An open day at the Grow Farm at Totteridge Academy in Barnet Lane was a chance to see the transformation of an empty field into a community farm where local school children are taught the practicalities of food cultivation and have an opportunity to build up agricultural skills.
Continue reading Pioneering community farm in Dollis Valley has ambitious plans for future expansion
On the eve of a critical public inquiry, Barnet Council has withdrawn its main objection to plans to build 152 homes on fields and woods in the Whalebones estate, Wood Street, Barnet.
Six iron arrowheads recovered from the site of the 1471 Battle of Barnet are on display for the very first time at the recently re-opened Barnet Museum — a must see exhibit for anyone hoping to attend the Barnet Medieval Festival in mid-September
Continue reading New Battle of Barnet display boosts build-up to Barnet Medieval Festival
After missing out last year, members of the Barnet Classic Car Club are raring to go — ready to parade up Barnet Hill and along the High Street to the annual vintage and classic car show which has grown from strength to strength in recent years.
Continue reading Classic car enthusiasts ready for the off: bonnets up, engines on display
After months of agonising uncertainty, Barnet Medieval Festival is definitely going ahead for a re-scheduled weekend of events and attractions on Saturday and Sunday 11-12 September at the Byng Road playing fields.
After closing its doors to the public four years ago, High Barnet Police Station is to disappear altogether from the High Street.
Continue reading Another High Street casualty: High Barnet Police Station is up for sale
A research project at University College London into the role of slavery in shaping British history has highlighted unlooked for — almost accidental — reminders of the slave trade in some of the historic street names of High Barnet.
Continue reading Legacies of slavery: unexpected links to the past in familiar street names
JCDecaux, which claims to be the world’s largest outdoor advertising contractor, is promising local authorities it wants to help declutter town centres — and then promptly abandons this pledge by pressing on with its controversial application for two advertising and communication hubs on the recently widened High Street pavements of High Barnet.
Gary Murphy, High Barnet’s most celebrated licensee of recent times, has given up his lease after having spent the last 13 years establishing The Mitre as a public house recognised across North London for its real ales and craft beers.
On Tuesday 13 July, the Barnet Society held its first Open Meeting on topical local issues via Zoom. Around 50 members of the Society and general public participated. This is what we discussed.
Welcome
Frances Wilson introduced herself as the Society’s first Rotating Chair and thanked everyone for joining to discuss issues in more detail than was possible at the AGM and in an informal fashion within the confines of Zoom. The AGM was the first time we had held a mass Zoom meeting, which seemed to go fairly well thanks to Simon Watson our Website Officer, who fortunately is here again to sort out any technical issues. The invitation indicated the four topics under discussion: tree planting, Tudor Park Cricket Pavilion, Rambles 3 and an update on planning and the environment.
Tree planting
Robin Bishop said the Barnet Society had a proud tradition of planting trees, including plantations on Whitings Hill in 1995 led by Jenny Remfry, in 1998 Lee’s Trees (inspired by David Lee), the line of London Planes and Norway Maples on Barnet Hill from Underhill to Milton Avenue, and recently along the High Street.
We would like to finish the job on Barnet Hill and have planted 125 of a planned 300 hawthorns screening Vale Drive Health Authority and St Catherines School. On 17th January’22, which is the Jewish New Year of the Tree and with the help of Kisharon, we would like to plant more hawthorns to complete the job and have received a donation of £200 towards the cost of saplings. We will need volunteers to help organise and plant them.
Suggestions from Members
Susan Marcus said before we plant anything we must ensure there is a 10 year management plan to ensure the trees will be maintained and this should be costed. She said we should concentrate on parks rather than look for other areas. Willing to be on Working Party.
New Barnet – Junction by St Marks Church Meadway/Potters Lane.- This is currently a very neglected site but very prominent and would not take too much effort to improve it. Simon Watson happy to assist and Leyla Atayeva said she would be happy to assist as she lives in St Marks Close.
Meadway Open Space – ( stretches from Meadway to Potters Lane and follows the underground). This too would be a suitable area to plant trees.
Andy Bryce said he was an architect and asked if we had any advice from landscape architects or tree specialists. He said he may be able to suggest a contact. He also said schemes should link up.
Robin said one of the suggestions in the Community Plan was to provide signposts from the Town Centre showing 10 minute walks to various green areas, e.g. Whitings Hill.
Susan Skedd suggested we walk around the area with a landscape architect and someone who could advise on different species to encourage birds and other wild life.
Quinton Dighton said U3A are hoping to plant 1,000 trees this year so perhaps we could work together. Robin asked them to let us know who to contact at U3A.
Barnet Council are considering planting tiny forests and making a Regional Park near Moat Mount.
Robin welcomed all these suggestions and said we needed to co-ordinate them. He suggested people contact him via the Society website info@barnetsociety.org.uk.
Tudor Park Cricket Pavilion
Simon Cohen said he had organised a survey to find out what people thought of the disused cricket pavilion which had been unused for years except for storing garden equipment for the Parks Dept. 1,000 people took part in the survey and 98% wanted to see it re-used as a community space or café. Simon Kaufman carried out a structural survey and confirmed it is in a terrible condition. There is a kitchen, male and female changing rooms and showers but all in a dreadful condition and would require complete replacement. Plus needs re-wiring and replumbing. Cllr David Longstaff visited and put in a successful bid to the Council of CIL funding to restore it.
The Council will provide £200,000 over 2 years to make it fit for a Commercial lease. This is ambiguous and residents must put forward ideas to guide them in the right direction. Also the refurbishment will require more than £200,000 so we will have to fund raise to pay the extra costs.
Simon said we need to set up a ‘Friends of Tudor Park’ Group to give us more influence and to develop our vision and suggested if attendees were interested they contact him via his email address or the Barnet Society Website.
Suggestions from Zoom attendees:
Rahim Alibhai said he and his friends worked with a group of autistic children and said it would be ideal for their use. He also said it should be multi-use and could be shared with AA, art groups, socialising groups and St Johns Ambulance could be a really good community hub. He said his autistic children group was very big and could support children and parents and have professionals there.
Simon said it should be made a condition of the lease that it be available for community use perhaps 3 hours a night. Andy Byrne asked if the Council have anything in mind but Simon said he did not know.
Jenny Remfry suggested it could be used for children’s parties or the allotment growers close by.
Nikki Rice lives in Chester Avenue and said it should be used as community space such as Toddlers Group, Music Group and happy to help. Suggested solar panels on the roof to help with funding.
Ben Nahum owns a bagel factory and lives nearby and said he would be interested in providing a café and it could be used as social hub during the evenings. Has spoken to Gail Laser & Robin Bishop in the past and will email them so they have his contact details.
Aviva Driscoll asked what size is the interior space? Simon Kaufman said 277 square meters and you could get 80-100 people sitting in main space perhaps for weddings or bar mitzvahs. He also thought it could be used as a flexible space so could have more than one activity at a time. He made it very clear £200,000 would make the building safe so the challenge is to raise the money to carry out the rest of the work. He suggested we could look at grants such as Environment or Sports.
Foot Golf is also on the site so they should be involved.
Simon said anyone interested in helping with this project should contact him via simon.sjc@btinternet.com or the Society website info@barnetsociety.org.uk.
Rambles 3
Simon Kaufman showed a copy of Rambles 1 which was originally published in 1948, published in an expanded version in 2012, and has just been reprinted as a Limited Edition. He said following the lockdown there has been an increased interest in walking and the local countryside so the Society were keen to produce an up to date user friendly booklet using the GPS App. But we need help from others.
Simon then showed some slides:
Source of information – Best routes for walks around Barnet, History of Chipping Barnet, Important buildings and landscapes in Barnet, Facilities and local attractions for families with children.
This would be a way to promote the Society to new and prospective members and raise funds.
He outlined who would use the booklet such as walkers, cyclists, families and wheelchair users.
He outlined the Geographical scope suggesting about 3.5 kms to 7.0 kms from Barnet Town Centre.
We would consult with Members to find their favourite places and walks, and contact Ramblers Ass, Chipping Barnet Community Plan, Green Ring, Local Authority Footpaths, Open Spaces Society and Barnet Museum.
Suggested New Routes – Victorian Barnet, Historic Barnet, Edge of London, Green Spaces (parks) Monken Hadley/Trent Park, Moat Mount.
Simon suggested we re-interpret Lucas’s Walks as some are quite difficult to walk due to changes that have taken place. Thought we could consider Wrotham Park and The Shire, Darland’s Lake, North Mimms & Potters Bar, South Mimms to Broad Colney.
Simon showed examples of other walkers publication but also suggested Topo, GPS app and Google Maps which are used by Ramblers Ass.
Following this presentation Simon said there was a lot of enthusiasm for the project but there is a lot of work and we will need help with:
Graphic Design
Walking routes – taking notes and photos
Digital structure
GPS or Google Mapping
Organisation of book printing and sales
Suggested places to go and things to see.
Anyone interested in helping or with suggestions should contact Simon through our Website info@barnetsociety.org.uk and label it Rambles 3.
Les Bedford said it was an excellent presentation and we need to all pool our knowledge.
Planning and environment update
Robin Bishop said the biggest threat currently was the proposed ‘reforms’ to Planning Legislation which would tear up the current planning system. It would expand permitted development in order to build more housing and there would be no public consultation once areas have been designated for growth, so local residents would be unable to object. There is a need for more housing but it needs to be proportionate and sympathetic to the neighbourhood.
Current schemes where we have objected
The Victoria Quarter – We objected to this scheme where the Developer proposed 650 flats, there was a lot of local opposition and the Council reflecting this opposed the scheme unanimously against the advice of the Officers. This is ongoing and the Developers have now proposed another scheme of 554 units and reduced the height of the tower blocks but we are still critical and will oppose it further.
33 Lyonsdown Road – This is the last surviving Victorian Villa which The Barnet Society successfully had placed on the Local List. The Developer wants to demolish it and replace it with 20 flats. We opposed this proposal along with many others including the Victorian Society so it has had a lot of publicity and was refused by the Council. However the owners may appeal and in the meantime they are allowing the building to rot.
Whalebones is another scheme we opposed and again the Council refused Planning Permission but the Developer has appealed to the Planning Inspectorate. We have submitted a strong representation and will attend the public inquiry at the end of August. Robin thanked Guy Braithwaite, Bill Foster and Nick Saul for their help. Robin emphasised how key Whalebones was to the identity of Chipping Barnet.
The Local Plan – Jenny Remfry said this is currently on display in the local library for residents to provide comments. There are 3 sites shown in Chipping Barnet. Whalebones, High Barnet Station with blocks 8 storeys high with commercial and a hotel proposed and MOD land in St Albans Road as the Territorial base may be put up for sale with room for 193 flats. There would have to be an archaeological dig first. Robin said we have been working on this for 2 years with BRA and FORAB and it has been adopted by the Council subject to public consultation which is now taking place. Jenny thought it was a good plan.
There were no further questions so Frances reminded everyone to look at Robin’s regular P&E report, which appeared on the website roughly every 2 months, in order to keep up to date and let us know their opinions.She thanked everyone for coming and Simon Watson for providing the technical support, asked those not already members to join the Society, and asked anyone wanting to help to contact us via our website: info@barnetsociety.org.uk.
For Robin’s reports plus Society submissions on Barnet’s Local Plan and other major planning and environmental topics, go to Our Work on our website.
Simon Smith who spent the last 16 years managing over 60 of High Barnet’s historic almshouses has taken early retirement from his role as clerk to the trustees of the Jesus Hospital Charity.
Continue reading Fond farewells from residents to retiring clerk who managed charitable almshouses
After the success of the inaugural season of concerts arranged by the High Barnet Chamber Music Festival plans are already being drawn up for a repeat event next year.
Four high-rise blocks of flats proposed for Cockfosters Station car park would have such a grave impact on the local landscape, the Save Cockfosters from Tower Blocks campaign is hoping to enlist support from residents in Barnet and the rest of the surrounding area.
Continue reading Fears over impact on Green Belt of gruesome tower blocks at Cockfosters Station
Swifts which migrate to High Barnet for the summer months have lost one of their greatest admirers and staunchest guardians: Tim Friend who encouraged fellow householders to follow his example by installing swift nesting boxes has died at the age of 71.
Recent passers-by will have noticed, a beautifully calligraphed poem in the window – and a definite lack of presents through the window of the much-loved shop “The Present” at the Hadley end of the High Street.
Chipping Barnet is a great base for some glorious countryside walks, and the best are described in Rambles Round Barnet – two volumes published by the Barnet Society. The good news is that Volume I has just been reprinted in a limited edition. The bad news is that some of the walks are threatened by development, so walk them while you can.
Rambles Round Barnet – In the footsteps of EH Lucas was published by the Barnet Society in 2012 and has been out of print. It was a handy A5 booklet containing four walks from a guidebook originally researched by EH Lucas, the Society’s Treasurer (1948-70), and issued by the Society in 1948.
In 2013 a further three walks from Lucas’s guide were published in Volume II, which is still in print and available from Waterstones in The Spires or directly from the Society.
One of the few benefits of Covid-19 has been revival of interest in the countryside, with a noticeable increase in walkers and cyclists on local paths in the last year. At the conclusion of the Society’s 75th anniversary year, it seemed appropriate to reprint Volume 1.
The reprint is a facsimile, in a limited edition of 150, of the 2012 booklet. No attempt has been made to alter the charming text and illustrations of the 2012 edition, which was largely the work of Owen Jones and David Ely, but eight pages of updates and additional information have been inserted as a postscript. Both Rambles I & II are on sale from Waterstones in The Spires and Barnet Museum, or direct from the Society at £6 per volume (or £10 for both) plus postage and packing. Contact details are given below.
No-one would claim that Barnet and Hertfordshire can compete with more dramatic landscapes elsewhere in Britain. But their quiet qualities often get overlooked, and Covid-19 has reminded many of us how valuable they are. Rambles may not be up there with Guide to the Lakeland Fells, Alfred Wainwright’s famous walking guidebooks to the Lake District. But they are full of shrewd observations and good advice. Lucas, Jones and Ely are Barnet’s Wainwright, and deserve to be celebrated.
The four walks described in Rambles Round Barnet – In the footsteps of EH Lucas are:
Walk 1 – The green heart of Barnet This takes you through countryside that was threatened, in 1945, by Barnet Council’s plans to triple the population of Chipping Barnet to 60,000. The Barnet Society was founded to fight them, and did so successfully.
Walk 2 – Mimmsy meadows and bluebell woods Between South Mimms and North Mymms (sic) is a beautiful circuit of sequestered woods, open meadows and long views – amazingly, never more than about half a mile from the M25 or A1.
Walk 3 – Ancient fields and a magic grove only half a mile from built-up Barnet This walk includes two delightful tracts of countryside, one each side of the A1, and an enchanted grove, half a mile long, of venerable trees bordering Dyrham Park.
Walk 4 – Traditional farmland meets modern motorway Not a walk for those seeking respite from the 21st century, though it has sweet rustic moments. But if you wonder whether English countryside can coexist with modern technology, this is the place to find out.
The walks have all been checked this spring. As well as containing additional information, the insert picks out highlights, lists any changes since 2012, and gives tips on routes and good times to go.
All the walks take you through countryside designated as Green Belt after the 2nd World War, partly due to the campaigning of the Society. With a few exceptions, development is permitted only in very special circumstances. But that hasn’t stopped many applications being submitted. That the landscape has survived largely unspoiled for 75 years is testimony to ongoing work by us and other voluntary groups in Barnet and Hertfordshire, as well as the stewardship of both councils.
However, this reprint is tinged with concern that some of the walks will be lost within a few years. Although the UK government and Barnet Council claim to be committed to retaining the Green Belt, and the walks themselves are mostly safeguarded Rights of Way, major developments are currently being planned on or near land over which they pass.
Most of the open land north of the M25 and both sides of the A1 has been identified in Hertsmere Council’s draft Local Plan for potential housing and employment development, as well as pockets south of the M25. Huge Sky and Hertswood film studio complexes are proposed for fields south of Rowley Lane. New Rabley and Redwell ‘Garden Villages’ are proposed near South Mimms. These will all leave a massive mark on what is at present open greenery.
Nor is Barnet Council exempt. Although it plans to create a major new Regional Park between Arkley, Mill Hill and the A1, it also proposes to build an £11m community and leisure hub in the middle of Barnet Playing Fields – which the Council itself has designated Green Belt.
This web post is therefore not simply an invitation to buy Rambles Round Barnet – Volume I while stocks last. It also urges you to get out and savour our wonderful countryside while it is still there to enjoy.
The Barnet Society’s AGM on 1st July gave me the opportunity to highlight the range of work we have done in the past, and continue to do, to enhance Barnet’s green environment.
Continue reading Barnet Society contributions to urban greening and the countryside
A 1960s self-built house, described by the Barnet Society as being “uncompromisingly modern” for its period, was used for shooting scenes for a six-part thriller Ragdoll from the producers of Killing Eve.
Continue reading The house that Fred built becomes a set for tv thriller being filmed in Barnet
Another chapter has closed in the history of a much-admired art deco building in Barnet High Street, the former Montague Burton menswear shop, that has been used most recently as a dance studio.
Continue reading High Street dance studio closes due to unsustainable lockdown losses
Probably the oldest transport cafe in Barnet – the Hole in the Wall on the Great North Road – has ceased trading, a victim of the difficulties which lockdown has imposed on the catering trade.
Continue reading End of an era for a popular Barnet pit stop for an all-day English breakfast
Barnet Council’s highways department is preparing a new set of policies for the future safeguarding and maintenance of historic structures such as horse troughs and street signs.
A warehouse on the Queen’s Road industrial estate off Wood Street, High Barnet, is being converted into a temporary studio for filming scenes for a new six-part television thriller Ragdoll from the producers of Killing Eve.
Developers seeking to build 554 homes on the former gas works site in New Barnet have released new images to show how the height and density of the proposed tower blocks has been reduced in a fresh attempt to gain planning approval.
A rubberised footpath around the perimeter of the Byng Road Nature Reserve will finally allow wheelchair users and people with disabilities and limited mobility the chance to visit a highly popular natural trail.
Continue reading Easier and safer access for disabled people at Barnet Environment Centre
Evidence of a fresh sewage spill in Dollis Brook was an unexpected – and unpleasant – find when the DollisBrookers carried out their first litter pick along Barnet’s Dollis Valley Greenwalk.
Continue reading Anger over foul-smelling sewage spill polluting Dollis Brook
A Barnet charity that advises and assists cancer patients – and which is celebrating its 25th anniversary – hopes the gradual easing of lockdown will speed up the resumption of its support services and especially its fund raising activities.
Continue reading Proud 25-year record supporting cancer patients and their families
Hill Residential Ltd and the Trustees of the Gwyneth Cowing estate, whose planning application for 152 homes on the Whalebones fields was refused last November, have appealed against Barnet Council’s decision. Their case will be heard at a 5-day public inquiry starting on 31 August. It is a major test of Barnet’s planning policies on green spaces and Conservation Areas.
The Barnet Society will be submitting a representation against the appeal, and you can submit your own. To do so, contact the Planning Inspectorate by Friday 18 June via:
Online: www.gov.uk/appeal-planning-inspectorate
Email: Holly.dutton@planninginspectorate.gov.uk
quoting the appeal reference: APP/N5090/W/21/3273189.
For the benefit of new readers, the Whalebones development has been brewing for five years, and is probably the most significant proposal for Chipping Barnet for decades (unless the High Barnet Station development goes ahead). Although the site is not designated as Green Belt, it includes the last remaining fields near the town centre and is in the Wood Street Conservation Area.
When a planning application was submitted two years ago, we consulted as widely as possible among our membership. A decisive majority of respondents – nearly 90% – objected to the scheme in its present form, and only three members supported it. The general public agreed: the planners received 570 objections and only five comments in support.
We objected to the proposals on three grounds, summarised as follows:
Conservation Area Policy
Firstly, the development would be an unacceptable breach of Conservation Area policy. The Council’s Wood Street CA Character Appraisal Statement says that, ‘The Council will seek to ensure that new development within the conservation area seeks to preserve or enhance the special character or appearance of the area…’ This would do neither.
The western meadow in particular (see top photo), in addition to offering fine open views across the site to north and south, is an essential natural and visual buffer between Chipping Barnet and Arkley; without it, the settlements will lose their separate identities forever.
Even worse: approval of this scheme would create a dreadful precedent for other Barnet CAs.
Overdevelopment
Secondly, it would be overdevelopment of the site. We are unconvinced that so many homes are necessary to pay for replacing the studio and upkeep of the rest of the estate. Given the profits to be made on such an attractive site, such a large development needs rigorous justification.
A serious consequence of the quantity and type of new homes would be some 200 additional cars and 300 cycles, exacerbating already heavy congestion at peak times. A further consequence would be higher levels of air and noise pollution – especially unfortunate near a hospital.
Sustainability
Thirdly, although the developer promises a net gain in biodiversity, we are not persuaded that the ecological impact of such a large development and extended construction period could be entirely mitigated.
And although the design represents an advance on today’s environmental norms, it will need a carbon-offset payment to be zero-carbon.
Conclusion
We do not ask for Whalebones to left as it is. We accept that commercial agriculture is no longer viable on the site, and that some new housing would fund replacement facilities for the artists and beekeepers and future maintenance of the estate – but not on such a scale.
Moreover, the developers have made no serious effort to explore other land-based activities of a kind likely to have interested the former owner (and Barnet Society founder) Gwyneth Cowing. These include education, training and/or therapy in horticulture, animal husbandry and environmental studies, perhaps in partnership with a local school or college. A city or care farm for young and old people, including those with special needs, is another possibility in keeping with the spirit of Ms Cowing’s will.
The value of such uses, and of retaining greenery and promoting biodiversity is recognised in the London Plan and the government’s current Environment Bill. Those sorts of development we would gladly support.
Below: Visualisation of proposed houses and apartment blocks on Whalebones western meadow (Architects: Pollard Thomas Edwards)
Nearby residents and pillar box enthusiasts are urging the Royal Mail to replace one of High Barnet’s historic post boxes which was demolished during a car crash at the junction of Manor Road and Wood Street.
Continue reading Historic post box reduced to a pile of rubble in car crash
Objectors to the building of 152 new homes on the Whalebones farmland in Wood Street, Barnet, are rallying opposition ahead of a public inquiry in the autumn.
Continue reading Rallying opposition to redevelopment of Whalebones woods and fields
Fly tipping of garden rubbish and even builders’ rubble has become a worrying problem along the edges of Monken Hadley Common – and the worst offenders are a few of the owners of the priciest properties in roads such as Parkgate Crescent, off Camlet Way, and Fairgreen, off the Cockfosters Road.
Continue reading Fly tippers beware: Monken Hadley Common curators intend to fight back
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