High Barnet Place planning application refused by 8 votes to 1!
After a nearly three-hour Strategic Planning Committee meeting this evening, Barratt London’s planning application for 283 flats on High Barnet Station car park was refused on grounds of excessive height and harm to local context (see jtp Architects & Masterplanners visualisation above). It’s a magnificent vindication for the 802 Barnet residents who objected to it.
The decision follows last Thursdays’ rejection of a much larger proposal for 1,485 homes plus replacement leisure, sports and other facilities on the site of the former Great North Leisure Park off the A1000 by the North Circular in Finchley. It’s encouraging that the Council is willing to treat cases on their merits instead of simply shooing through every housing project.
The Barnet Society role
The Society had submitted a 64-page critique of the application plus a further 8 pages of comments on recent Barratt amendments. In his report, the Planning Officer summarized our comments in just 10 lines, a feat of compression worthy of a planning award. But that didn’t matter as we had circulated our full comments to all Councillors on the Committee, as well as to the Councillors of Barnet Vale, High Barnet & Underhill wards.
We’d collaborated closely with Barnet Residents Association (BRA) whose submission was broadly aligned with ours; and members of both organisations were kept informed at all stages. Of the 802 individual comments posted on the planning portal, it was notable how many were well argued, detailed and by no means standardized letters – unlike many of those supporting the application.
The meeting
At the meeting the Planning Officer summarized his 100-page report and recommended approval of the application.
Three ward Councillors then addressed the meeting in person (in addition to the nine Councillors on the Committee itself): Cllrs Sue Baker, David Longstaff & Mark Shooter. Though from three different parties, all passionately opposed the application, which may have made an impression on the members of the Committee.
A dozen objectors had asked to speak but Committee rules only allowed one. By prior agreement between them Simon Kaufman, a local architect and Society member, spoke against the scheme, supported when it came to questions from Councillors by Gordon Massey of BRA and Nick Saul of BRA & the Society.
Simon began by circulating some of Barratt’s misleading visualisations, pointing out that the height of several blocks exceeded the limits in Barnet’s Local Plan. He disputed that the design was ‘exceptional’ as Barratt claimed. No Conservation Officer’s view had been obtained on the impact of the design; it would be visually dominant, out of character and harm the settings of St John the Baptist’s Church and High Barnet Station. He deplored the quality of the housing and public realm; the result would not be an inclusive, sustainable community. He noted numerous concerns about personal safety and vehicle congestion. Public consultation had been performative, not collaborative. The scheme offered no tangible community benefits, repeated mistakes of the 1970s and Barnet would inherit the long-term costs.
One young woman, a student of Barnet & Southgate College, spoke in support of the application – but when asked by a Councillor if she would like to live in the development, admitted that she didn’t live in Barnet and probably wouldn’t.
Barratt were represented by project director Martin Scholar and a colleague. They emphasized their experience of delivering similar housing developments and denied that financial viability was their only criterion.
Committee Chair Cllr Nigel Young probed Barratt’s justification for breaching the 7-storey height limit for the site in Barnet’s Local Plan. When they replied that the station would benefit from a tall landmark, he quoted from the Plan’s Examining Inspectors who had identified High Barnet’s skyline as a defining feature of the locality and asked whether they had given that due consideration. Barratt’s representatives didn’t have a satisfactory answer.
Committee members then debated the proposal between themselves, but when put to the vote the outcome was surprisingly decisive.
What will happen next?
The application, being one of strategic importance to London, must be referred to the Mayor of London, who may call it in or refuse it.
Barratt has the right to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate against the Council’s refusal, but that would entail months of delay with no guarantee of success.
A simpler solution would be for Barratt to slice the tops off blocks over 7 storeys and modify the design to look more in keeping with the existing neighbourhood. That would probably mean offering less than the 40% of affordable housing in the rejected scheme. However, if they could significantly improve interchange and accessibility between all forms of transport around the station – and even provide some car parking – they might surprise themselves by the amount of public support a new scheme could attract.
Below (L to R): Gordon Massey (BRA), Simon Kaufman & Nick Saul display three shades of happiness at the scene of their victory.
Tags: #Barnet Council #Chipping Barnet #High Barnet Place #High Barnet Station
19 thoughts on “High Barnet Place planning application refused by 8 votes to 1!”
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TFL are wanting to sell their land to developers for short term profit under the guise it is good for the communities. High Barnet Cockfosters Arnos Grove among many. Car parks up for grabs to developers who have no interest in the people who live in the area. Many drive to these northern stations so they can travel to work or for leisure on the Tube so bringing money to TFL and spending money in the areas they are travelling to. Also we need the dignity of small terraced cottages 1 or 2 bedrooms with a small garden. Not high rise flats where residents live cheek by jowl with badly made buildings broken lifts and no green space. All for profit I suspect. No thought for human dignity. Thank you Council reason prevails.
Well done on interrogating a 17-year-old and then completely misrepresenting what she actually said. Truly outstanding journalism.
17 year old was not named so how would she be affected by this (probably accurate) attribution?
They didn’t misrepresent what she said, I was at the meeting!
And in my opinion , she seemed to be speaking on behalf of a company “Places for London”, a plant, without disclosing it. I doubt very much a 17 year old with no real understanding of the area other than attending college & who after being questioned by councillors, stated they wouldn’t necessarily buy a property at the planned development site – would make a real journalist dismiss her comments or want to investigate further what her links were to the developers!
Lynsey – I watched the meeting online and I agree with you. She mainly spoke about feeling unsafe around the station because she felt the lighting was poor, which is a valid point, but little to do with the building of flats and the removal of the car park. I thought the committee were far kinder with their questioning of her than they would have been if an adult had put forward the same argument. The supporting side would have done better to find a young person from the High Barnet area with concerns about being able to afford housing in their home town than someone who is commuting to High Barnet for limited time and has no plans to live here.
Well done everyone that objected to this scheme. We should be able to say how we want our local area, not Khan, he doesn’t live in barnet.
The next meeting should have High Barnet residents that have actually read the proposal and scheme. Would make it much more productive! Especially familiarising themselves with the parking situation!
Delighted – well done to all who campaigned and worked towards this decision. Sadly however, Khan, I suspect, will just wave it through….
Great work by Robin and the BS.
Be prepared for them to come back for more. TFL established a company with the sole purpose of developing tube carparks and land assets.
Why are they permitted to do this? Using our taxes to propose schemes that we don’t agree with.
Excellent news! Was the voting largely on party political lines?
Do we have views on this decision from our current Chipping Barnet MP and former MP?
Yes absolutely stupid idea as are all these planned station car park plans …no right to sell off pur puclic facilities built for the sole purpose of travelling public .these plans will make use of public transport less likely not more !…it will create parking issues in residential streets nearby..put pressure on local schools .hospitals . Chemists.doctors ..
With no provision made for these !!
We got rid of these high rise drug dens in the 60s…why would we make the same mistakes again!
IT HAS TO BE STOPPED!
Yes, the support and hard work of Robin Bishop of The Barnet Society and his colleagues in submitting such a well researched, detailed and argued objection to the TFL planning application in support of Barnet residents was a huge factor in getting the Planning Committee to arrive at its decision to reject the redevelopment of High Barnet Station.
But can the Mayor of London still overrule the Planning Committee’s decision?
If he can, he probably will, given that the land was being sold off to cover up his financial mismanagement.
Thanks to all at The Barnet Society for your hard work and dedication in getting this result. Without your advice and alerts regarding this issue, it may well have gone ahead. I would urge everyone reading this who isn’t a member of The Barnet Society to pay a subscription, it’s a small price to pay for the hard work protecting our area.
Thanks TBS and have a great Xmas.
Thank goodness for that it would have been a catastrophe to the area
Such good news!
Common sense prevailed.
Power to the people!