Theresa Villiers, MP for Chipping Barnet, has stepped in to support residents in a renewed attempt to stop the demolition of 33 Lyonsdown Road, New Barnet, a locally-listed Victorian villa which the Barnet Society and other heritage groups have been campaigning to save since 2017.

She said the developers’ decision to press ahead with their plans was a terrible shock and it would be a tragic loss if such a stunning building was replaced with a block of flats.

Ms Villiers, who joined a residents’ protest outside the front door of the villa, promised to reinforce their campaign.

She said she would write to the development company Abbeytown Ltd, at the offices of estate agents Martyn Gerrard, to ask them think again and instead of pulling it down, convert the existing building into flats and housing.

“It is so sad to see such a beautifully designed villa, which is such a feature of New Barnet, threatened at the last minute with demolition, when the Barnet Society and others have fought so successfully to have it preserved.

“I do hope Abbeytown will think again and safeguard the future of the villa.”

Abbeytown’s plans to build new flats on the site have been turned down twice by Barnet Council’s planning committee – and two planning appeals have been lost – but approval for demolition was given unexpectedly in June under what is known as the permitted development procedure.

Simon Gerrard, one of the Abbbeytown directors and the managing director of the Martyn Gerrard estate agency, is prominent supporter of the permitted development procedure which was introduced by the government to speed up planning approvals.

Ms Villiers said she disagreed with Mr Gerrard and believed consent for the demolition of 33 Lyonsdown Road should not have been given under permitted development procedure.

“Permitted development rights have gone too far because they have taken democratically elected representatives out of the process.

“I have opposed a number of applications for permitted development. I’m sorry, but I’m not on the same page as Simon Gerrard on this procedure. I hope to talk to him and the other directors about it, and about the future safeguarding of 33 Lyonsdown Road.”

Mr Gerrard, who is a director of the National Federation of Property Professionals and a past president of the National Association of Estate Agents, has criticised the approach of local authorities which have stood in the way of developers and blocked the approval of permitted development applications.

In a commentary published in February, he warned that the delivery of much needed new homes was fading fast because the government had no interest in following through on their promise to “get Britain building”.

“Grand announcements made last year encouraging developers to pursue permitted development applications have proved to be a work of fiction, with councils almost unanimously turning down applications the government assured the sector would be approved.”

Since Abbeytown’s success in June in persuading Barnet Council to grant the demolition of 33 Lyonsdown Road – a decision taken “by default” and without reference to the planning committee – Mr Gerrard has declined to engage with local residents, the Barnet Society or other groups on the company’s plans for the villa.

There has been no reply to the society’s most recent letter and the absence of a dialogue with the community was regretted by Ms Villiers.

Her support in attending a residents’ protest at the front door of the villa was welcomed by the Barnet Society (from left to right, Theresa Villiers and committee members Simon Kaufman and Guy Braithwaite and the society’s lead on planning, Robin Bishop).

 Residents say 33 Lyonsdown Road is one of the finest buildings in New Barnet.

“We are so pleased the MP came along to give support. No.33 is part of our neighbourhood. We all want to see it renovated and put to good use rather than replaced with a block of flats,” said Sue Robinson.