Planning inspector is being asked to reconsider Barnet Council’s rejection of plans for Barnet Football Club’s return to Underhill
Barnet Football Club has launched an appeal against the refusal of Barnet Council to approve an application to build a new stadium at Underhill.
A public inquiry before a planning inspector will give the club a chance to explain what it believes are the reasons why a new football ground should be permitted on playing fields close to the club’s previous stadium.
Despite being within the Green Belt, the club hopes an inspector will overturn the planning department’s advice that a new stadium in a “valued local park” would result in “substantial and irreversible harm to the openness and function of the Green Belt”.
BringBarnetBack, the group which is campaigning to bring the club back to a site as close as possible to its original home at Underhill, believe every effort should be made to secure a full public hearing.
When the application was considered by the strategic planning committee in July, members voted by 6-0 to reject the plan (with three councillors abstaining).
Councillor Barry Rawlings, leader of the council, told the Barnet Society that planning officials were now assessing the grounds of which the club had launched its appeal.
As the debate about whether Barnet FC should return to Underhill – from its current base at The Hive, Harrow – was now “a live issue” once again he was restricted in what he could say.
But he wanted to emphasise that his door as council leader remained open if the club did come forward with other alternative sites for a new stadium in or around High Barnet.
“It is difficult because of the proximity of the Green Belt, but as a council we would be prepared to look at other sites suggested by the club, such as a ground shared with another club or land already designated for sport.”
A survey conducted by the Barnet Society among community groups and councillors before decision in July, showed that the town was split down the middle over whether a 7,000-seat stadium should be built on Barnet Playing Fields.
Underhill Councillor Zahra Beg, who spoke out against the application in July, said she remained opposed to using the playing fields for a football stadium, but she was anxious to understand the grounds on which the club was appealing.
In view of promotion to League Two of the Football League, BringBarnetBack believe the club’s current success – it is currently placed 10th in the League – strengthens the case for securing a return to Underhill which they argue would provide a tremendous boost to match attendances and boost the High Barnet economy.
Tags: #Barnet Council #High Barnet #Planning
17 thoughts on “Planning inspector is being asked to reconsider Barnet Council’s rejection of plans for Barnet Football Club’s return to Underhill”
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It’s nonsense that there will be any significant impact to the economy beyond a few pubs and kebab shops for a few hours 24 days a year.
Barnet FC will be running food concessions inside the ground, which will make profit for the chairman. Those that drive will use those and there is little between the ground and the stations as it’s in a residential area. And do we want to loose a park to benefit unhealthy pubs and takeaways?
The congestion it will inevitably cause will deter people from visiting the town centre on match days.
There are a fair few of us that don’t want this stadia in the park area. My kids school (Ark) is in the site of the original Underhill Stadium and there is no facility to ensure the safety of the children from the school. It also takes away parkland that the kids play on and use every week. There are other parts of Barnet which are much more suitable.
As someone supporting Barnet FC from Sweden, I would never even had heard of Barnet/Borough of Barnet if not for the football club. It brings so much good reputation to the area and I have visited Barnet many times the last 20 years bringing my wallet more empty after leaving and having had cultural exchange during the stay.
With that said, Barnet residents should really support boost to society. Does everyone know that the club finances the stadium by itself?
We need to bring Barnet home. They should never have been forced out in the first place. Think of the boost to local businesses in the area and what a difference it would make to them come match days.
They were never forced out. Barnet FC bought the freehold for 10K and due to an ambiguity/drafting error in the contract, if they left the borough after 10 years they would keep the full proceeds if they sold after 10 years, otherwise Barnet council would receive a proportion.
Like clockwork, 10 years later they announced they were selling up and leaving the borough and would collect £14 million of tax payers money.
Purely a commercial decision, there were many untruths told about access and leasehold costs for the alley and the cricket ground but they were just a smokescreen to justify leaving the borough in order to exploit the Barnet residents.
But if a new stadium is built in Barnet — which will be funded by the club — it’s estimated to cost around £14million. So isn’t that Mr Kleanthous essentially putting the Underhill sale money back into the borough, if afforded the opportunity to do so? Objecting to any proposed stadium is the thing that’ll deny the local area that financial injection, no?
It will be a 14 million asset owned by Tony Kleanthaus (usually separate to the club), not owned by Barnet Borough, unless I missed it and he is transferring ownership to Barnet Council, which I suspect he is not.
The Bring Barnet Back campaign have said that it’s not true that the club have launched an appeal. They say that the club is still conducting meetings with councillors before deciding what course of action to take. Is Councillor Rawlings up to mischief?
Bring Barnet Back! It would be great for the area, socially and economically. It’s time to bring it home.
We’ve been here before. Local residents do not want this. The infrastructure isn’t there. This is a space for locals to enjoy riding a bike, going to the playground being a green space, not a car park and football stadium.Find another space please.
If all we ever say is ‘No!’ then nothing will ever change or improve. This is something to say ‘Yes!’ to – for the good of the community and future generations.
Bringing the club back to its home of 106 years on a piece of land that’s barely used is totally compelling for the social and economic boost it will provide the town of Barnet.
Barely used? Sorry, but that’s simply not true. Find somewhere that doesn’t destroy the green space of a community forevermore.
Barely used is a good description and the council are slowly becoming aware of the truth. This isn’t about protecting a much loved community green space as described at the Town Hall, it’s blatant Nimbyism to stop a development that will benefit the town. The council are already committed to building a sports hub and cafe on the land, when they can find the money, so allowing the football club to build this into their plans, will make financial sense from a council tax payers point of view.
We need our football club back in its home town ,you should of never knocked down our beloved stadium 🏟 my dad went there when he was 5 years old and his 95 now and would love that ground back where it belongs
That’s down to the greed of your chairman. Read the story about why they left the borough, all 14 million reasons. You don’t get another chance to rip off Barnet residents.
Bring Barnet Back! This would be a massive positive for the local area, community and the club.