Category: Planning & Environment

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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).

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!’

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Setback for Barnet Football Club as planning officials recommend refusal of plan for a new football stadium at Underhill

Barnet Council’s planning department has come down firmly against Barnet Football Club’s application to build a new 7,000-seat stadium on Barnet Playing Fields at Underhill.

A decision on whether or not the council should give its support is in the hands of its strategic planning committee whose members meet at Hendon Town Hall at 7pm on Monday 14 July.

So far there has been little advance indication of how the committee might respond but the planning department could not be clearer in recommending refusal.

It says the plan to build a new stadium on a “valued local park” would result in “substantial and irreversible harm to the openness and function of the green belt”.

BringBackBarnet, the group which has been campaigning in support of the club returning to Underhill from its existing stadium at The Hive, Harrow, says it is disappointed by the recommendation against the application.

Whatever the outcome of Monday’s meeting, the campaign says it will not give up.

If the plan is rejected, the supporters’ group is convinced that Barnet FC will appeal against the decision and ask for a planning inquiry.

They believe government policy is moving in favour of releasing some green belt land for development and that Barnet Council should take advantage of the offer by the Barnet FC chairman Tony Kleanthous to invest £14 million in constructing a new stadium.

Disappointment for Barnet Football Club as council planners recommend refusal of bid for new stadium at Underhill on Barnet Playing Fields

Since Barnet’s success in gaining promotion next season to League Two of the English Football League, BringBackBarnet have made much of the boost which they believe the club’s return could deliver for Barnet town centre and the local economy.

However, that argument is dismissed by the planners who say any possible “socio-economic” benefits from Barnet’s return to its historic home at Underhill – which it left in 2013 – would not outweigh the significant harm that would result from the “permanent loss of a significant portion of this protected open space”.

The club had failed to demonstrate “very special circumstances” and had failed to address the impact of displaced spectator car parking on the surrounding highway network.

Barnet FC’s full application is for a stadium, with ancillary uses including food and beverage outlets, office and community space, a club shop, a diagnostic centre, an on-site car park for 165 vehicles and parking space for five coaches.

The proposed site is within the Metropolitan Green Belt and the loss of playing field land would be in conflict with national, regional and local planning policy.

An application of such strategic importance to London — and its location within the green belt – would necessitate it being referred to the Mayor of London.  

Currently under the Barnet Local Plan, Barnet Playing Fields and the adjoining King George V Playing Fields immediately to the south of Dollis Brook, are designated as a sports hub site.

There was an earlier proposal by Barnet Council for the construction of new central facilities for the playing fields – including changing rooms and a cafe – but no detailed plan has been submitted and one of the arguments of BringBackBarnet is that a new football stadium could provide amenities for the community which Barnet Council simply cannot afford.

One issue not addressed in the club’s application is the question of whether ownership of a new stadium site would be transferred to club chairman Tony Kleanthous.

The playing fields are currently the subject of a restrictive covenant between the National Playing Fields Association and the Mayor and Councillors of Barnet which requires them to be preserved as a charitable trust in perpetuity as a memorial to King George V and the King George’s Field Foundation.

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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 )

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.

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Mays Lane residents are increasingly concerned about the continuing failure to restore the derelict Quinta Youth Club building

After being boarded up for the last 20 years a fresh attempt is about to be made to see whether it might be possible to get the abandoned Quinta Youth Club in Mays Lane, Barnet, refurbished or rebuilt and returned to community use.

After their success in obtaining and maintaining protected status for Quinta Village Green — which adjoins the derelict clubhouse — residents are increasingly concerned about continuing vandalism and anti-social behaviour.

Barnet Council and representatives of other local groups are to be sounded out by the Quinta Village Green Residents Association to see what could be done to restore a sadly neglected building.

Planning approval was given in 2021for use of the clubhouse to be changed from community use to become a store for the library service for schools in the Borough of Barnet.

Although said to be “derelict and in a poor condition” and vacant since 2006, the council proposed to refurbish the existing single-storey building, install new doors and windows, and use it for the storage, archiving and dispatching of library books as part of the borough’s Schools Library Resource Service.

But nothing further has happened to the building in the intervening four years, prompting residents’ concerns about continuing vandalism, resulting in their appeal for more thought to be given as to its future use. 

After the being re-established and named after Quinta Village Green, the residents’ association has been engaged in several campaigns against threats to the Green Belt and is seeking better consultation on road safety schemes in Mays Lane.

Residents to launch fresh attempt to see whether derelict former Quinta Youth Club in Mays Lanes can be restored for community use.

Gina Theodorou, the first chair of the newly formed association, promoted their work with a stall at the Arkley Village Fayre.

“Given all that we have been doing to strengthen the Quinta village community, we do think it is perhaps time to see whether something can be done about the abandoned youth club.

“As it has been boarded up for the last 20 years, we are now reaching out to Barnet Council, who own the building, and to other local partners to explore opportunities for restoring it and bringing it back into community use.”

Currently the association is crowdfunding for the cost of legal representation at a public inquiry into an application for a travellers’ caravan site on Green Belt land in Mays Lane.

So far, a crowdfunded appeal has raised half the cost, but the association still needs to raise almost £7,000.

After getting the village green registered as a public open space, the association liaises with the council to ensure maintenance of the green and to ensure that fly tipping is removed.    

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Community gardens developed over 70 years ago together with meadows and hedgerows are now a wildlife haven

Tucked away at a wildlife site in the Barnet green belt is an enchanting array of community gardens which were developed in the 1950s, and which played a part in the early development of organic gardening.

Brookdale Wildlife Garden Community was established in 1951 when a group of a wartime allotment holders from Islington secured the lease of a ten-acre field on farmland owned by the Byng family at Wrotham Park.

Together with her friends who were also keen gardeners, Hilda Brooke, had grown fruit and vegetables on Hampstead Heath on what were known as “Dig for Victory” allotments.

When Hampstead Heath was reinstated after World War Two, they had to find a new site.

They moved to Barnet with the help and support of the Soil Association which was founded in 1946 to campaign for sustainable food production because of concern about the impact of intensive farming and resulting soil erosion and depletion.

An entire ten-acre field – which had formed part of a wartime decoy airfield to the north of Barnet — was leased to the exiled group of gardeners by Lady Elizabeth Byng for a first annual rent of £20.

Today, rather than concentrating on cultivation of produce, the Brookdale plot holders cherish their cluster of community gardens which have become a haven for wildlife.

Their individual gardens, community meadows and an ancient hedgerow — which are a designated wildlife site and are protected by an area tree preservation order — were visited recently (see above) by members of the Barnet Environment Centre who maintain the nature reserve in Byng Road.

During a tour of the gardens, they admired several of the small clay-lined ponds which are ideal for aquatic plants, attract dragon flies and provide a home for among others for frogs and great crested newts.  

After so many years of care and attention each plot is distinctive and in the case of Michael Bruce – who has the distinction of being Brookdale’s longest tenant – his garden is a much-cherished refuge from the hustle and bustle of everyday life in Islington.

Michael has a much-loved summer house, well-tended borders and numerous features which he has developed during 33 years at Brookdale.

An archway at the end of his plot looks out onto a community meadow. Just visible in the far distance is an obelisk, which Michael made from wood and which he brings in each winter to avoid unnecessary wear and tear during bad weather.

Christine Klein, who is a member of the Barnet Society and has been a plot holder since 2017, enjoys her personal haven of tranquillity and encourages the growth of wildflowers and shrubs.

“Unfortunately, I find it too difficult to grow vegetables. We get rabbits, muntjac and foxes visiting the plots and it would be hard work keeping them at bay.”

Just a step away from one of the community meadows is a former World War Two control bunker, a relic of the days when the site was a one of the decoy airfields intended to attract enemy bombers destined for the RAF Fighter Station at Northolt.

John Nicholls, a former vice chair of the group’s organising committee, seen above with his daughter Becky Nicholls, Brookdale’s membership secretary, said the bunker would have been a centre of operations for the decoy airfield.

“Dummy planes and painted canvases would have been laid out on the grass. We know that at night there were lights laid out to make it look like a landing strip.

“One story which we have been told is that the Germans found out it was a dummy airfield and even dropped a wooden bomb on the field to let everyone know.”

An official history of the decoy airfields says that the fuselages of about half a dozen Hurricanes mounted on wheels and with engines removed were used at Barnet.

Airmen moved about the field periodically at night riding bicycles fitted with lights to imitate aircraft movements.

Wartime gardeners from Hampstead Heath set up a group of community gardens at Barnet in the early 1950s which are now a wildlife haven.

The challenge today for Becky Nicholls is to ensure the long-term future of their garden community after all the efforts over the years by her father and her mother Anna (above).

Whatever the pressures might be on the green belt, the group believe their wildlife credentials and charitable status should give them an assured future.

Brookdale was awarded “wildlife site” status within the Hertsmere local development plan in 1997 and the gardens are covered by an area tree protection order.    

Currently Brookdale has 60 full members and eight associates.    

“We are open to new members and in recent years more of the plots have been taken by people living in and around Barnet,” said Becky.

“This does ensure the gardens are used more regularly than is sometimes the case with those members who still live in Islington or further afield.

“We are happy to welcome volunteers, especially young people doing the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, to help with the management of the habitat which takes a lot of effort.”

For further information contact Becky Nicholls at email bmnicholls101@gmail.com        

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Amid East Barnet’s Edwardian houses is an amazing new self-build home – an ideal solution for downsizing to a smaller property

Being able to downsize to a smaller property – and a chance to stay in the same locality – is an aspiration shared by many of the established residents who have homes in and around High Barnet.

Kathryn Finlayson, a long-time resident of East Barnet, has pulled off this feat in style.

She has moved to a new, smaller, eco-friendly house which is next door to what had been a family home for 60 years, midway between Church Hill Road and Oakleigh Park Station.

She readily acknowledges her good fortune.

Kathryn did have a house to sell and space alongside large enough for a new architect-designed property complete with a bedroom, living area and the facilities she needs all on the ground floor, with two bedrooms above.

Her achievement, at the age of 83, has won national acclaim.

Her ambitious, high spec self-build won glowing praise from television presenter Kevin McCloud when he visited the house for his programme Grand Designs, which was followed by an expansive feature spread in House Beautiful.

Kathryn decided to see if she could downsize – and still live nearby – after the death of her husband Jon, who was a prominent East Barnet architect.

He designed St John’s United Reform Church at the corner of Somerset and Mowbray Roads, New Barnet, which was opened in 1968 and won a Civic Trust award.

“After Jon died in 2022, I decided with the family to see if we could build a new house on our plot next door.

“Our family house was too big for me, expensive to run, and needed a lot of improvement like a new boiler and electrics.

“Jon had built a music room on the plot, and I knew it was big enough for a house as developers searching Google earth were always wanting to buy it.”

Kathryn’s son introduced her to architect James Mak who came up with the idea of a living area and bedroom on one level with two bedrooms above for family members.

“His drawings and design for the house were lovely. It seemed like the dream solution as I would end up living in the same street in a new super-efficient, low-cost home.”

Built London Ltd started construction in September 2023 and Kathryn moved in in November last year.

“Here I am living in an ideal position close to so many friends, near the station, and just a short walk to East Barnet village and lots of bus routes, which will be so important if I have to give up my car.”

The construction costs of over £800,000 were met from the sale of the family home next door, a four-bedroom Edwardian house built in 1908.

Kathryn was rather pensive for a moment when asked whether the whole exercise had all been a little daunting for an 80-year-old.

“Yes, I would do it again. The new house is so well insulated, with triple-glazed windows, and the energy use is so much more efficient, and I am delighted with the result.

“Perhaps if I was starting out again, I would think carefully as to whether it should all have been to such high spec.

“But then I did want it all to be as eco-friendly as possible and to save what material we could from Jon’s music room.

“He put down a wonderful elm floor and that wood has been used again in fitting out the kitchen and in building a new bookcase so that gives me real pleasure.”

Down sizing to a smaller eco-friendly property has been achieved in style by long-standing East Barnet resident still in same street after 60 years.

“I suppose my experience is an example as to how it is possible to downsize if you are fortunate enough to already own a property which can be sold to finance a new build.”

“I never thought we would attract the attention of Grand Designs but appearing on television has really raised my profile.

“I am very amused by the number of people who now say, ‘I’ve seen you on tv’ and who like to stand and admire the house.”

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Summer events planned at Barnet playing fields at Underhill include a circus and music and community festivals   

Zippos Circus will be at Barnet playing fields for five days in mid-May – one of several attractions to be staged this summer at a much-prized open space where Barnet Football Club has applied to build a new stadium.

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 already being advertised at the playing fields for later in the summer 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.

So far there is no indication when Barnet Council will make a decision on the application to build a new football stadium at Underhill.

Opinion is divided with Bring Barnet Back campaigning for the club’s return but with equally strong opposition being voiced by those against the loss of such a large open space which is within the Green Belt and beside the Dollis Valley green walk.

Barnet Playing Fields to host summer events including a circus, music festival and community fairs

The potential appeal of the playing fields as a location for music festivals and large community events might well be one of the considerations that the planners take into account when deciding whether the site should be redeveloped.

Advertisements promoting events at Underhill – previously held at Trent Park and Oak Hill Park – say the playing fields off Barnet Lane are an ideal location with excellent public transport nearby including eight bus routes, High Barnet tube station and New Barnet rail station.  

Zippos Circus is currently touring locations in and around London with its new show Bravo!

It will be at Acton Green from April 30 to May 6 and East Ham from May 9 to May 12 before moving to Barnet Playing Fields for five days – May 15 to 19.

The Eagle Festival (June 21-22, from 12noon to 10pm) is billed as a two-day celebration of “music, community and unforgettable events” with 20 “incredible artists”.

Facilities installed at the playing fields for the weekend of July 12 and 13 are to be shared between the Ghana Party in the Park on the Saturday (12noon to 8pm) and the Mauritius Open Air Festival on the Sunday.

The Ghana Party claims to be the biggest gathering of Ghanaians in the diaspora and attracts support from across the UK and Europe.

The Mauritius Open Air Festival offers the best of “Mauritius culture, music and flavour”.

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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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 Emerging from behind hoardings on the Great North Road will be new premises for what is said to be Barnet’s oldest cafe

Barnet’s popular roadside cafe, The Hole in the Wall, will have a prominent position on the Great North Road (A1000) if Barnet Council approves plans for redevelopment of the Meadow Works industrial estate at Pricklers Hill.

Instead of being hidden behind a line of hoardings, the cafe would be at the road frontage a new self-storage depot which will replace a group of workshops and other industrial and commercial premises.

An application by Compound Real Estate to regenerate the Meadow Works site with what it says will be a state-of-the-art self-storage facility, co-working spaces, and new premises for the Hole in the Wall Cafe, is now open for comment on the council’s planning website.

Support for the project has been indicated by the Barnet Society.

Robin Bishop, lead on planning and the environment, described the contemporary style of the new structure as “refreshingly restrained” for a self-storage facility, which was “nicely landscaped” along the A1000.

Although the original Meadow Works, midway between High Barnet and Whetstone – which started life as the Meadow Hand Laundry – was of historical interest, the society welcomed the improvement the project would deliver to the Pricklers Hill neighbourhood.

In seeking planning approval, Compound Real Estate say the replacement of a cluster of ageing and dilapidated light industrial buildings with a new self-storage facility and flexible co-working spaces will support local small businesses and entrepreneurs.

It calculates that the scheme will support the creation of up to 140 local jobs and deliver an annual financial uplift of £2.4 million to the local economy.

Compound say their scheme reflects the interests of surrounding residents and businesses by “replacing low-quality, temporary structures with a high-quality permanent development that addresses ground contamination, improves safety and enhances the environment.”

One immediate improvement for nearby residents will be the closure of the Dale Close access to Meadow Works, removing commercial service vehicles, to create a residential cul-de-sac.

Residents and interested parties can comment on the application until late April via the council’s planning portal (planning reference 25/1262/FUL) or by emailing planning.consultation@barnet.gov.uk

Planning application for new self-storage facility on Great North Road now open for comments on Barnet Council website

Kevin Callaghan, owner of the Hole in the Wall – established in 1935 as a popular stop off for traffic heading out of London — says he is delighted that the cafe will have a new permanent home.

“This is a real vote of confidence in small, local businesses. The site needs to be regenerated, and it is great that Meadow Works will be given a new lease of life.”

The switch to a self-storage depot was welcomed by the former owners of Meadow Works, James and Duncan Morris.

“We are pleased that the site will continue its industrial heritage and continue to support small and medium enterprises within Barnet.”

Jo Winter, development manager at Compound which specialises in developing and operating self-storage facilities integrated with co-working light industrial, said the company was committed to working with the local community and Barnet Council.

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Transport for London grilled at public meeting on its proposals for High Barnet Station car park

Chipping Barnet constituents filled most of the pews in St John the Baptist’s Church on Thursday evening, 20 March 2025, to tell Transport for London (TfL) what they thought about their proposal to build 300 flats next to High Barnet Station. After a passionate and occasionally acrimonious meeting, the TfL team will have no illusions about local opposition to their development. But the audience were also left in no doubt that – barring unforeseen constructional challenges or political events – we have little chance of securing more than a few tweaks to the design of the buildings or their outdoor spaces.

The plans were exhibited for public consultation at the end of February and presented at a TfL webinar on 4 March. They can be viewed online here, as can the Barnet Society’s response to them.

Dan Tomlinson MP called this meeting on The future of High Barnet station car park to give residents another chance to ask questions and pass their comments on the scheme directly to the developers. These are TfL’s property company Places for London and their house-building partner Barratt London. Patrick Clark headed their panel, which included members of their design team.

Opening the meeting, Mr Tomlinson explained that he himself is neutral about the scheme. Barnet’s recently adopted Local Plan designates the site for 292 homes, and the Labour Government and Mayor of London are committed to delivering much-needed new housing. If the Council refuses the scheme it will go to the Planning Inspectorate, who are almost certain to approve it.

But Mr Tomlinson wanted to ensure that, if it is approved by Barnet’s planning committee, the developers will have listened directly to people who live in Chipping Barnet, and the designs made as good as they can be. As an example, he pointed to the public footpath ramp that he has insisted must be improved with better lighting and benches. He also said that TfL has agreed in principle to move the northbound bus stop closer to Station Approach.

During a brief overview of the scheme by Patrick Clark, the mood of the audience quickly became apparent. His remark, ‘This will be a car-free scheme’ was greeted by hollow laughter and his promise of ‘four drop-off points’ by ironic applause.

Mr Tomlinson then invited questions from the audience around three topics: transport and connectivity, the design (particularly its height) and other issues including car parking.

A question about the impact of building work on the neighbourhood was answered by reassurance that a Construction Management Plan would be agreed with the Council, and that ‘just-in-time’ management of construction vehicles would minimise disruption. The added difficulties if Barnet Football Club stadium is built nearby at the same time were not addressed, however.

Members of the audience commented that the six proposed Blue Badge bays are not enough for current, let alone future, needs.

The panel was asked where residents of new flats will park. The reply that they will not be allowed to apply for Resident Parking Permits did not go down well.

A questioner noted that the Northern Line links High Barnet to many hospitals, and many nurses and other staff members use the tube early or return late after night shifts. Women in particular need the security of using their own cars at those times of the day. 

Another questioner deplored TfL’s reluctance to embrace any of the wider opportunities offered by the project such as improving cycling experience and safety.

Gordon Massey asserted that the current proposals ‘will take us back to 1872’ when there was no car park. It was in 1934 that the Barnet Residents Association first called for the lack of a bus stop on the station forecourt to be remedied.

A member of the audience speculated that TfL’s ruling out of buses on the station forecourt was driven not so much by technical constraints but by their wish to protect the bus schedules. That prompted a burst of clapping.

An even bigger round of applause followed another speaker’s observation that ‘It’s clear to me that this is a done deal.’

Regarding design, Mr Tomlinson and others pointed out that the Local Plan states that seven storeys is the maximum height for this location in Barnet. The planning consultant on the panel replied that London Plan Policy D9 allows greater height if certain criteria are satisfied.

There was universal agreement that TfL’s team must supply visualisations to prove their contention that the buildings would not interrupt key views. Mr Tomlinson strongly supported this request.

Katy Staton, a landscape architect, said the drawings were not adequate for this stage; more detail is essential. She also asked if the designs take into account the new building safety requirements such as for two staircases. The panel’s architect assured everyone that the buildings would comply with the latest Building Regulations.

Under other matters, a questioner asked what would be done to relieve pressure on local services. Mr Tomlinson said that he had already asked the Council for, and had been given, data on pupil numbers and the ability of local schools to accommodate them. Due mainly to the decline in the local birth-rate, there would be spare capacity. He reminded the audience that the Government is already investing heavily in the NHS. He is in regular dialogue with local GPs and assured us that additional funding would be available. If health services don’t improve by the next election, he quipped, ‘I’m a goner’.

Another questioner was worried about the safety risks to the 200 or so children likely to be living in the flats, especially from vehicles, since the plans showed no provision for emergency access, deliveries or visitors.

Nick Saul, a retired civil engineer, drew the panel’s attention to the fact that most of Barnet hillside was an artificial construct, and that the best structural advice should be obtained before a final commitment was made to proceed with the project.

The biggest boo of the evening followed a comment from the floor that TfL had admitted that a proportion of the flats could be sold to overseas investors. But 90 minutes was up and no time was left for a satisfactory answer to this or many other questions, though Mr Tomlinson invited the audience to let him know about any other concerns.

Additional reporting by Frances Wilson

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The designs for High Barnet Station car park are entirely out of scale and character with our neighbourhood. In return for such disruption, we deserve an accessible and environmentally enhancing transport hub

Following the recent public consultation about proposals for this highly prominent site, Dan Tomlinson MP is holding a meeting for residents to share their thoughts with the landowner, Transport for London (TfL), at 7pm on Thursday 20 March.

Chipping Barnet constituents can register here. Registered attendees will receive details of the location 24 hours before the event.

The designs exhibited earlier this month are still vague in important respects, but at present our community stands to gain very little from such a disruptive development. The Barnet Society has submitted the comments below to the developers, Places for London & Barratt London, on the issues that matter most to us.

Scale and character

The designs are entirely out of scale and character with our green and historic neighbourhood. At the top and bottom of Barnet Hill, few buildings exceed three storeys, but the new ones would rise over three times as high. They would totally dominate the existing townscape and greenery that makes High Barnet, Underhill and Barnet Vale special.

The use of red brick throughout is misplaced respect for local precedents. Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School, the Old Courthouse and Tudor Hall are dainty in contrast to the giant scale of the proposed buildings. Less uniform colour might lessen their overbearing impact.

Massing

The 8 & 10-storey blocks proposed contradict Barnet Council’s new Local Plan regarding tall buildings, which indicates a maximum height of seven storeys for this location. Therefore those proposed are too tall, and if approved, the Local Plan would fail at its first test.

While there could be a case for a larger building at the foot of the hill, alongside the railway bridge that already provides a ‘gateway’ to Barnet Hill, we are opposed to anything so tall as being proposed at the northern end of the site, where it would be visible from the historic town centre, the Green Belt of the Dollis valley and elsewhere.

Access

As a development led by TfL, which has direct interests in both the site and the transport and highway arrangements immediately outside it, it is reasonable for the local community to expect an exemplary and holistic approach to the designs worthy of the 21st century.

Considering the size and location of the development and its potential to enhance the neighbourhood, more must be done to remove danger and improve pedestrian and wheelchair connectivity between the tube, buses, taxis and private vehicles. Outside the station building itself, High Barnet is one of the least accessible stations on the network. The nearest southbound bus stop is more than 100 metres away, and the northbound bus (including ones to Barnet Hospital) double that – both up steep pedestrian slopes with narrow footways and problems crossing Barnet Hill.

We have been shown no evidence that buses cannot divert into the station forecourt, as they sometimes do at Finchley Central. The new bus lanes in the Lower High Street will speed up bus travel. Bus-activated traffic lights at the new Barnet Hill/A1000 pedestrian crossing could obviate the need for northbound buses to wait to cross. At the very least, a northbound stop must be provided as close as possible to Station Approach (i.e. the southern vehicle ramp). For certain services e.g. the 234 & 384, an additional step-free stop should be provided on the station forecourt.

Despite the proposed new pedestrian crossing lower down Barnet Hill, access to and from Greenhill Parade and Station Road would be tortuous and frustrating. The distance to bus stops would be especially so for residents at the southern end of the development wanting to reach shops and services in New Barnet, Whetstone and Finchley.

Car parking

We are unconvinced by the rationale for removing the car park leaving only disabled parking. Many Barnet residents, and those in nearby Hertfordshire, live far from a tube or railway station. There are many reasons why people will continue to drive to the station in the future, particularly as this is the end of the line where people come from further afield. Maybe they would or should use buses instead, but front door-to-station door trip time can exceed an hour so this is not realistic in many cases.

The car park at the station allows interchange between different transport modes, and discourages people driving further into London (and taking advantage of cheaper travel zones). Without it, many vehicles will be displaced onto local residential streets, despite the proposed CPZs, or will add pressure to existing town car parks.

Abolition of commuter parking is also likely to lead to more dropping off, waiting and picking-up on an access road already congested at peak times.

Lack of spaces for residents, visitors and 24/7 deliveries would exacerbate this. National guidelines are that 300 new flats would generate an additional 18 parking spaces.

For these reasons we are surprised that proposals did not include a reduced car park, for example in a semi-basement underneath the flats, as has been provided at Colindale and elsewhere in both Barnet and across London.

Housing mix and quality

We need clarity on the mix of housing size and tenure types, their internal planning, aspect and measures to combat noise, poor air quality and overheating.

We also wish to see more detailed floor plans, building sections and landscape proposals to enable us to assess the quality of the development as a whole and its connectivity with neighbouring streets and local amenities. This information also needs to show how a good range of outdoor play would be possible for children of all ages and abilities, that any potential risk of harm to health and safety caused by the electricity transformer in the centre of the site will be adequately mitigated, and that the outdoor realm on the trackside of the housing blocks would not be conducive to anti-social behaviour.

Finally, TfL’s admission (in their 4 March webinar) that overseas marketing of units has not been ruled out undermines a fundamental justification for the development: London’s dire housing needs.

Conclusion

We are unconvinced that this project is economically and socially viable. It is halfway up the steep and unstable Barnet Hill, and based on the Barnet Society’s knowledge of the geology of the area, we do not feel adequate engineering infrastructure has been accounted for.

The housing is also squeezed between the noisy, polluted railway line and the equally polluted Great North Road, meaning that the scheme would offer an unhealthy built environment with unacceptable access for residents and station users alike. 

The prospect of new shops and cafés by the station is unfortunately belied by the decades of economic precarity of similar businesses in the Lower High Street. The investment would be better spent reviving existing premises.

We should also point out that if the current planning application for a new Barnet FC stadium is approved, there could be an unacceptable increase in construction traffic on roads in and around the town centre.

Unless the above matters can be addressed, at present the Barnet Society is minded to oppose the proposals.

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The Barnet Society supports Barnet FC returning closer to its historic roots. But we have severe reservations about aspects of the Club’s case

We wholeheartedly support the principle of Barnet Football Club returning closer to its historic roots, and we can see some potential benefits for Chipping Barnet as well as the Club. But we have severe reservations about key aspects of the Club’s case.

We’ve submitted our comments on the Club’s outline planning application to Barnet Council planners, and you can read a slightly abbreviated version below. We’ve focused on four key aspects of the Club’s case: Green Belt and environment, transport and parking, community benefit and economic value.

Green Belt and environment

We oppose building on the Green Belt as a matter of principle. Numerous Green Belt sites in our area have recently been, or currently are, threatened by development. For the Council to approve such a major development on one of Chipping Barnet’s most visible open spaces would set a deeply damaging precedent.

If approved, permission should be subject to a guarantee that, should the football use fail and the site become vacant, the club could not sell the site as brownfield or grey belt and realise a gain in land value. It should revert to Barnet Council or the site be remediated. This must be enforced by a robust legal agreement and/or lease with the Council (both as planning authority and landowner).

We’re not opposed to change of any kind. Although Barnet Playing Fields is a vital link in the lovely chain of greenery along the Dollis valley, its main contribution is its openness and as a popular resource for the leisure and wellbeing of local residents and their dogs. Its contribution to local biodiversity is quite limited, comprising mainly a large grass sward that is unsuitable and little used for the team games for which it was originally intended.

If designed to the latest best practice, new landscaping would support a markedly richer range of plants and wildlife. And it should be perfectly possible to design a range of spaces for exercise, contemplation and socialising, linked by walking, wheelchair, jogging and cycling routes that would be at least as attractive as the present Playing Fields.

The application documents are, however, light on information demonstrating that the new facility would be set within meaningful landscape design, embedded in its context.  With such a sensitive site it is imperative that this level of detail is considered, designed and demonstrated.  

While we welcome the applicants’ commitment to meeting the Mayor of London’s Biodiversity Net Gain and Urban Greening Factor standards, for such a sensitive site we’d expect higher aspirations.

We also have more detailed concerns including the need for a landscape statement, less hardscape, more biodiversity, a drainage strategy and a link with the Dollis Valley Greenwalk. Careful attention would be essential to lighting, waste disposal and site security

Although the stadium design employs various green strategies, it appears to fall short of net zero standards. Its claims to be fully recyclable must be substantiated robustly, since if the Club fails in its Football League ambitions it would otherwise become a white elephant in the Green Belt.

Transport and parking

We’re aware of historic local concerns about traffic congestion and on-street parking on match days, so we’re puzzled by the Planning Statement’s claim (in paragraph 12.2.10) that ‘The impact of matchday movement will be more significant [than non-matchdays] but will take place infrequently’ – as if that would allay residents’ concerns. It also claims to identify mitigation measures in the Transport Assessment, but we cannot find these in the documents. Information about, and marshalling of, travel routes would be critical, not least for visiting fans travelling via car or public transport.

We’d also expect analysis of the effect on bus services, especially for mid-week games that could affect local schools. The location of a Superloop stop also needs careful consideration (in association with Ark Pioneer Academy).

We can’t find the basis for the quantity of onsite parking of cars and coaches. Although these may be adequate for present attendances at The Hive – and it would be wasteful to leave empty parking spaces for most of the year – we’d expect to see a strategy for future expansion in the event of 7,000-capacity crowds.

How have the levels of bicycle parking been calculated? There doesn’t appear to be adequate provision close to the stadium. 

We’d also point out that if the current proposal to build 300 flats on High Barnet Station car park proceeds, there could be an unacceptable increase in construction traffic on roads in and around the town centre.

Community uses & benefits

Our view is that there would be social value in rebuilding a sense of identity of this part of Barnet which older members feel has been lost. But Barnet Community Stadium must bring benefits to the wider community, not just football fans.

The Planning Statement says (in paragraph 1.1.2) that ‘community space’ and a ‘community diagnostic health centre’ will be provided and (in para 10.3.5) that the Club’s Charitable Foundation aims ‘to bring the local community together to encourage participation in sport with a particular focus on promoting physical exercise with older adults, disadvantaged young people and supporting girls into football’.

These all sound splendid, but the plans are diagrammatic and unclear as to how those aims would be delivered. For example, would fully accessible changing rooms be provided for young and old members of the public as well as for the professional footballers? What sort of community activities would be possible, eg playgroups, youth clubs, meetings and parties? And would adequate storage for chairs, tables and equipment be available for different user groups?

Economic value

The Planning Statement states (in para 10.4.4) that the project would deliver £6.0 million Gross Value Added impact, approximately 85 FTE net additional jobs and £350,000 per annum of social value (in addition to construction phase economic impacts). Apparently these calculations are based on standard methodology, but we question whether sufficient local commercial analysis has been carried out.

We accept that match days would generate some additional demand for eating and drinking, but since we understand that franchises would be accommodated in or adjacent to the ground, we doubt that much of fans’ spend would benefit local business.

Conclusion

If we could be satisfied that the matters the Society has raised above have been properly addressed, we would be pleased to support this application.

You can submit your own comments here. The deadline for online comments is Wednesday 19 March.

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Compost bins and another bug hotel are all on the itinerary when visiting New Barnet’s innovative community garden

A guided tour of New Barnet’s much-cherished community garden by Wendy Alcock, founder of the Incredible Edible campaign, was a highlight of the group’s annual seed swap at St John’s United Reformed Church.

Wendy (above) gave gardening demonstrations as she went along – all part of her aim to encourage residents to make 2025 the year to grow more of their own food.

The seed swap is a chance to come along with seeds, small plants, tools, pots etc. and to swap them for free with someone else.

An extension to the community garden and green space – along three sides of the church at the junction of Somerset Road and Mowbray Road — was officially opened last year.

Incredible Edible was started by Wendy to encourage home cultivation in gardens and unused land.

The community garden around St John’s demonstrates what can be achieved by clearing and preparing what was previously an unusable rubble-strewn area.

A second bug hotel has been created in the corner of the newly cleared land with the aim of encouraging more insect life.

Another recent innovation – now in its second year – are the compost bins which were installed to produce leaf mould.

When Barnet Council ground staff collect leaves from the borough’s parks, the community garden is an eager recipient.

New Barnet community garden leading the way in campaign to encourage more home cultivation

Rotting leaves from last year were displayed by Dave McCormick, an Incredible Edible volunteer, and long-standing member Barnet Friends of the Earth and Barnet Clean Air.

An extra compost bin was added last autumn when the council delivered a total of 50 bags of green leaves swept up from parks around the borough.

“After rotting down for a year those 50 bags will produce ten bags of leaf mould which is so important in adding structure to the soil.

“We could take many more leaves from the council and what our community garden demonstrates is the great potential there is.

“We hope more groups can establish composting arrangements in the hope the council can be encouraged to give us even more of the leaves that have to be swept up each autumn.”   

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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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Planning surprise from Transport for London: construction of ten storey high block of flats next to entrance to High Barnet tube station

Revised plans for blocks of flats to be built over the car park at High Barnet tube station show that the highest would be ten storeys in height.

A total of five blocks ranging from eight to ten storeys would be constructed alongside Barnet Hill with the tallest opposite the lower entrance to the tube station.

There would be a new re-aligned approach road to the station and the siting of the ten-storey block (see above), positioned below Barnet Hill, was said to compensate for the extra height.

Transport for London’s property company Places for London and developers Barratt say the scheme will provide 300 new homes of which a minimum of 40 per cent will be affordable either through social rents or shared ownership.

A planning application for the development is due to be submitted by April or May with the hope that approval might be gained by the end of the year so that construction could start in 2026.

The revised plans were on show at a public exhibition at Tudor Hall which will be repeated on Saturday 1 March (11am to 3pm) followed by an online webinar on Tuesday 4 March from 6.30pm to 7.30pm (contact HighBarnet@fieldconulsting.co.uk)

A visual representation showed a new look bus stop on the station side of Barnet Hill.

A new pavement, which would be created beside the flats after the removal of the existing retaining wall, would extend down Barnet Hill with a new pedestrian crossing at the junction with Underhill.

Another illustration showed the position of the new flats when viewed from Underhill.

The proposed height of the blocks was criticised by Robin Bishop, who leads on planning for the Barnet Society. He considered the development was “entirely out of character” with the existing neighbourhood where most of the houses were of two to three storeys.

“These proposed blocks are three times taller than is normal for housing in the area and if the development goes ahead, it will alter the identity of the neighbourhood.”

Gordon Massey, planning officer for Barnet Residents Association, shared the society’s concern about the proposed height of the blocks.

Under Barnet Council’s local plan for the car park site, buildings of eight storeys or more would not be acceptable.

“This is an elevated site on Barnet Hill and if blocks of eight to ten storeys are approved this will drive a coach and horses through the local plan.

“The station site application is the first big scheme since the local plan was developed so this scheme is a real challenge for Barnet Council.

“If this development is approved it will set a real precedent. What would stop developers trying to build blocks of flats all along the Dollis Valley?”

Brendan Hodges, Places for London planning manager (above left) defended the proposed height of the blocks. He said the developers’ argument would be that local plans allowed for a case to be made and for flexibility.

“This development ticks all the boxes. It is a brown-field site with 300 homes, 40 per cent of them affordable, going to be built next to a tube station.

“It is a scheme which takes the pressure off surrounding land in the Green Belt and meets the government’s objective of building new homes.

“I think the fact that we have a local council, the Mayor of London and a government which are all aligned in wanting to achieve the same objective means the wind is blowing in our direction.”

When Places for London and Barratt held their first consultation on the plan in November last year the issue that caused the greatest concern was the confirmation that if the flats are built the tube station will lose all its 160 car park spaces.

A survey conducted since that exhibition disputed the contention that the loss of a car park would cause considerable inconvenience for passengers. It showed that the car park accounted for only eight per cent of the total daily entries to the station.

The survey showed that 42 per cent of those drivers who used the car park had a walking time of less than 30 minutes to the station and that 89 per cent of the drivers started their journey within 500 metres of a bus stop.

Gordon Massey dismissed these findings. Removal of all car parking spaces at High Barnet would have a detrimental impact on the town because more drivers would try to park within the town centre which would in turn cut the number of spaces for shoppers.

Despite the developers’ intention to create a dedicated drop off point outside the tube station entrance, he feared the loss of the car park would lead to even more congestion in the station approach road.

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Barnet Society responses to consultations on the Green Belt

The Barnet Society’s 75th birthday in 2020 was a timely moment to celebrate, in three recent Website articles, the local Green Belt that was the original reason for our existence. In recent years, the Society has submitted responses to public consultations regarding the Green Belt by the All Party Parliamentary Group, the London Assembly, Hertsmere Council and the London Borough of Enfield.

Continue reading Barnet Society responses to consultations on the Green Belt