch in their area will continue to be able to access Post Office services.”

Over 4,000 applications – from 500 different bidders — have already been received to take over the 108 crown offices.

Among the groups which have expressed an interest in taking over some of the larger branches are Tesco and the stationery retailer Ryman.

Dan Tomlinson, Labour MP for Chipping Barnet, welcomed the announcement by the Post Office that it would continue to provide services to the local community in High Barnet.

He said he had spoken to the Communication Workers Union – which represents Post Office staff at Barnet – and he understood their concern about the switch to franchise operation.

“I will continue to work with and support union members as we find out more from the Post Office about the exact nature of future plans.”

Mr Tomlinson declared that it was his petition – “Save Barnet Post Office” which attracted over 2,500 signatures – which had ensured “victory” in his campaign to save the High Street branch from closure.

“This is a tremendous victory for our community after months of campaigning with residents.

“The Post Office is vital to High Barnet and serves thousands of residents. “Working with residents across Barnet, we have demonstrated what can be achieved when a community unites behind an essential service.”  

The closure of the remaining 108 crown offices – which together employ around 1,000 staff but are said to be losing £40 million a year — was announced last November when the management indicated it was seeking applications from franchise operators.

There are mixed views locally about the level of service offered in post offices around High Barnet which are already being operated on a franchise basis but in some cases, it is said to be quicker and more friendly than in the past.

Barnet Post Office – which was rebuilt in 1905 – has a distinguished history having been a regular stopping off point for mail coaches heading out of London for Scotland and the north.

In more recent years it has regained importance following the closure of several High Street banks and the development of the Post Office’s banking services.

The current building, which bears the ER motif of King Edward VII, was designed by Jasper Wagner.

Franchise operator to take over Post Office in High Street Barnet. Future likely to be decided by the autumn.

Set in the wall, just above the pavement, between the front door and the letter box, is one of the original boundary stones of the ancient parish of Chipping Barnet – which is pointed out during the annual ceremony to mark the Beating of the Bounds of the parish of Barnet

Until the 1930s Barnet was one of the best-known coaching towns on the outskirts of London.

When the mail coach for Scotland left St Martins-le-Grand one of the first stops on the Great North Road was Barnet post office where it picked up mail

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Desperate search for new town centre premises for High Barnet’s free book shop which distributes unwanted books

Yet another smiling recipient…but the days are numbered at High Barnet’s free book shop which is desperately looking for new premises as it is under notice to leave The Spires shopping centre.

Unless another vacant shop or a community space can be found by Saturday 12 April the Global Education Trust will have to close its doors much to the disappointment of the 20 or so volunteers who hand out anything up to 100 free books a day.

Dean Masters (above) was delighted to find a free copy of a book by golfing legend Jack Nicklaus – a reminder of his younger days when he regularly played golf himself.

Book shop manager Jackie O’Brien (right) – seen with volunteer Emma Newby – says that she and her team of assistants are keeping their fingers crossed in the hope that the trust can find alternative premises somewhere in High Barnet town centre.

“We exist on donations and are run entirely by volunteers, so we can’t afford to pay rent.

“We rely entirely on the generosity of landlords to let us use an empty shop or vacant premises where we can display our books.

“We have been so lucky to have had nearly a year at The Spires and the success of what we have achieved speaks for itself.”

At anyone time the trust is operating around 20 free books around the country and they all distribute unwanted books which would otherwise have been pulped or gone to landfill.

Urgent hunt for new empty premises in town centre for Chipping Barnet's popular free book shop

Ms O’Brien said that on most days the shop in The Spires has been giving away anything from 50 to 100 books, all of which have been donated to the trust.

Usually, the shop attracts at least 50 customers a day, but it can be double that at weekends and school holidays.

When it opened in May last year the trust stocked the shop with books from its central warehouse, but the organisers predicted the shop would soon become self-supporting because of fresh donations of books from within the community.

“What is so rewarding about volunteering at the shop is to see how much we are appreciated by local children who can hardly believe that they can take away free up to three books.

“Some of the children are really excited about coming to the shop. Perhaps they are on the hunt for a Roald Dahl or Jacqueline Wilson book

“It is then that we realise what it means to them, because some youngsters come back and donate to us all the books they have grown out of.

“Because all of the stock is donated lots of it is pretty dated or out of print and when older customers come in, they can’t believe their good fortune in finding a book they have always wanted.”

The free book shop is under notice to quit because the unit it is using – formerly a Costa coffee shop – is to be re-opened as a Greek cafe.

Fresh donations of books are no longer being accepted and unless another vacant shop or perhaps unused community space can be found, the shop will close on 12 April allowing a week to shift the stock to the Global Education Trust’s warehouse before vacating the premises on 19 April.

“Unfortunately, we have been told by The Spires that they have no space for us and our only hope is that a landlord might come forward and offer us another temporary home.

“We have asked the Chipping Barnet Town Team to help us relocate so perhaps we might be lucky,” said Ms O’Brien.  

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MP says Barnet’s councillors should take final decisions on blocks of flats at High Barnet tube station car park and possible new football stadium  

When responding to the debate over the two most controversial development applications to have emerged since he was elected Labour MP for Chipping Barnet seven months ago, Dan Tomlinson is insisting he will maintain his neutrality.

He says final decisions on whether to construct blocks of flats at High Barnet tube station car park or build a new stadium for Barnet Football Club at Underhill should be taken by Barnet Council on the advice of its planning officers and committee.

When members of the Barnet Society discussed the two projects – immediately before hearing Mr Tomlinson’s response – there was a unanimous vote against Transport for London’s bid to build flats on the tube station car park and a split vote over a possible new stadium.

In reply, Mr Tomlinson – seen above with Robin Bishop (left) and chair John Hay (right) — was adamant that as the town’s MP he believed his duty was to address the concerns of residents and try to secure for them the best possible outcomes.

Personally, he thought a ten-storey block of flats at the tube station was too high.

He felt the football stadium was unlikely to get planning approval from the council because it would mean taking Green Belt land.

But he would not be intervening directly himself either in support or against the two projects.

“It is up to the elected Barnet Council to decide whether these schemes are in accordance with the local plan and whether or not they should be approved.”

He acknowledged that his predecessor, the former Conservative MP Theresa Villiers, had taken firm positions either for or against certain planning applications in the past, but this had resulted in local residents being “marched up the hill and down again” only to see schemes being approved in the end.

He believed his task was to help ensure that the views of his constituents were expressed to Barnet Council and to the developers and that he worked in conjunction with them and the residents to see how such schemes could be improved for the benefit of the community.

When it came to the blocks of flats at the tube station, he was keen to persuade TfL to keep much more space for car parking.

He would be following up ideas to see if underground car parking spaces could be provided beneath the development.

Mr Tomlinson was also in full agreement with tube passengers on the importance of providing a bus service direct to the station entrance and moving the north bound bus stop on Barnet Hill closer to the pedestrian crossing at the station approach road.

He was challenged over why he had not been influenced by the fact that no one in the room at the society’s meeting had voted in favour.

MP says Barnet’s councillors should take final decisions on blocks of flats at High Barnet tube station car park and possible new football stadium

An outline of the scheme had been given earlier by committee member Nick Saul (above) who said the development was unacceptable. The blocks of flats would utterly dominate the town, and he doubted whether the project was viable.

Mr Tomlinson reminded his audience that the land at the station was already allocated for 292 homes in Barnet Council’s local plan.

Building on station car parks was also included in the London plan, so there was a strong presumption in favour of the High Barnet scheme, but a ten-storey block of flats was too high and was not in keeping with the local plan’s recommendation of more than seven storeys.

“But if we can’t build flats for young people here on this site, where are we are going to put them?

“As your MP I will try to make the scheme as good as possible.”

When it came to the controversial application to build a new football stadium at Underhill, he was personally split 50/50 over whether it should be approved.

When discussing a return of the club with residents of the Dollis Valley estate he found there was strong support among some of those he spoke to.

Nevertheless, it was one of the few large open play spaces in the town and he did not think it likely Barnet Council would give approval because it was a site within the Green Belt.

If Barnet FC was refused permission, he undertook to work with the club and the Bring Barnet Back campaign to see if an alternative site could be found.

Green Belt land should be protected and if the housing target could be met with developments such as High Barnet station, then the council would not be under pressure to encroach on the green belt.

When challenged by one questioner over whether his stance of being neither for or against planning applications – and leaving it to the elected councillors – would protect the Green Belt, he gave this assurance:

“If there is a really abhorrent scheme, I won’t be agnostic.”

In his opening remarks, he said he had been working members of Chipping Barnet Town Team and Love Barnet to see whether more could be done to improve Barnet High Street.

One idea being explored with the Greater London Authority was to have a rental auction of empty High Street shops.

Under such a scheme, if a property had been left vacant for more than 12 months, Barnet Council could auction off a rental so that empty retail premises could be brought back into use.

An earlier discussion at the meeting had explored ideas for rejuvenating The Spires shopping centre.

As a previous redevelopment scheme was now in abeyance because of the financial difficulties facing the owners of the centre, Mr Tomlinson said he would be delighted to work with community groups to bring forward alternative proposals.

Barnet Council owned the freehold of the shopping centre site and there was every reason to open a discussion about the future of The Spires.    

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