News from The Barnet Society

Irving Wardle, one of the most distinguished theatre critics of his generation, who in recent years appeared in several theatrical productions at The Bull Theatre in High Barnet, has died at the age of 93.

Enjoy a glass of locally brewed craft beer or real ale for a final few afternoons and evenings at the Urban Alchemy bar in the Chipping Work Shop in Barnet High Street before its last day of trading on Sunday 26 March.

Developing Barnet as "a borough of fun" is the objective of Barnet Council and to help achieve this there are to be increases in the number of people who are allowed to attend events in some of the borough's 200 parks and open spaces.

A fresh application to redevelop some of the woods and farmland at Whalebones in Wood Street, High Barnet -- but this time with fewer new homes -- is about to be made on behalf of the trustees of the estate.

Barnet appears to be leading the way among outer London boroughs in the speed with which cameras and equipment is being installed by Transport for London for the introduction of the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone which will impose a £12.50-a-day levy on older vehicles.

With persistent warnings of shortages of fresh vegetables there seems to be even greater enthusiasm for grow-your-own produce -- and that was certainly the vibe at an event organised by Barnet's Incredible Edible campaign aimed at encouraging home cultivation in gardens and on unused land.

For 30 years Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet -- which is celebrating its 450th anniversary -- was at the apex of a clash between opposing education policies which were being pursued by Labour and Conservative governments, and which at the time split the country.

Despite the pace of new building in Barnet, most of our existing homes fall well below the environmental standards we need to meet to avoid climate catastrophe.

Join the Barnet Society for a fun evening, of delicious food, a raffle and a chance to meet like minded people to talk about local issues. On Tuesday 21 March at 7pm we will be holding a fundraising dinner at Melange 135 High Street in High Barnet.

Tributes from former colleagues, fans and fellow sports journalists to the legendary BBC football commentator John Motson have been reflecting on his fondness for Barnet Football Club where the young Motson cut his teeth as a cub reporter on the Barnet Press.

Action to thwart the onward advance of tower blocks around High Banet and close to the Green Belt was a shared objective of a panel of politicians and architects at a Barnet Society discussion on future housing needs.

A steep increase in crimes recorded by the police in and around High Barnet during the last 12 months -- and especially since the start of the year -- is a matter of real concern says the group that monitors the response of the town's Safer Neighbourhood Team.

BBC Television were present on Hadley Green to record the final inspection and handover of a newly-restored pink granite water fountain which will once again offer the chance of a refreshing drink of water after being out of order for the last 50 years.

Barnet Vale residents are being consulted about possibilities for restoring long-abandoned changing rooms used by New Barnet Football Club and finding ways to bring the building back into community use. Unless refurbished, the boarded-up single-storey structure – already badly vandalised – might end up being deemed unsafe and the opportunity for re-use could be lost.

After years of dereliction, Barnet Homes have published proposals for sites in Moxon Street and Whitings Road for public consultation. The designs are better than previous schemes for the same sites approved several years ago, but never built.

Residents in the north of Barnet have recently felt besieged by new housing developments. We want more – and decent – homes for elderly as well as first-time buyers, but much of what is offered is unimaginative, out of scale and character with our neighbourhood, and mostly unaffordable. Surely we can do better?

Patience is the watchword among staff and volunteers at the Rainbow Centre on the Dollis Valley estate as they wait for Barnet Council to refurbish a dis-used sports pavilion to provide a new base for community activities. Relocating the centre from the estate to nearby new premises was first proposed two years ago.

Angry Potters Bar residents joined forces to form a mass protest to promote their campaign for the restoration of the 84 bus service between Potters Bar and New Barnet which was withdrawn by Transport for London last year.

After standing proud and erect for almost a century and a half, Hadley Green's magnificent drinking fountain is in pieces, awaiting restoration and getting re-connected to the water supply.

Another milestone has been passed on the long and challenging road towards re-furbishing and re-opening the historic cricket pavilion in Tudor Park, New Barnet Countless hours spent on paperwork and form filling have paid off and the Friends of Tudor Park and Pavilion have finally achieved charitable status.