Tag: Barnet Council

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Fiery exchanges as Labour and Conservative councillors clash over accuracy of list of green belt sites for housing around High Barnet

Barnet's Labour and Conservative councillors clash over accuracy of a list of green belt sites which could be designated for new housing around High Barnet

Concern about threats to the green belt and the loss of popular open spaces dominated a question-and-answer session held at the annual meeting of Barnet Residents Association.

Councillor Richard Barnes (Barnet Vale), who is chair of Barnet Council’s planning committee  – see above with association co-chair Ken Rowland (left) and Emma Morgan, membership secretary  –  set out the options following publication of a draft plan for London which is proposing the construction of up to 7,000 new homes on green belt land within the borough.

He ended up getting caught in crossfire between Labour and Conservatives councillors as they argued about the authenticity of a list of sites – including playing fields, golf courses and cemeteries – which could be redesignated as grey belt with potential for redevelopment for housing.

The list emerged earlier this month with Labour councillors accusing their opponents of political scaremongering whereas Conservative councillors hit back accusing the Labour-controlled council of not coming clean with residents about the potential loss of precious amenity land and much-appreciated green spaces.

The controversial list – the wording of which Councillor Barnes insisted was “misleading and inaccurate” – includes sites such as Ark Pioneer Academy playing fields, King George V playing fields, Quinta Open Space, Hendon and Finchley golf courses, cemetery land at Edgwarebury and Hendon, land north of Totteridge Common Road and Hadley Common Road.

Councillors Barnes said these sites and others were listed as being “suitable for grey belt designation” but this wording did not exist in any official document.

“This description is inaccurate and perhaps deliberately so for political effect. The list includes sites like cemeteries and playing fields which are never going to be redeveloped.”

But he did acknowledge that the sites were listed in a 400-page London green belt assessment which was published alongside the draft London plan – a plan that was out for consultation and which he thought would take at least two years to implement.

He was supported at the meeting by Councillor Emma Whysall (High Barnet, Labour) who deplored the scaremongering taking place on social media.

An important point of the whole exercise was that some green belt land might be downgraded to grey belt while other sites might be upgraded to merit full green belt protection.

She maintained that many of the sites which had been listed were more than likely to be included in the council’s plans for a possible regional park which could be created to include green belt land around Arkley and Mill Hill.

She and Councillor Barnes were challenged by Councillor James Esses (High Barnet, Conservative) who insisted the list was part of formal document published alongside the draft London plan.

He thought it was wrong to suggest the list was “not official” when it was in the current plan. As it was unlikely the London plan would be revised, the Conservatives had voted against it.

Councillor David Longstaff (Barnet Vale, Conservative) said that Labour councillors were in no position to challenge the wording of the London plan which was clear that 7,000 houses would have to be built on green belt land within the borough.

The ten-year target set by the Mayor of London was for Barnet to build 32,000 new houses – a target which Councillor Longstaff predicted would see an increase in the borough’s population of 310,000 ten years ago to 430,000 in ten years’ time.

“If people don’t start objecting now in a big way, this plan will be steamrollered through, and an awful lot of the new homes will be one- and two-bedroom flats instead of family homes.”

Councillor Barnes agreed that housing development was likely on some of what is now designated as green belt, such as land in Arkley along Rowley Lane, Arkley Lane, and Galley Lane, and land north and south of the Stirling Corner roundabout.

Gordon Massey, who leads for the residents’ association on planning, warned of the consequences that lay ahead if there was extensive redevelopment in Arkley, especially in view of the London plan acceptance of the need for blocks of flats as high as nine storeys.

He thought there were as many as four sites in Arkley which were vulnerable, posing the threat that tower block could be built there.

“I hope you are wrong,” replied Councillor Barnes. “We would not support tower blocks in Arkley. Green belt at the edge of the borough needs to be protected and I have not heard of any plans to develop that land.”

Earlier Mr Massey criticised the failure of the Deputy Mayor of London to publish his reasons for overturning Barnet Council’s rejection of a Transport for London plan to build high-rise flats on the car park at High Barnet tube station.

He thought the failure to release the official notification – which could trigger a possible legal challenge – was down to the developers getting “cold feet.”

Major housebuilders were pulling out of Greater London schemes because the Mayor of London’s targets for the construction of affordable homes made these schemes unviable.

One high point of the meeting was news from several members that residents of Sunset View and Hadley Grove have been successful in their bid at an auction to buy half of a one-acre copse alongside Christchurch Lane.

A plan to build a large house on the site was rejected by Barnet Council and the residents made a joint bid to purchase half the site to ensure it remained protected woodland.

In view an offer from the Woodland Trust to maintain the small deciduous wood, the residents are hoping that Barnet Council, which owns the other half acre, might release it to the Woodland Trust.

The meeting was told that formal consultations are about to start on establishing a 20mph zone in streets in and around Alston Road and Stapylton Road.

Councillor Whysall said the plan was to create a safer zone in the streets in an area bounded to the north and west of Wood Street, High Street Road and St Albans Road.  

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Small stretch of Barnet Playing Fields at Underhill set aside for new Dollis Valley community orchard   

Small stretch of Barnet Playing Fields at Underhill set aside for new Dollis Valley community orchard   

Early next year volunteers aim to start planting what is destined to become a community orchard in Underhill situated in a corner of Barnet Playing Fields, between Ark Pioneer Academy and Grasvenor Avenue.

Along one side of the new orchard will be a freshly-seeded wildflower meadow – another of the initiatives backed by the Orchard Project which organised a display of apples and other fruit at the nearby Rainbow Centre.

Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson was shown the site of the new Dollis Valley Community Orchard by organiser Daniella Levene (above, far left) and Catherine Watling of the Friends of Underhill Green Spaces, who hope to help maintain the orchard.

There has been some mounting concern locally about the long-term future of Barnet Playing Fields in Barnt Lane, Underhill, following the publication of the London Plan and speculation that the status of Green Belt land could be downgraded to Grey Belt.

Barnet councillors for wards in and around High Barnet say they are keen to contradict misguided that claims that protected playing fields and open spaces along the Dollis Valley are at risk of being replaced with housing.

No final decisions had been taken about the future designation of local Green Belt land around High Barnet and whatever the eventual status there was no possibility of the council relinquishing community green spaces for housing.  

After being shown the site of the new community orchard, Mr Tomlinson said he looked forward to returning next February when volunteers hope to plant up to a dozen mixed fruit trees including apple, pear, quince and medlar.

“I am confident there is no chance that Barnet Playing Fields will be built on. Our green spaces are so important to the health and wellbeing of our residents.  We need to do all we can to enhance their protection.”

Small stretch of Barnet Playing Fields at Underhill set aside for new Dollis Valley community orchard   

Councillor Zahra Beg, the Mayor of Barnet – and an Underhill ward councillor – admired a display of autumn fruit. She was delighted to give her backing to the Orchard Project.

“I am proud to be here and support a new community orchard for Underhill.

“Local residents and children will want to see the planting of the fruit trees, and I am sure they will help take care of the wildflower meadow.” 

Small stretch of Barnet Playing Fields at Underhill set aside for new Dollis Valley community orchard   

Orchard Project communications manager Sarah Cossom – above, left with Rainbow Centre manager Sarah Snell – said the planting of a wildflower meadow was the first step in building up support and interest in developing a community orchard.

Spring flowers would help with pollination in the area and especially for the new fruit trees.

Small corner of Barnet Playing fields set aside for Dollis Valley community orchard at Underhill, an iniiative supported by Mayor of Barnet Councillor Zahra Beg and Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson

Daniella Levene, founder of the Community Harvesters project, was keen to show visitors a full range of the various varieties of apples, pears and other fruit which could be grown so easily in gardens at home.

She said that given warmer summers, pomegranate was one of the fruits which now fared well in the UK and could withstand prolonged dry weather.         

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Barnet’s Conservative councillors issue plea to Labour to level with residents over likelihood of “enormous” rise in council tax next year

Barnet’s Conservative councillors issue plea to Labour to level with residents over likelihood of “enormous” rise in council tax next year

Barnet Council’s Labour controlled cabinet has been accused by Conservative councillors of “skirting around” the need to come clean with residents about what is almost certain to be a massive hike in council tax next year.

If the government gives approval for the council to exceed the 5 per cent cap on council tax increases – in order to start reducing Barnet’s £200 million budget deficit – householders could face average increases of anything from £8 to £12 a week.

After relying for the last two years on additional government funding to balance the books, the council has been advised it has no alternative but to increase its council tax to the national average – a step that would require a 32 per cent increase in Barnet’s council tax.

For the average property on band D that would mean a £500 increase next year to bring in the extra £70 million needed to take Barnet’s council tax revenue up to the national average.

The choice the council faces – again dependent on the outcome of talks with the government – is whether to push the increase through in one go or spread it over several years.

By next year Barnet will have the largest budget gap of any London borough unless action is taken. It is one of nine council’s relying of exceptional support from the government, totalling £135 million over the last two years.

Barnet’s Conservative councillors issue plea to Labour to level with residents over likelihood of “enormous” rise in council tax next year

When the cabinet met at the town hall in Hendon, cabinet member for finance, Councillor Simon Radford (above, second from left), was subjected to sustained criticism from Conservative group leader, Councillor Peter Zinkin, for failing to alert residents to the “massive implications” for household finances next year.

“When are you going to level with residents about the fact that you are asking the government for permission to raise council taxes to the national average,” asked Councillor Zinkin.

“Most of them don’t know enough about what will affect every family in the borough.

“They could face average council tax increase of £8, £10 or £12 a week which is a very material change.”

Conservative councillors accuse Labour group of failing to come clean over likelihood of massive council tax increase next year of around 30 per cent adding £8 to £12 a week to average property

Councillor Zinkin (see above) was supported by Councillors Richard Cornelius (Totteridge and Woodside) and David Longstaff (Barnet Vale) who both urged the council to let residents know they could be hit with an “enormous” rise of up to 30 per cent next.

In response, Councillor Radford insisted the council had been straightforward in letting residents know of the “very painful” decisions which would have to be taken if the council was to reduce its deficit and deliver a balance budget by March 2029.

He was anxious not to cause alarm and confusion about a large council tax increase until talks with the government had been completed.

Barnet would then know if permission had been given to exceed the 5 per cent cap and whether it should impose increases of up to 30 per cent, either in one go or phased over several years.

Until the conclusion of those talks, hopefully well before the end of the year, and until there were accurate forecasts about council spending next year and the level of government funding, he could not be specific.

There had already been consultations with the public, especially online, and residents could give their views on the various options at a Barnet Question Time on Monday 26 October (see details below).

“Obviously we are ready to discuss with residents whether the council tax increase should be all in one go or in stages,” said Councillor Radford.

“No doubt some residents would be happy to get it over with next year but other people would think there should not be such a huge jump in one year and that it would be better to spread it over several years, even though this would cost more over a long period.”

Councillor Zinkin persisted with his criticism: the council should be telling residents how massive the rise in council tax could be next year and how much it would be if spread over three years.

Earlier Councillor Radford had presented detailed proposals for a future programme to reduce the deficit by cutting spending and increase council revenue to find £200 million in savings.

Councillor Cornelius agreed that the council had to unite around a way forward.

“If we are making cuts next year, and if they don’t work, we must stop them. But I agree we must look at the cost of adult services, the children’s budget and schools.

“There will be a lot of pain, and it will mean real job losses which will be difficult.”  

For more information about Barnet Council’s budget engagement as it works towards financial stability see:

https://www.barnet.gov.uk/community/have-your-say-about-local-issues/engage-barnet/budget-engagement-working-towards-our-0

Residents can have their say on moves to put Barnet’s finances on a sustainable footing at the next Barnet Question Time on Monday 26 October.

To apply for tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/barnet-question-time-budget-special-meet-the-leader-and-cabinet-tickets-1998956822667?aff=oddtdtcreator

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Barnet Council opens UK’s first commercial estate agency with a promise to reinvest profits to help deliver council services

Barnet Council opens UK’s first commercial estate agency with a promise to reinvest profits to help deliver council services

New Barnet has been chosen as the location for the UK’s first local authority owned estate and lettings agency.

Bumblebee Property has an office in the parade of shops next to Sainsbury’s super store.

The agency is a subsidiary of the not-for-profit Barnet Group which is wholly owned by Barnet Council, and which also runs Barnet Homes which manages around 15,000 council homes and leasehold properties.

East Barnet Road was chosen as a site for high shop for Bumblebee Property because there are no other estate agents in the immediate vicinity.

Bumblebee, which provides commercial lettings services for Barnet Homes and other clients, has been operating online for the last eight years.

Opening a high street shop in the heart of New Barnet is described as an important step in bringing the agency’s services direct and in person to residents, landlords, buyers and renters, strengthening Bumblebee’s presence in the local community.

The agency says it offers personal advice and local knowledge to help people find, let or manage homes across North London and neighbouring areas.

Barnet Council opens UK’s first commercial estate agency with a promise to reinvest profits to help deliver council services

A ceremony was held in East Barnet Road to mark the official opening of what the council says is a commercial business with a social purpose. Bumblebee reinvests profits into supporting the delivery of Barnet Group’s services.

“What started as a vision for a fairer estate agency has developed into a trusted property service delivering real value across our communities.”

Barnet Council opens first commercial estate agency in New Barnet with pledge to reinvest profits in Barnet Group services such as Barnet Homes

In addition to providing commercial letting services on behalf of the council, Bumblebee works in partnership with the council’s environmental health team to bring empty properties back into use and oversees property disposals on behalf of both the council and Barnet Group.

During a recent survey, council officials visited 100 homes recorded as being empty – just some of the 5,361 long-term empty properties across the borough.

The aim was to ensure owners are paying the appropriate empty property premium – which can be up to 300 per cent of the normal council tax – and to explain the options for bringing them back into use when housing remains in high demand.

Owners of long-term empty properties may be eligible to a grant of up to £40,000 if they agree for their property to be let through Bumblebee Property to provide a home for five years.

Councillor Ross Houston, cabinet member for housing, hopes that by ensuring property owners realise the value of their assets, this could help reduce the demand for temporary accommodation.

“The council is facing a critical housing and homelessness crisis, leading to a massive increase to over 3,000 households living in temporary accommodation at a cost which has more than tripled since 2023.”  

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Barnet residents alarmed at prospect of a second site for travellers’ caravans in Arkley’s Green Belt

Barnet residents alarmed at prospect of a second site for travellers’ caravans in Arkley’s Green Belt

An application to Barnet Council for planning approval for a site for 12 travellers’ caravans in former woodland off Rowley Lane, Arkley, is meeting stiff objections on the grounds it would be a significant breach of the Green Belt.

Nearby residents say the caravans would overlook their homes and would result in further damage to a designated site of importance for nature conservation.

Barnet residents alarmed at prospect of a second site for travellers’ caravans in Arkley’s Green Belt

Woodland has already been cleared to create an entrance from Rowley Lane. On the plot itself, mature oak trees have been felled without permission.

A For Sale sign has been erected by a gate at the entrance to the site, which is bounded by Rowley Lane and Windmill Lane, and which extends to around an acre and a quarter.

Barnet Council failed in April to halt the go ahead for another travellers’ caravan site on a field in Green Belt land off Mays Lane, Arkley.

An attempt to secure a full judicial review of a planning inspector’s decision in favour of the travellers was rejected in the High Court allowing work to go ahead on preparing the site for two static caravans, two mobile homes and two day rooms.

The Rowley Lane application, which is for six pitches, each with a static and a touring caravan, has been made in the name of an agent, Philip Brown Associates of Rugby.

Barnet residents alarmed at prospect of a second site for travellers’ caravans in Arkley’s Green Belt

Objections include comments from residents of Windmill Lane who say approval would breach Green Belt policy and set a precedent for further development in woodland which the applicant claims should now be designated as “grey belt”.

Barnet residents alarmed at prospect of a second site for travellers’ caravans in Arkley’s Green Belt

Robin Bishop (above right), who leads on planning and the environment, said the Barnet Society was “strongly minded” to object to the application.

“Not only would it contravene Green Belt and Travellers policies in Barnet’s Local Plan, but it is also outrageous that protected trees have been illegally felled to clear the site.

“If approved, it would set a deeply worrying precedent for the remaining greenery between Akley and Borehamwood.”

Earlier this year Arkley residents protested to Barnet Council about the unauthorised felling of trees in the Rowley Lane protected woodland.

Trees were cut down across the plot which is one of ten in a ten-acre woodland which is at the rear of Rowley Lodge, and which were sold off for a combined total of £1.3 million.

Barnet residents alarmed at prospect of a second site for travellers’ caravans in Arkley’s Green Belt

So far, no work seems to have started preparing the site for travellers’ caravans in Mays Lane. The two-acre paddock was previously used for grazing horses.

Quinta Village Green Residents’ Association, which opposed the Mays Lane site and which was disappointed by the High Court setback, expressed its determination to continue doing all it could to protect the Green Belt along Mays Lane.

Gina Theodorou, chair of the association, said at the time that she feared the council’s failure to halt the scheme would result in further applications for travellers’ sites in Arkley’s Green Belt land.

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Firefighters to the rescue pumping in mains water to replenish Hadley Green Brewery Pond after fish suffocated from lack of oxygen

London Fire Brigade adds mains water to Hadley Green Brewery Pond after dead fish found on the surface. Anglers hope water in Totteridge Long Pond can be topped up too.

London Fire Brigade has stepped in to help save any remaining fish by adding up to a foot of water into the Brewery Pond on Hadley Green.

Barnet Council and the Environment Agency say they will consider whether any further steps can be taken to aerate the pond after a dozen or more carp were found floating on the surface.

Local anglers have praised the fire brigade’s initiative.

They hope more water can be added to the Totteridge Long Pond where some dead fish have also had to be removed and were again thought to have suffocated due to a shortage of oxygen.

Hadley Green residents appealed for help after dead carp were removed from their pond.

Harriet Duffield, Barnet Council’s biodiversity and conservation officer, has informed them that the fire brigade pumped water from the mains to refill the pond.

There are reports that some carp have survived, perhaps as many as six or seven, and it is hoped the refill and recent rain will improve the water quality.

Options to be discussed with the Environment Agency for increasing the dissolved oxygen in the water include the possibility of adding a chemical or aerating the pond with a pump.

“Hopefully we can come up with a method which will prevent this happening again as I am sure it will only become more common with increasingly hot and dry summers,” said Ms Duffield.

Members of the Millridge Angling Club in Totteridge Lane have become increasingly concerned about the low level of water in the Long Pond where fishing has been suspended because of the drought.

The Long Pond, which is regularly stocked with fish including carp, roach and tench, is one of three ponds along Totteridge Lane.

London Fire Brigade took a large quantity of water from the Hadley Green Brewery Pond in May last year when fighting a large fire across the green at Hollybush House.

Residents say the water level did not fully recover during the winter and the drought and prolonged dry spell this summer reduced the water level to the lowest level since the drought of 1976 when fish were taken from the pond and moved to a large pond on the Wrotham Park estate.

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Walkers on Hadley Green shocked to see carcases of fish thought to have died through lack of oxygen in Brewery Pond

Walkers on Hadley Green shocked to see carcases of fish thought to have died through lack of oxygen in Brewery Pond

At least a dozen large fish had to be removed from Brewery Pond on Hadley Green after they were found floating on the surface having died most probably due to the summer drought and a prolonged lack of rainfall.

Brewery Pond’s water level is at an unprecedented low level and the fish – thought to be carp – are thought to have lacked sufficient oxygen.

Barnet Council has asked the Environment Agency, which is responsible for waterways and pollution, to remove the carcases and examine what might have caused their death.

Brewery Pond, which is filled by a spring, has not dried out entirely unlike the other ponds on Hadley Green which are filled by surface water.

Walkers on Hadley Green shocked to see carcases of fish thought to have died through lack of oxygen in Brewery Pond

Once the dead fish were seen floating on the surface, they were removed by nearby residents and anglers to await disposal.

David Chapman of Hadley Residents Association said Barnet Council’s greenspaces department had called in the Environment Agency to remove the dead fish and to look into what had happened.

“We knew there were some very large fish in the Brewery Pond and in all probability the cause is a lack of oxygen in the water.

“However, we would like the water to be checked out to see whether there is any underlying pollution or another cause.”

Mr Chapman said the Residents Association will see if it could help improve the quality of the water by the installation of a machine to aerate the water.

Walkers on Hadley Green shocked to see carcases of fish thought to have died through lack of oxygen in Brewery Pond

A large quantity of water was taken from the Brewery Pond by the London Fire Brigade in May last year when fighting a large fire nearby in Hollybush House, a large Georgian property which faces on to the green.

“Unfortunately, the level of water in the pond didn’t recover fully last winter and it has now fallen to an unprecedented level due to the summer drought and months without any significant rain.”

Carcases of fish awaiting disposal after being removed from Brewery Pond on Hadley Green after dying through lack of oxgen following drop in water lelvel due to summer drought

Another casualty of the drought is Joslin’s Pond – a favourite Hadley Green duck pond – which dried out completely during the summer and like other ponds on the green and Hadley Common is desperately in need of being replenished.

Water levels in wildlife ponds at Barnet Environment Centre in Byng Road are lower than normal but are being topped up thanks to the installation of giant storage tank for water draining from the centre’s roof.

“Our ponds have dried up considerably, but we can pump in extra fresh water from our giant water butt, and it really has proved to be a wonderful resource,” said Dick Elms, vice chair of the Friends of Barnet Environment Centre.

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With a rapidly approaching deadline for bids, Quinta Village Green residents step up their campaign to take over derelict youth club

With a rapidly approaching deadline for bids, Quinta Village Green residents step up their campaign to take over derelict youth club

A packed meeting at Underhill gave enthusiastic support to a community bid to purchase the derelict former Quinta Youth Club in Mays Lane which is being sold off by Barnet Council.

Fears that the building might go to the highest bidder because of the council’s dire financial position led to a last-minute appeal to local residents to demonstrate the strength of their campaign to secure a new combined community hub and youth centre.

Gina Theodorou, chair of the Quinta Village Green Residents Association, made a passionate plea to the neighbourhood to demonstrate to councillors why the council should respect the wishes of those who lived in Underhill.

Provision of services and support for young people was lower in the Underhill area than in the rest of the Borough of Barnet and the meeting was adamant the former youth club, which the community built in the mid-1960s, should be returned and redeveloped for their benefit.

With a rapidly approaching deadline for bids, Quinta Village Green residents step up their campaign to take over derelict youth club

Leaders and representatives of other groups and organisations from in and around High Barnet lined up to give their backing to what they agreed was a well resourced and imaginative bid to buy back a building on which the council has placed a £300,000 valuation.

“Of course, there are other bidders, and we know there is a major risk that another group or organisation might try to outbid us, but Barnet Council should realise this is the preferred scheme of those who live in Underhill,” said Ms Theodorou.

Quinta Village Green Residents Association has campaigned long and hard for the restoration or replacement of the former youth club and secured a six-month pause in the sale of the building after they succeeded in persuading the council to declare it an asset of community value.

With a rapidly approaching deadline for bids, Quinta Village Green residents step up their campaign to take over derelict youth club

Plans and artists’ impressions of the proposed community hub were presented to the meeting by architect Simon Kaufman – with the help of his daughter Ana.

With a rapidly approaching deadline for bids, Quinta Village Green residents step up their campaign to take over derelict youth club

A preferred option was for the new hub to have a central corridor with a sports hall on one side and activity rooms on the other with a new community café looking out on to Quinta Village Green.

All the rooms would have sliding walls offering flexible space for different activities together with plenty of storage space.

A single storey building was proposed but if there was sufficient funding there could be an upper floor.

Full advantage would be taken of their site in the Green Belt with community gardens and perhaps an orchard alongside the building.

Along the Mays Lane frontage there would be 19 parking spaces, including accessible spaces for wheelchairs, plus 40 cycle spaces as the new hub could become a stopping off point for cyclists along the Dollis Valley green walk.

Ms Theodorou stressed the importance of residents expressing their support before the deadline for bids on 23 October – even the smallest donation would help https://gofund.me/70e0fe9c2 as would responses to their community survey https://forms.gle/Ynmib6DYGKxCTcoD7

Two charities – Hadley Trust and Common Nature – have told the residents association that financial assistance might well be available towards the purchase and reconstruction if the local community unites around the plan and succeeds with its bid.

Quinta Village Green residents step up campaign to take over derelict yourh club as deadline approaches for bids to Barnet Council

Among those attending the meeting – see above, from left to right – were Underhill Councillor Josh Tapper, Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson, Gina Theodorou, and Julian Desborough, trustee of the Hope Corner Community Centre which was re-opened as part of the Dollis Valley regeneration.

Mr Desborough said the 12,500 residents of the Underhill ward were in desperate need of more community space and services for young people. What was so important about the Quinta project was that, unlike Hope Corner, it was in the middle of an open space in the Green Belt.

His plea for more services and activities for Underhill’s youngsters was reinforced by Amber Jones of the Young Barnet Foundation.

Out of 223 organisations offering services for young people across the borough, there were less than 20 in the north of the area and only four in Underhill.

Andy Rimmer, vicar of Christ Church, Barnet, added his support for Ms Theodorou’s argument that Underhill was in desperate need of a safe space for young people and a centre offering warm surroundings for the elderly in winter.

Among those to be canvassed later this month for ideas for a youth centre will be students at Totteridge Academy – an initiative welcomed by Eve Rogers, managing director of Grow, the academy’s school farm.

After the meeting, both the Chipping Barnet MP and Underhill councillor, stressed the importance of the council considering all the bids free of political interference.

Dan Tomlinson said that nonetheless he hoped the council would “consider very carefully the strength” of the Quinta community bid.

“We have to bring the derelict youth club back into use and bring it back in a way which serves the local community.  There is a massive need for space which helps provide activities for young people.”

Josh Tapper insisted that as a Barnet councillor he could not take a position and had to remain neutral during the bidding process, but he had been anxious to attend the meeting and listen to the case being put forward by the community.   

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“Welcome to High Barnet” declares a brightly coloured mural which it is hoped will provide an eye-catching greeting for visitors

“Welcome to High Barnet” declares a brightly coloured mural which it is hoped will provide an eye-catching greeting for visitors

A large mural painted by students at Barnet and Southgate College – which features iconic images of the town – will welcome visitors to High Barnet once a site has been agreed.

Chipping Barnet Town Team decided to commission a welcoming mural as a way of building up the appeal and attraction of the town centre while also strengthening local identity.

Barnet College was keen to get involved in a project which the town team hopes will be the first of other initiatives to engage local students in the life and history of Chipping Barnet.

“What the project has been all about is helping students build up their relationship with Barnet and engage with the town’s rich history,” said Isabella Tessier, acting art and design course leader, at the unveiling of the mural.

It reflects Barnet’s role in the Wars of the Roses – a feature which will connect with medieval banners on display in the High Street each summer – and depicts well known buildings such as the Everyman cinema and Barnet Parish Church.

For the students, it was their first chance to engage in the production and painting of a mural.

“Welcome to High Barnet” declares a brightly coloured mural which it is hoped will provide an eye-catching greeting for visitors

They were guided in their work by two professional street artists – see above Julian Phethean (left) and James Titchner – from the community arts company Positive Arts.

They were as excited as the students at the official unveiling because it was the first time four separate panels had been lined up together and they could all see the finished mural.

“It has all been so rewarding. The students really enjoyed painting the mural, working collaboratively in this way.”

The mural is in weather-proof paint and will be finished off with a lacquer to protect the colours.

“Welcome to High Barnet” declares a brightly coloured mural which it is hoped will provide an eye-catching greeting for visitors

One possible site for the mural is the wall of The Corner Café alongside the Chipping Close car park in St Albans Road, just before the junction with the High Street.

This is the location preferred by the Town Team as it would be a dramatic position at the one of the main approach points to the High Street – a site which has yet to be agreed with the owners of the building and would require planning approval.

An alternative location is at the front of the courtyard outside the main entrance to the Barnet and Southgate College.

“Welcome to High Barnet” declares a brightly coloured mural which it is hoped will provide an eye-catching greeting for visitors

Eamonn Rafferty, secretary to the Town Team, said he and his colleagues were amazed to see what the students had been produced.

“We hope it is going to be the first of more collaborations with the college” – a hope endorsed by Gail Laser, founder of Love Barnet.

She was sure a welcoming mural would be appreciated by people walking or driving into Barnet and would be a reminder to the students themselves of their contribution helping to strengthen the appeal of the town.

Mural painted by students at Barnet and Southgate College will welcome visitors to Barnet once a site agreed for its location

For Barnet Vale Councillor, Sue Baker, attending the mural unveiling was a welcome return to the college where she had been a teacher, lecturer and curriculum manager.

“A project like this provides students with direct involvement with the community. Residents and local groups can see the students gaining an understanding of the historical and cultural life of Chipping Barnet.

“The teachers have said how much the students got immersed in their project and with the help of Barnet Museum, took an interest in local history.”

Chipping Barnet Town Team contributed, with Barnet College, to the cost of the mural and the team will be seeking further sponsorship from businesses in the area to help with installation costs.

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E-bike vandalism at Shire golf course leads to closure of entry points to a popular footpath upsetting local dog walkers

E-bike vandalism at Shire golf course leads to closure of entry points to a popular footpath upsetting local dog walkers

Turf on three of the greens at the Shire London Golf Club off St Albans Road has been churned up and damaged by youngsters riding e-bikes on recent evenings.

To prevent further vandalism, several access points to the public footpath around the perimeter of the golf course have been closed off including two well-frequented entry points from the Byng Road playing fields.

Walkers and dogs on leads are still welcome to use the perimeter path around the course but Tony Menai, director of Shire London, told the Barnet Society that malicious damage to the greens was proving costly to repair and could not be tolerated.

“We have eyewitness accounts of how three e-bikes ridden by sixteen and seventeen-year-olds wearing balaclavas have been speeding around the greens purposely cutting deep tracks.

“The Police have advised us that the only way to prevent e-bikes and other vehicles getting on to the course is to close off and secure all the unofficial access points along St Albans Road and along the boundary hedge with Byng Road playing fields.

“People are welcome to walk around the course. They should use the main entrance on St Albans Road and keep their dogs on a lead.”

E-bike vandalism at Shire golf course leads to closure of entry points to a popular footpath upsetting local dog walkers

Geoff Arnett, who walks his dog across the playing fields and who has regularly used one of the access points to the golf course perimeter path, described his shock and outrage at seeing that two eight-foot-deep trenches had been dug across the two access points.

He acknowledged the challenge facing the golf course management over malicious damage but was disappointed there had been no warning, explanation or any kind of consultation.

“The footpath beside the golf course provides a lovely walk to a bluebell wood near Trotters Bottom and a route further on towards St Albans Road and the Green Dragon public house.

“For years now, dog walkers and other people have accessed the footpath from Byng Road playing fields and it can’t be right to deprive us all of access from roads like Byng Road or Cavendish Road.

“It is no answer to say we should access the footpath by the Shire main entrance on the St Albans Road – that’s a mile away and would mean going along a busy main road.”

Access points on Byng Road playing fields to popular path around Shire London golf course blocked off to dog walkers after e-bike vandals damage turf of greens

Mr Arnett said that if unauthorised vehicular access was the problem, a solution might be to provide a kissing gate or stile so that there was access for pedestrians but not for vehicles.

“It is the responsibility of Shire London to secure the golf course and, at the same time, allow access to the footpath.”

In response to complaints about the closure of the playing fields’ access to the footpath, the Barnet Society has notified Barnet Councillors, the Ramblers Association and Hertfordshire County Council’s footpaths department as the golf course is over the Barnet boundary into Hertsmere.

E-bike vandalism at Shire golf course leads to closure of entry points to a popular footpath upsetting local dog walkers

Tony Menai said the damage to the greens caused by the e-bikes was the most persistent and most serious since the club was established in 1994.

“We have been so tolerant over the years and recognise that kids will be kids. There has been vandalism and damage in the past but our success as a club depends on the quality of our 18 green course and our nine academy greens.

“If the greens are going to get churned up like this, it will put the Shire out of business.”

E-bike vandalism at Shire golf course leads to closure of entry points to a popular footpath upsetting local dog walkers

Chris Nightingale, another regular dog walker, promised to look into it further with Hertsmere Council and Hertfordshire County Council.

“One of the conditions of planning permission for the course is that the owners should maintain a public path around the perimeter, from the St Albans Road entrance round to another St Albans Road entry point closer to the Green Dragon.

“Residents in the roads around Byng Road and further afield have always accessed that perimeter path from the Byng Road playing fields and those two entry points should not have been blocked off without at least some consultation with those living in the neighbourhood.”

Photos of e-bike damage to the golf course greens courtesy of Shire London Golf Club

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Conversion of Barnet Post Office into flats means now more homes than shops in High Street

Conversion of Barnet Post Office into flats means now more homes than shops in High Street

High Barnet’s former Crown Post Office is to be converted into nine self-contained flats if an application is approved by Barnet Council – a change of use which highlights the rapidly changing nature of the High Street.

Consultants for the owners say conversion of its interior and former sorting office into nine one- and two-bedroom flats will have “no impact” on the significance of what is a locally listed building in the Wood Street Conservation Area.   

Over recent years vacant space above retail and commercial premises within the town centre has increasingly been converted for residential use.

High Barnet’s High Street now has more homes than shops.

Registration of residential addresses for postal deliveries reveals the scale of a dramatic increase: currently there are a total of 398 residential addresses listed along the High Street, up from around 50 ten years ago.

Longer than many high streets at 0.7 kilometres, it extends from the junction with Meadway and the upper entrance to High Barnet tube station, through the town centre, passed the parish church and The Spires shopping centre and on to Hadley Green.

Most of these homes are flats above retail premises with front door entrances either onto the High Street or at the rear.

The application to convert the Post Office into flats is just one of several conversions and new builds which are currently underway or are about to start.

By far the largest recent development in the High Street was the new Lightfield estate of houses and flats on the site the site of the former Brake Shear House complex of offices and workshops.

But it is the continuing conversion of vacant space above shops and offices which is dramatically increasing the number of people who now live along the High Street – driving the number to levels not seen since before World War II.

Post war expansion of nationally owned retail and business chains led to a dramatic fall in the number of individual shopkeepers and traders who used to live “above the shop”.

This has resulted in much of the accommodation on the upper floors having remained vacant for decades – a trend which is now being rapidly reversed.

Conversion of Barnet Post Office into flats means now more homes than shops in High Street

Opposite the Post Office, approval has been obtained for the construction of a new four-storey building with 11 new homes on the site of the former Foxtons estate agency at the corner of the High Street and Moxon Street.

Conversion of Barnet Post Office into flats means now more homes than shops in High Street

New retail premises with “luxury apartments” above have recently been constructed in the High Street in vacant shop premises opposite Queen Elizabeth’s Girls’ School.

A few doors further up the High Street, the former Barnet Court House was converted into flats some years ago.

Conversion of Barnet Post Office into flats means now more homes than shops in High Street

Three one-bedroom apartments “with terraces and views towards the city” are on offer following a conversion nearing completion in a former High Street health store between Rymans and Boots.

However, an application to convert the upper floors of Hadley House – formerly The King George public house – was recently withdrawn.

Robin Bishop, the Barnet Society’s lead on planning and the environment, comments, “The Society has long supported converting unused upper floors in the High Street into homes. We also welcome sensitive roof and rear extensions, provided that they respect the character of the Wood Street and Monken Hadley Conservation Areas. But it’s disappointing that many developers prioritise profit over adding to our historic town centre’s attractive architectural heritage.”

Conversion of Barnet Post Office into flats means now more homes than shops in High Street

Planning consultants say the former post office, which is sited on a “gentle curve” of the High Street, is “a fine example of Edwardian commercial architecture designed in the Near-Jacobean Revival style”.

It was constructed between 1903 and 1905 to the designs of Jasper Wagner for the Office of Works and by 1925 offered a wide range of functions as an important postal facility– “head post, telegraph, telephone, money order, savings bank, insurance, annuity and parcel post office”.

Noted for its ornate Edwardian architecture, notable features include detailed stonework, a stone carving of the coat of arms, and additional stonework above the top floor windows with the initials ER – the motif of King Edward VII.

Conversion of Barnet Post Office into flats means now more homes than shops in High Street

An historic carriageway to the side of the post office reveals ancillary buildings at the rear including the former sorting office.

Architects Alan Cox Associates say the application, made under permitted development rights, is to convert the premises into four one-person studio flats; four two-person one-bedroom flats; and one two-person one-bedroom duplex flat.

There would be a 12-space cycle park at the rear but no car parking space. The applicant states there would be an agreement with Barnet Council that no parking permits could be obtained.

An independent commercial unit, facing on to the High Street, would be remain.

Under a permitted development rights application there can be no changes to the exterior of the existing buildings, so the architects say there will be “no change” to the aesthetic of the building.

“The proposed internal alterations are discreet and will be virtually imperceptible from the public realm.

“Accordingly, the proposals will sustain the heritage significance of the site and its positive contribution to the surrounding historic environment, without resulting in harm to any heritage assets.”

At present, included in the frontage, is an integrated red-letter box which has remained in use since the closure of the crown post office last year when it became a franchised post office with premises on the other side of the High Street, managed by the UOE store group.  

Barnet’s crown post office had a distinguished history, originally having been a regular stopping off point for mail coaches heading out of London for Scotland and the north.

Until the 1930s Barnet was one of the best-known coaching towns on the outskirts of London.

When the mail coach for Scotland left St Martins-le-Grand one of the first stops on the Great North Road was Barnet post office where it picked up mail.

Application to convert Barnet Post Office into nine self contained flats which will increase stlll further number of people living in a High Street with more homes than shops

Set in the wall, just above the pavement, between the front door and the letter box, is one of the original boundary stones of the ancient parish of Chipping Barnet – which is regularly pointed out during the annual ceremony to mark the Beating of the Bounds of the parish of Barnet.

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Imminent sale of abandoned and derelict former Quinta Youth Club has added urgency to fund raising for new community hub in Mays Lane  

Imminent sale of abandoned and derelict former Quinta Youth Club has added urgency to fund raising for new community hub in Mays Lane  

With a rapidly approaching deadline of mid-October, a fund-raising campaign has taken on new urgency as Mays Lane residents prepare their community bid to take over the derelict former Quinta Youth Club.

Their target is to raise £10,00 in small donations to demonstrate to Barnet Council and potential charity donors the strength of local support for a new community hub.

At the latest count just over 80 people have donated nearly £2,500 towards the £10,000 target.

“What Barnet Council and our charity supporters need to see is evidence that we have real community backing with local people prepared to make a contribution,” said Gina Theodorou (see above), who is chair of the Quinta Village Green Residents Association.

Imminent sale of abandoned and derelict former Quinta Youth Club has added urgency to fund raising for new community hub in Mays Lane  

Quinta Youth Club, which was originally constructed by the Underhill community, and which has been derelict for the last 20 years, is to be sold by Barnet Council for £300,000.

Two charities – Hadley Trust and Common Nature – have told the residents’ association that financial assistance might well be available towards the purchase and reconstruction of the youth club if the local community unites around the plan and succeeds with its bid.

Barnet Council has been forced to wait until 17 October before selling the property after a successful application for the building to be nominated as an asset of community value gave the community six months to prepare their application.

“We are not the only bidder and there is fierce competition, but we are the community which the building was originally created to serve,” said Ms Theodorou.

“We walk past it every day, and we believe the people who live here should be the ones who decide what happens at Quinta.

“The number of people who give towards our fundraiser – https://gofund.me/70e0fe9c2 matters more than the total.

“Even £5 or £10 from someone locally adds another person to the evidence that the residents want to see the building brought back into use.”

Imminent sale of abandoned and derelict former Quinta Youth Club has added urgency to fund raising for new community hub in Mays Lane  

Quinta Village Green, now established as a community interest company, has commissioned feasibility work on developing a single-storey community hub with the option of first floor accommodation.

A community survey  https://forms.gle/Ynmib6DYGKxCTcoD7 is underway to reveal local needs and has already had around130 responses.

Ms Theodorou says they would welcome more responses from local young people, and they hope to run a focus group with students at Totteridge Academy to get their ideas.

“We want Quinta to help address the lack of youth provision in the north of the borough identified in Barnet’s own youth strategy work while still remaining a multi-generational hub.”

Possible options include a café looking out on to Quinta Village Green (registered as a public open space), rooms for local charities and organisations, and space for activities for teenagers.

Architectural options are being developed by architect Simon Kaufman and chartered surveyors Graham + Sibbald are carrying out cost assessment.

Much of the professional consultancy work has been funded by the Hadley Trust which has written to the council confirming serious interest in supporting the purchase of the former clubhouse.

Imminent sale of abandoned and derelict former Quinta Youth Club has added urgency to fund raising for new community hub in Mays Lane  

Ms Theodorou says the trust’s support has made an enormous difference.

In a statement, the founders of the trust, Sir Philip and Lady Hulme, say the proposed Quinta community hub is one of the more promising local projects they have seen.

“It is locally led and we have been greatly impressed by their professionalism, enthusiasm and commitment.

“We have funded the professional feasibility work and, subject to a satisfactory outcome and our normal due diligence, we expect to go on supporting the acquisition and development of the building.

“Projects like this are strongest when funders and the local community come together, and we would encourage others to join us.”

A second charity, Common Nature, has also written to the council confirming possible support through a community land purchase facility, co-invested with the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.

To promote the plans for the Quinta community hub a “vision and stakeholder” night is to be held on Wednesday 30 September at 7pm at the clubhouse of the East Barnet Old Grammarians. The aim is to build up support before the bid goes to Barnet Council.   

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/quinta-help-us-bring-it-back-vision-evening-tickets-2001273193996?aff=oddtdtcreator

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Former customers make renewed bid to safeguard the future of former Builders Arms pub in New Barnet which is now up for sale

Former customers make renewed bid to safeguard the future of former Builders Arms pub in New Barnet which is now up for sale

With continuing uncertainty about the fate of the Builders Arms – although it is now under offer – a group of former regulars have nominated the vacant New Barnet pub to be declared an asset of community value.

In the immediate aftermath of its closure in mid-April a petition was launched in the hope of collecting sufficient support for an ACV application but this stalled due to the difficulty in finding a community group to make the nomination.

Greg Allam (above), who once worked behind the bar at the Builders Arms, is lead organiser of a renewed bid to safeguard the future of the former Greene King pub which is now on the market for £595,000.

The aim is to secure as much protection for as long as possible to see if there is a chance of a new owner or tenant coming forward to re-open the pub.

Mr Allam submitted the application for an ACV to Barnet Council in the name of an unincorporated organisation which requires the backing of 21 individuals whose names and addresses are on the electoral roll.

Greene King put the Builders Arms on the market soon after it ceased trading along with another 300 of its tenanted and managed pubs. It paid £920,000 for the pub in 2008.

Prospects might seem bleak at present given the number of pub closures across the country, but the Builders Arms is well placed in Albert Road to benefit from the completion of the massive Park Quarter development on the site of the former New Barnet gas works.

Former customers make renewed bid to safeguard the future of former Builders Arms pub in New Barnet which is now up for sale

Fairview Homes are building eleven high-rise blocks of flats which will offer 420 new homes.

Disruption in Albert Road caused by construction work, which began in 2024, proved too much for the Builders Arms’ landlady Silva.

Trade was so badly affected that she did not renew her tenancy as she could not afford to wait for the completion of the Park Quarter estate.

Supporters of the ACV nomination believe completion of the flats will offer a fresh opportunity for a new owner to come forward.

ACV protection allows a community organisation to make an expression of interest as a potential bidder.

This would trigger a six-month moratorium preventing the sale of the asset on the open market.

ACV status has to be taken into consideration by local councils and inspectors and could be a factor in refusing planning permission for a change of use or demolition.

Renewed bid to get vacant Builders Arms pub New Barnet declared an asset of community value to give added protection.

If the Builders Arms is not sold off and re-opened, there might be support for a community-owned pub in New Barnet, perhaps specialising in craft beers.

In recent years several vacant pubs in and around High Barnet have been protected by ACV nominations.

When in early 2024 the Stonegate group announced the closure of the Prince of Wales – the one and only pub in East Barnet village – a petition was launched attracting 2,000 signatures.

An ACV nomination was approved within weeks – a safeguard which in the event was not needed because new owners took on the property and refurbished the premises.

More recently ACV protection strengthened the hand of three former regulars of the Black Horse in High Barnet who succeeded in securing a one-year tenancy for a new community-led business, Barnet Community Pubs Ltd.

The Black Horse re-opened in late June after its sudden closure in September 2025.    

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A switch from weekly to fortnightly bin collections is one of the options as Barnet Council struggles to reduce a £200 million deficit

A switch from weekly to fortnightly bin collections is one of the options as Barnet Council struggles to reduce a £200 million deficit

Barnet Council’s dire financial position has led to a warning that “very painful” decisions will have to made within weeks to find ways to reduce a predicted shortfall of £200 million.

A five per cent increase in council tax and a switch from weekly to fortnightly bin collections are two of the most likely options.

In an official statement the council says it needs to have a “brutally honest conversation with residents” about how to balance the books to find £200 million of savings.

The warning follows release of a government commissioned review which says the Borough of Barnet is in “a highly fragile financial position” and its deficit is projected to increase to £243.5 million by 2030-31.

By next year Barnet will have the largest budget gap of any London borough and it is one of nine councils relying on exceptional financial support from the Treasury.

East Barnet councillor Simon Radford, who is Barnet’s cabinet member for financial sustainability, says their budget for next year assumes there will be a council tax increase close to the legal maximum of 5 per cent and the council will review its waste collection service.

A failure to save costs by switching bin collections from weekly to fortnightly – a measure already introduced by many other councils – was a “missed opportunity” according to analysis conducted for the government by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountability.

Cost savings were not being implemented by Barnet Council at the “pace of scale required” because of “cautious decision making” and being slower to implement difficult reforms.

Recommendations about a switch to alternate weekly bin collections, as well reforms to the provision of temporary accommodation, children’s services and adult social care, needed to be in place by the end of September ready for a meeting of the council cabinet on Monday 12 October.

Barnet Council faces difficult decisions over need to reduce £200 million budget short fall with 5 per cent council tax increase and switch from weekly to fortnightly bin collections likely options

When the possibility of switching Barnet’s bin collections from weekly to fortnightly was last considered in 2019 under the previous Conservative administration, moving the waste collection to an alternate weekly service would have saved an estimated £400,000 a year.

At the time three quarters of English local authorities had already moved to fortnightly collections, and the CIPFA report says this was “a missed short-term opportunity.”

Barnet’s productivity and recycling performance in its waste services was weaker than in other comparable London boroughs.

The report also identified what it said was evidence of “savings fatigue” and the deferral of difficult decisions.

Another significant factor had been the council’s previous approach to council tax increases.

“Due to historic decisions to increase council tax by less than the maximum permissible, the council’s low tax base further constrains income flexibility.”

Previous Conservative administrations had taken pride in their policy of keeping Barnet’s council tax as low as possible – but the CIPFA analysis suggests this failed to acknowledge that Barnet faced “materially higher demand and cost pressures” than other comparable boroughs for adult social care, temporary accommodation and children’s social care.

In his response to the CIPFA findings, Councillor Simon Radford said reaching financial sustainability was Barnet’s top priority and the council welcomed recognition of the “scale and pace of change” required to solve our £200 million structural deficit by March 2029.

The need for services which the council had to provide was growing twice as fast as its income and far outstripped government funding.

“We have brought council spending under control, maintained high standards of adult social care while reducing the cost below national average, stabilised in-year spend on temporary accommodation and reduced our call on exceptional financial support by £10 million.

“The reality is that none of the levers in our control can tackle the scale of future demand without national policy intervention.

“Even if we were to cut all non-statutory spend, the short-term impact would be an £18 million budget reduction compared to the £200 million forecast gap.

“The report recommends reviewing council tax levels and waste collection, which we will do.

“Our budget assumes a council tax increase close to the maximum of 5 per cent. Anything further would need permission from government or a referendum in favour.”

Residents can have their say on moves to put Barnet’s finances on a sustainable footing at the next Barnet Question Times on Monday 26 October.

To apply for tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/barnet-question-time-budget-special-meet-the-leader-and-cabinet-tickets-1998956822667?aff=oddtdtcreator

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Concern over added pressure which new housing developments in Barnet area will place on already busy GP surgeries

Concern over added pressure which new housing developments in Barnet area will place on already busy GP surgeries

New housing developments around High Barnet and New Barnet are likely to lead to an increase of well over 2,000 in the local population but residents’ groups say there is no sign of health authorities delivering on promises to boost capacity at already over-stretched doctors’ surgeries.

Of the five GP practices within a two-kilometre radius, three already have fewer doctors than recommended by the British Medical Association.

Long-standing Save New Barnet campaigner, John Dix –above – says assurances given by developers when recent planning applications were approved have turned out to be misleading and so far, have not been honoured.

Despite the absence of any plans to expand GP practices, developers are continuing to claim that these five local surgeries are accepting new patients indicating that there is “some spare capacity in the local area”.

Concern over added pressure which new housing developments in Barnet area will place on already busy GP surgeries

Mr Dix told the Barnet Society that these assurances are not supported by the latest Barnet-area statistics from the General Practice Workforce for the ratio of patients per doctor.

A failure to get meaningful replies from the integrated care board for north Lonon highlighted what he believes is the failure of the health authorities to address the extra demand being placed on doctors’ surgeries by the scale of housing redevelopment underway in High Banet and New Barnet.   

When permission was given for nearly 500 new flats which are being built on the site of New Barnet’s former gas works, local residents were led to believe that there were proposals to merge three nearby doctors’ surgeries to create a combined practice to be housed at the East Barnet Health Centre.

Concern over the extra demand which will be placed on doctors' surgeries in High Barnet and New Barnet as a result of new housing developments adding over 2,000 to local population.

To his consternation Mr Dix has discovered that the original proposal to increase the number of doctors and enlarge East Barnet Health Centre – at an estimated cost of £1.4 million – appears to have been shelved.

He has now been told by the integrated care board that it disputes whether there was ever a proposal to merge The Addington and The Village surgeries with the practice at the East Barnet Health Centre.

“Apparently the developers Fairview did offer some of the retail space in the Park Quarter development for a new GP surgery, but this was considered unsuitable and the board said it did not get the money it needed to enlarge the East Barnet Health Centre.

“So, the net outcome is that we are going to have 486 new flats at Park Quarter   and no additional GP services for 1,000-plus new residents.”

Mr Dix said the GP shortfall had been acknowledged by Berkeley Homes when it obtained planning approval for 80 new homes next to Park Quarter on the site of the former gasometer.

“Berkeley Homes’ consultants recommended that Barnet Council should undertake measures to increase GP capacity through the use of community infrastructure levy money, but again there is no sign that any action is being taken.”

The GP shortfall in New Barnet is likely to be mirrored in High Barnet where major housing developments could add nearly 600 new homes – 145 in Moxon Street; 115 at Whalebones in Wood Street; and 328 at High Barnet tube station.

There is still the possibility of a High Court challenge to the decision by the Deputy Mayor of London to approve the construction of five blocks of flats on the station car park and adjoining land, but Mr Dix says consultants for Transport for London relied on the same assurances given by other developers.

A consultants’ report for TfL’s subsidiary, Places for London, said there were “five GP surgeries within 2 kilometres of the site, all of which are accepting new patients”, and that any increase in demand could be offset through financial contributions from Barnet Council’s income from the community infrastructure levy.

Mr Dix believes the failure of the integrated care board and Barnet Council to address the local GP shortfall results from their concentration of resources into the provision of primary care facilities for major housing developments at Brent Cross and Colindale.

“Unfortunately, the health authorities and the council are failing to look at the bigger picture and recognise that all the infill developments around High Barnet and New Barnet are having a significant cumulative impact on already over-stretched GP services.

“To be fair, the integrated care board insists it continues to keep local primary care capacity under review and remains interested in exploring future opportunities to expand services at East Board Health Centre should funding become available.

“The new draft London Plan says we need to build 32,730 new homes in Barnet so there is real concern that the health infrastructure, including hospital beds, will not be in place to meet the demand.”

General Practice Workforce statistics published in June indicate the strain current demand is placing on GP services at the five surgeries which the developers have referred to in their planning applications:

(The British Medical Association recommendation is 1 full-time equivalent qualified GP per 1,800 patients.)

The Old Court House Surgery, Wood Street – 10,239 patients; 5.2 full-time equivalent qualified doctors; 4.2 qualified doctors; ratio of patients to qualified GP, 2,420.  

Longrove Surgery, Vale Drive Primary Care Centre – 17,186 patients; 11.5 full-time equivalent qualified doctors; 9.5 qualified doctors; ratio of patients to qualified GP, 1,793.

The Village Surgery, New Barnet – 6,339 patients; 3.1 full-time equivalent qualified doctors; 3.1 qualified doctors; ratio of patients to qualified GP, 2,016.

Addington Medical Centre, New Barnet – 9,806 patients; 3.4 full-time equivalent qualified doctors; 3.4 qualified doctors; ratio of patients to qualified GP, 2842.

East Barnet Health Centre – 11,290 patients; 7.1 full-time equivalent qualified doctors; 6 qualified doctors; ratio of patients to qualified GP, 1,859.

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Barnet Council faces dilemma over deteriorating state of condemned blocks of flats at Dollis Valley Estate

Barnet Council faces dilemma over deteriorating state of condemned blocks of flats at Dollis Valley Estate

Vandalised blocks of flats and maisonettes awaiting demolition are likely to remain an eyesore for months to come following the sudden and unexpected collapse of a deal previously approved by Barnet Council to complete the regeneration of the Dollis Valley Estate.

Homes which were condemned as unfit some years ago were about to be replaced by developers Vistry under a scheme which had qualified for a £58.85 million grant from the Greater London Authority.

In a rarely used procedure Barnet’s Conservative councillors called in the agreement on the grounds it lacked “financial sustainability” – a process which halted the deal and resulted in the loss of the GLA grant.

Barry Rawlings, Labour leader of the council, told the Barnet Society that it would be early next year or even later before it would be possible to come up with an alternative scheme.

Barnet Council faces dilemma over deteriorating state of condemned blocks of flats at Dollis Valley Estate

In the meantime, the council faces a dilemma. The cost of demolishing the flats and maisonettes, which was due to start in September, could be as high as £3 million – money which Councillor Rawlings said the council had not budgeted for.

The only alternative might be to fence off the whole site with secure hoardings to prevent access and deter further vandalism.

Barnet Council faces dilemma over deteriorating state of condemned blocks of flats at Dollis Valley Estate

Given the presence of squatters in some of empty flats and the general state of decay – with large pools of stagnant water formed by leaking pipes and mains – the owners of nearby houses on what is now the Brook Valley Gardens estate say they should not have to put up with such gruesome dereliction.

Conservative group leader Councillor Peter Zinkin recognised that the cost of securing the abandoned blocks of flats was high, but he thought the council probably had no option but to wait for the housing market to improve.

His preferred course of action – one backed by a Brook Valley Gardens residents’ group – was for the council to return to the original proposal to finish off the Dollis Valley regeneration with 126 new privately-owned and 95 affordable homes.

When Vistry declared this scheme was unviable, the council negotiated a fresh agreement with the developers to complete the regeneration with 208 new affordable homes, a deal which qualified for the £58.85 million GLA grant towards the cost of new affordable housing.

Once the renegotiated deal was called in by the Conservatives on the grounds it lacked “financial responsibility” the council was unable to meet the GLA’s deadline of Friday 31 July for approving the project and the offer of a grant was withdrawn.

A hurriedly arranged meeting was held on Tuesday 4 August at which a group of residents and the Barnet Society were excluded on the grounds that issues regarding the “financial responsibility and financial sustainability” of the council’s agreement with Vistry had to be discussed in private.

This was the first time for 14 years that the call-in procedure had been triggered and the Conservatives’ action was defended by Councillor Zinkin.

He said it was “really important” for the opposition to test whether the council’s cabinet had taken the “correct decision” in approving the Vistry deal.

In a note setting out their case, the Conservatives said the Vistry group was under severe financial strain, and they considered the cabinet meeting had not been provided with “sufficient assurance as to the financial viability and delivery risk” for the scale of the commitment.

Councillor Zinkin’s action in calling in the deal was supported by Peter Esposito who was allowed to ask questions on behalf of residents who were opposed to the latest Vistry scheme and who believed those who had purchased new houses had been misled about the GLA funding for the scheme.

These residents were against the Vistry agreement because it abandoned the original undertaking that 60 per cent of the new homes in the Dollis Valley regeneration would be privately owned with only 40 per cent available for social rent.

By switching the completion of phases 4 and 5 to the construction of 208 affordable homes, the balance would be reversed with only 40 per cent of the houses on the estate remaining privately owned, a proportion which they argued would make it more difficult to obtain mortgages and could depress the value of their properties.

Vandalised flats and maisonettes on Dollis Valley Estate will continue to be an eyesore following collapse of Barnet Council deal to build 208 new affordable homes

The Dollis Valley estate was built in the 1960s and 1970s and Barnet Council acknowledges that the five-storey blocks of flats and maisonettes suffered from many of the problems such as dampness and condensation which affect post-war estates.

The first three phases of the regeneration, with the construction of 408 homes of mixed tenure, was completed in 2023 but the council has been dogged with problems over agreeing a scheme to build the final 208 new homes.

The deal agreed with Vistry to build 187 homes for social rent and 21 for key workers for living rent – to be managed by Barnet Homes – was described by the council as the “only one viable option”.

Councillor Rawlings told the call-in meeting which probed the collapse of the deal that he did not think the issues raised in the scrutiny process did “materially affect the decision which was made”.

After the meeting he said he feared yet another delay in completing the Dollis Valley regeneration would create more uncertainty for those residents who had been moved out of their “unsafe and leaking flats” and transferred to other temporary council accommodation.

“These residents had been forgotten in all of this. When they were moved away, they were promised they would get a chance to move back to Dollis Valley.”

He said that the first three phases of the regeneration – and the creation of the new Brook Valley Gardens estate with 400 new homes – had been a success.

“Years back people used to say that Dollis Valley was a no-go estate, but the area has been transformed, and we are anxious to see that regeneration completed.”

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Spring water continues to flow without interruption at Barnet’s historic Physic Well despite summer months with no rain

Spring water continues to flow without interruption at Barnet’s historic Physic Well despite summer months with no rain

While many natural ponds around the town have dried out due to the prolonged drought and successive heatwaves, the water level at High Barnet’s historic Physic Well has remained constant.

When visitors descended the wellhouse steps at the monthly open day, they were shown the two tanks filled by mineral water from a spring which was first mentioned in a Tudor guidebook in the late 16th century.

In almost 20 years since Barnet Museum first started campaigning to get the wellhouse restored and re-opened, volunteers – including Bob Langley above – say the water level has rarely ever changed.

Occasionally during exceptionally wet weather the well tanks overflow a little, but otherwise the water level always remains at a constant depth.

All around High Barnet numerous ponds filled by surface water have dried out.

Spring water continues to flow without interruption at Barnet’s historic Physic Well despite summer months with no rain

Joslin’s Pond on Hadley Green, where generations of children have fed the ducks, has been reduced to an expanse of mud with the duck house beached in the middle.

Hadley Green’s largest pond, Brewery Pond, next to site of the former Hadley Brewery, is filled by a spring and although the water level is much lower than usual it provides a refuge for ducks and other wildlife.

Spring water continues to flow without interruption at Barnet’s historic Physic Well despite summer months with no rain

After re-opening in 2018 following repairs, Barnet Physic Well, famous for its chalybeate spring water, has become a popular attraction on its monthly open days on Saturday afternoons between February and November.

Once fashionable to drink the water was sold in London and attracted gentry to Barnet because it was said to have healing and other medicinal qualities.

The well’s most famous visitor – and consumer – was the renowned diarist Samuel Pepys who after lunch at the Red Lion in 1664, continued to the well “and there I drunk three glasses and went and walked and came back and drunk two more”.

Spring water continues to flow without interruption at Barnet’s historic Physic Well despite summer months with no rain

Among the open day visitors were Eamonn Brady who as a child lived opposite in Well Road and who had never been inside the well house or seen what the well looked like.

“When I was a child in the 1960s the wellhouse was always padlocked.

“We used to play football on the green outside so what went on inside the well house was always mystery” said Mr Brady – above second from right with well guide Charlie, second from the left.

“Soon after we moved from Well Road to Potters Bar, so I never got the chance to look inside. As you can imagine this was something I had to put right.”

Mr Brady was fascinated to descend into the well chamber and learn more about its history.

He recalled a family story about how his grandma and aunt, who lived next door in Well Road, saying that one night they separately saw a black shadow cross the landing of their houses.

“They both described an old-fashioned man with a hat on, and we have always wondered whether it was the ghost of Samuel Pepys.”

Spring water continues to flow without interruption at Barnet’s historic Physic Well despite summer months with no rain

Open days at the Physic Well are always a moment of great pride for Mike Jordan who led the campaign to get the well house restored and re-opened.

Mr Jordan – seen here with a mural celebrating Barnet history which was donated by Waterstones bookshop – was chairman of trustees at Barnet Museum for 14 years and on retirement was appointed president.

For many years the Physic Well, which is in Well Approach, a short walk from Barnet Hospital, was in such a sorry state that the building was placed on Historic England’s at-risk register.

The well house was constructed in 1937 to protect the dis-used well and its spring. Restoring the building to its full mock-Tudor glory and making it safe for visitors cost £150,000. It is now in the care of Barnet Museum.

“My main commitment nowadays is the well,” said Mr Jordan.

“When we open the doors on a Saturday afternoon every month, we are always so pleased to welcome visitors to what is one of the best-preserved medicinal wells in the country.

“We spent so much time with Barnet Council and Historic England rescuing the wellhouse the sense of achievement is really gratifying. If I leave anything to Barnet, it is helping to preserve the Physic Well for the future.”

Spring water continues to flow without interruption at Barnet’s historic Physic Well despite summer months with no rain

Five heatwaves and two months without rain has dried out the ponds on Hadley Green except for the Brewery Pond which is fed by a spring and is next to the site of the former brewery which had its own artesian well.

Hadley Brewery, opened in around 1700, was demolished in 1978.

Unlike the duck house on Joslin’s Pond, which is beached on the mud, the duck house at the Brewery Pond is still afloat – the duck houses were purchased in 2018 by Keith Chapman of Hadley Residents Association.

Joslin’s Pond was named after William Joslin, who lived in one of the Georgian cottages next to the green and who in the 1880s ran a nearby bakery.

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Extension of ULEZ and switch to electric cars is cutting pollution from vehicle exhaust emissions in High Barnet town centre

Extension of ULEZ and switch to electric cars is cutting pollution from vehicle exhaust emissions in High Barnet town centre

A steady and significant improvement in air quality in Barnet High Street is continuing to be recorded by Barnet Council’s scientific services which indicates that levels of nitrogen dioxide should fall at even faster rates with the growth in the number of electric vehicles.

To encourage progress towards Barnet’s net zero targets more on-street electric charge points are to be added to what the council says is already one of the largest networks in the country.

Tests for nitrogen dioxide are carried out in Barnet High Street show a significant decrease between 2013 and 2025.

The latest samples indicated a reading of 25.3 for the High Street (down from a reading of 51 in 2013) and this is comparable with other similar locations such as the High Road Whetstone and Ballards Lane.

Concentrations of nitrogen dioxide in these high street shopping areas are much lower than at testing points on major through roads such as Hendon Way.

Air quality is monitored at locations across the borough because of elevated road traffic emissions.

A report last year by the Mayor of London estimated that across the outer London boroughs, the extension of the Ultra Low Emission Zone in August 2023 achieved a 21 per cent reduction in nitrogen dioxide and that particulate matter from exhaust emissions dropped by 31 per cent.

The mayor’s target is to reach World Health Organisations guidelines by 2030. Barnet is committed to becoming a net zero borough by 2042.

Extension of ULEZ and switch to electric cars is cutting pollution from vehicle exhaust emissions in High Barnet town centre

Use of electric vehicles is being encouraged with the rollout of electric charge points. With 2,045 installed by the end of 2025, Barnet already has one of the largest networks in the country.

Over 500 charge points have been attached to lamp posts including an installation by char.gy in Union Street Barnet.

There are plans to install a further 500 points on lamp columns. These points are suitable for residents who do not have off street parking to charge their vehicles from home.

A lamp column point takes 8-12 hours to fully charge a vehicle, and they are considered ideal for overnight charging.

Testing shows steady improvement in air quality in Barnet High Street with levels of nitrogen dioxide due to fall even lower with switch to electric cars

Where lamp column charge popints are not appropriate, they are set in the pavement.

PodPoint operates a network of charge points across Barnet Council car parks and there is no parking charge when charging an electric vehicle.

Where residents would like an electric charge point in their street they are asked to email EVCharging@Barnet.gov.uk

Barnet Council continues to promote its scheme to promote pay streets – where minor roads are closed temporarily to encourage children to play safely outside in an environment free of traffic and exhaust emissions.

Five applications were made in 2025 – and there was a first for High Barnet in April this year when a cul-de-sac at the end of Calvert Road became a designated Sunday morning play space.

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Mayor Khan’s proposed London Plan puts pressure on Barnet

view of derelict Green Belt land near Stirling Corner
Mayor Khan’s proposed London Plan puts pressure on Barnet

Barely five years after Mayor Khan’s current London Plan came into force, he’s consulting on a new one. The good news is that it will be a lot slimmer than the present version. The bad news for Barnet is that he’s upping his target for new homes in our borough, and he’s identified places in the Green Belt where some of them could be built.

The draft new Plan was published in July and is open for comments until 15 October. Its housing target for Barnet is to build 32,730 new homes between 2028 & 2037 – a 38% increase on the present London Plan. That still won’t be enough to deliver the Labour government’s pledge of 1.5 million new homes over the lifetime of this parliament. The Mayor and other Labour politicians are increasingly keen to pull any levers that might boost housing supply.

Since brownfield sites within Barnet are limited and more expensive to build on, the Mayor wants the Council to build 7,000 homes in its Green Belt (see map below). He states a preference for using those parts of it deemed ‘Grey Belt’, which could include derelict land in Arkley such as the site illustrated above. But he acknowledges that some greenfield areas will have to be sacrificed.

Mayor Khan’s proposed London Plan puts pressure on Barnet

On his election as MP for Chipping Barnet, Dan Thomlinson said, ‘Our green spaces and the beautiful Green Belt here in this constituency is something that I will always fight for and protect’. We hope he still keeps that promise.

The Plan would require at least 50% of new homes in the Green Belt to be ‘affordable’, or 35% in the case of schemes for 10-35 homes. (Developments of fewer than 10 homes are exempt.) These are ambitious targets, significantly higher than normally offered by developers. If they can be achieved, the Barnet Society might consider that a reasonable trade-off for the loss of some poor-quality Green Belt.

The Plan would subject any residential development in the Green Belt to conditions. Notably, the vast majority of the new homes would have to be located either within 400m of an eligible bus route or 1.2km – 15 minutes’ walk – from one of seven ‘well-connected’ rail and tube stations in Barnet. But that puts most of the constituency of Chipping Barnet in the frame, i.e. from Arkley to Hadley, and from New Barnet to Whetstone.

In addition to these seven ‘broad locations for growth’ (BLGs), the draft Plan also identifies ‘future industrial-led Green Belt candidates’ around the A1 at Borehamwood. This could include the extensive tract of land north-east of Stirling Corner (pictured at the top of this post).

Other industrial-led sites are by the M25 in Enfield, possibly associated with a 21,000-home new town at Crews Hill. That proposal is supported by the government and the Mayor of London, though – since the May local elections – no longer by Enfield Council.

The Plan also sets out strategic criteria for the construction of additional data centres across London to meet the growing demand. These are typically enormous boxes that consume large quanties of electricity and water (for cooling).

The draft London Plan makes no mention of the proposal in Barnet’s Local Plan to create a new Regional Park on the Green Belt and Metropolitan Open Space stretching between Arkley, Scratchwood and Mill Hill. Unless kept to the absolute minimum necessary for sustainable management of the Park, residential or commercial development within this zone would defeat its whole point.

You can read more about these threats and opportunities in my previous web post on the Green Belt.

Barnet Council has declared its objection to the Mayor’s proposals for housing and the Green Belt, which contradict the Local Plan that it adopted only last year. Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Homes and Regeneration, Cllr Ross Houston, said:

“Barnet Council will carefully assess the detail of the draft London Plan before submitting its formal response to the consultation and we will continue to work with residents, communities and partners to ensure any future growth delivers the homes, opportunities and neighbourhoods that people need and want to see.”

Cllr Houston, the Barnet Society would be delighted to work with you, especially on the existential threat to our Green Belt.

Mayor Khan’s proposed London Plan puts pressure on Barnet

Above: Cllr Ross Houston speaking at a Barnet Society public meeting on housing in Barnet in 2023

You can view the draft Plan here. Tell Mayor Khan your views by doing one of the following:

– complete the online survey,
– email londonplan@london.gov.uk(External link

– write to Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, Draft London Plan, London Plan Team, Planning & Regeneration, City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, London, E16 1ZE.

The deadline for comments is 5pm on Thursday, 15 October 2026.

Mayor Khan’s proposed London Plan puts pressure on Barnet
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Fund raising campaign for Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice backed by Barnet councillors and a deputy mayor of London

Fund raising campaign for Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice backed by Barnet councillors and a deputy mayor of London

A time capsule was buried in the grounds of Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospice in Byng Road, Barnet, as part of the celebrations to mark its 20th anniversary.

Twenty messages from children and families supported by the hospice were placed in the capsule to help commemorate its work.

High Barnet’s two councillors and a deputy mayor of London attended the event to help launch the annual campaign, From That Moment, to raise £1 million towards the hospice’s running costs.

See above, from left to right, Philip Roethenbaugh, Noah’s Ark director of fund raising and communications, Councillor James Esses, Sophie Andrews, Noah’s Ark chief executive, Joanna McCartney, Deputy Mayor of London for Children and Families, and Councillor Emma Whysall.

Noah’s Ark’s operating costs exceed £7 million a year.

The From That Moment fund-raising campaign will run from 1 September to 12 October with match-funding partners ensuring that every donation – up to £500,000 – will be doubled in value.

Groups and organisations are being encouraged to think of fund-raising ideas and organise events.

Two events aimed at individuals offering support are Step-tember by walking, running, cycling or swimming 90 miles in September or by taking part in the Walking 9-5 Challenge aimed at step-counting in businesses.

Time capsule buried at Noah's Ark Children's Hospice to celebrate 20th anniversary and start of new fund raising campaign.

Councillor Whysall (Labour) – above, far right, who has been a High Barnet ward councillor since 2022, said her visit and tour of Noah’s Ark had been an opportunity to see its inspirational work.

“We are so lucky to have such an amazing centre in the heart of our community for 20 years – let us hope that Noah’s Ark continues to prosper with the support of the community for another 20 years.”

Councillor Esses (Conservative), who was elected in the May council elections, said his wish was that no child ever needed hospice care.

“For those children that do and end up at Noah’s Ark, I know they are in a truly special place; filled with warmth, care, compassion, and even laughter and joy.

“So much has been achieved in the first 20 years of Noah’s Ark and it is a privilege to join them to celebrate this milestone.

“I have no doubt that they will go from strength to strength in the next 20 years.”

The importance of fund raising was stressed by chief executive Sophie Andrews who explained that for the last four years Noah’s Ark had relied on incredible support from the community during the autumn fund raising appeal.

Children’s hospices are under increasing financial pressure as demand for services continues to grow.

Two thirds of children’s hospices in England ended the year operating at a deficit and Noah’s Ark relies on voluntary donations for 76 per cent of its income.

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Reprieve for Mays Lane traders as Barnet Council lifts all day parking charges outside their parade of shops

Reprieve for Mays Lane traders as Barnet Council lifts all day parking charges outside their parade of shops

Retailers in Mays Lane have welcomed Barnet Council’s decision to remove all but one of the parking charges which were introduced at the end of last year outside their parade of shops.

Charges now apply for only one hour between 2pm and 3pm which aligns with the restrictions and charges which operate in the rest of the Chipping Barnet (D) controlled parking zone.

Imposing a parking charge between 2pm and 3pm is aimed at deterring all-day parking and the Mays Lane traders accept that this is a possible compromise.

When the council imposed six-day-a-week pay-by-phone parking charges on the Mays Lane parade from 8am to 6.30pm the shopkeepers said it would kill off their passing trade and threaten the viability of their businesses.

Local residents rallied to their support organising a petition which attracted over 1,300 signatures.

A case for lifting the restriction was presented to Barnet Council by Gina Theodorou, chair of the Quinta Village Green Residents Association and Jon Wolfson, lead organiser of the Underhill Residents Group.

Reprieve for Mays Lane traders as Barnet Council lifts all day parking charges outside their parade of shops

Mays Pets shop assistant Sarah Burley – who helped to collect signatures for the petition – said the traders were pleased the council had seen sense and recognised the dramatic impact which all-day parking charges were having on their passing trade.

She thought imposing charges for only an hour each afternoon was a step in the right of direction, but the shopkeepers still had concerns because the changes only lasted for a trial period.

They apply for an 18-month experimental period with a six-month consultation period from 3 August 2026 to 3 February 2027.

A notice says this period will give the council time to consider any comments received and to assess the effectiveness of the amended controls.

Nonetheless the traders still have worries about the restrictions as they know shoppers can be easily put off by any risk of incurring a penalty notice.

Mays Lane retailers welcome Barnet Council decision to lift parking charges on their parade of shops

Mohinder Dhingra, proprietor of Coopers of Barnet, who was distraught at the loss of trade when the charges were introduced, said he was “very pleased” the council had changed its mind.

“We can see how applying a parking charge between 2pm and 3pm does fit in with the CPZ for the surrounding area.

“Getting the council to back down is all due to the work of Gina and Jon who we cannot thank enough.”

Barnet Council is still considering protests about the imposition of a new Underhill South CPZ.

After a receiving a deputation to the council, the cabinet member responsible for parking, Councillor Alan Schneiderman said staff were analysing data received during a consultation period and the council hoped to make a decision by the end of December.  

To comment by 3 January 2027 on changes to the Mays Lane restrictions see:

https://www.barnet.gov.uk/chipping-barnet-d-controlled-parking-zone-cpz-paid-parking-experimental-consultation

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Public excluded from special Barnet Council meeting when councillors probed financial failure of controversial Dollis Valley housing scheme

Public excluded from special Barnet Council meeting when councillors probed financial failure of controversial Dollis Valley housing scheme

Fresh proposals are unlikely to emerge until at least the New Year for the completion of the Dollis Valley regeneration following the call-in and collapse of a scheme previously agreed by Barnet Council to build 208 new affordable homes on the estate.

Residents from Dollis Valley – and the Barnet Society – were excluded from a part of a special call-in meeting when a sub-committee of councillors considered financial issues surrounding the failed scheme.

Before members of the public were asked to leave, the leader of the Conservative group, Councillor Peter Zinkin, told the meeting why they had called in the deal agreed in July between the Labour-controlled council and developers Vistry.

He said the decision taken by the council’s cabinet was contrary to “financial responsibility and financial sustainability” and in their judgement those issues were “sufficient to go over the line and lack financial responsibility”.

It would be up to the committee to decide whether the judgement of Conservative councillors was correct, but Councillor Zinkin said it was “really important” for the opposition to test whether the deal with Vistry was the “correct decision”, concerns which had prompted them to call in a decision for the first time in 14 years.

In a note setting out their case, the six Conservative councillors said the developers Vistry were under severe financial strain and the council’s cabinet had not been provided with “sufficient assurance as to the financial viability and delivery risk” for the scale of the commitment. 

Public excluded from special Barnet Council meeting when councillors probed financial failure of controversial Dollis Valley housing scheme

After an hour-and-a-half discussion, the sub-committee decided the council would undertake a comprehensive financial assessment of all future options for completing the Dollis Valley regeneration.

An undertaking was given that future redevelopment would be in the interests of the existing residents whose views would be properly considered through the Dollis Valley Partnership Board.

Complaints about the lack of consultation with residents about the decision to build 208 affordable homes – qualifying for a £58.85 million grant from the Greater London Authority – had triggered a protest petition at an earlier council meeting. 

Public excluded from special Barnet Council meeting when councillors probed financial failure of controversial Dollis Valley housing scheme

Dollis Valley resident Peter Esposito – above left with Councillor Peter Zinkin – opened the meeting with a question about why residents had been misled about the GLA funding.

The cabinet meeting was told the grant decision was pending but he said council officers knew it had already been approved, and the public had been misinformed.

In his presentation Councillor Zinkin reinforced criticism of the way the cabinet meeting had been conducted.

A scrutiny committee was not called until 24 hours before the decision and a paper answering questions which had been raised was not provided until 17 minutes before cabinet met.

Public excluded from special Barnet Council meeting when councillors probed financial failure of controversial Dollis Valley housing scheme

In reply, Councillor Barry Rawlings (above) agreed there should have been more distance between the meetings, but he insisted the issues which came up during the scrutiny process did not “materially affect the decision which was made”.

The deal agreed with Vistry to build 187 homes for social rent and 21 for key workers was the “only one viable option”.

As a result of the call-in and the withdrawal of the £58.85 million GLA grant, the council would have to go over the options once again.

Given the difficult housing market Councillor Rawlings thought it would be difficult to find another viable scheme immediately and it would be next year before a decision could be made on how best to complete the Dollis Valley regeneration.

Public excluded from special Barnet Council meeting when councillors probed financial failure of controversial Dollis Valley housing scheme

In response to the Barnet Society, Councillor Zinkin said that he thought the best course of action in the circumstances was to demolish the vacant and vandalised blocks of flats and maisonettes which were deemed unfit three years ago.

“The cost of securing the abandoned housing is high. Demolition is definitely the preferred option while the council waits for the housing market to improve.

Councillor Zinkin said it might be possible in the future to get much closer to the original scheme to finish off the Dollis Valley regeneration with 126 new privately-owned and 95 affordable homes – a scheme which Vistry had said was unviable.

Peter Esposito and other Dollis Valley residents agreed that returning to the scheme which was originally approved by Dollis Valley Partnership Board was also their preferred option.

Fresh proposals unlikely before New Year to complete regeneration of Dollis Valley after collapse of deal between Barnet Council and developers Vistry

Councillor Rawlings said it was too early to speculate on what action might be taken but the council had estimated that the cost of demolishing the vacant blocks of flats and maisonettes and clearing the site could be as high as £3million.

His concern was that yet another delay in completing Dollis Valley was creating yet more uncertainty for those residents who had been moved out of the “unsafe and leaking flats” and transferred into other temporary council accommodation.

“These residents have been forgotten in all of this. When they were moved away, they were promised they would get a chance to move back to Dollis Valley”.

Councillor Rawlings said the regeneration of Dollis Valley – now known as the Brook Valley Gardens estate – had been a success with the construction of 400 new homes.

“Years back people used to say that Dollis Valley was a no-go estate, but the area has been transformed with regeneration and we are anxious to see that completed.” 

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Dollis Valley redevelopment delayed yet again after Barnet Council loses out on £58 million Greater London housing grant

Dollis Valley redevelopment delayed yet again after Barnet Council loses out on £58 million Greater London housing grant

Barnet Council has had to abandon an immediate go ahead for the final stage of the Dollis Valley redevelopment following the sudden withdrawal of a £58.85 million grant from the Greater London Authority for building new affordable homes.

A council cabinet decision two weeks ago to proceed with the construction of 208 new homes – despite protests from some of the residents – has been called in for further discussion.

As a result, the council has failed to meet the GLA’s deadline of July 31 for approving the project.

Conservative councillors demanded that the cabinet’s decision should be called in – and therefore postponed – because of their concerns about the financial viability of the scheme and the lack of adequate consultation with residents.

Council officials will now have to draw up fresh proposals for the completion of what has become the Brook Valley Gardens estate.

Vacant blocks of flats and maisonettes – see above – have been awaiting demolition for the last three years and this fresh postponement is only the latest setback in a long, drawn-out saga.

Dollis Valley redevelopment delayed yet again after Barnet Council loses out on £58 million Greater London housing grant

A group of Brook Valley Gardens residents – where 60 per cent of the 400 homes are privately owned – have fought a sustained campaign against the council’s decision to finish off the estate with 208 affordable homes.

They say this would result in the estate having 60 per cent of homes for social rent which they argue is a breach of the undertakings they were given when they bought their homes and were told it would be 60 per cent privately owned.

Under the scheme approved by the cabinet on July 21 the council said it had reached an agreement with developers Vistry to construct 208 affordable homes which would be managed for the council by Barnet Homes.

To qualify for access to £58.85 million of GLA affordable housing grant the scheme had to be approved by July 31.

In confirming the funding was no longer available, the GLA said there was no longer “sufficient certainty” the grant conditions could be met and there were other schemes around London which could qualify.   

Barnet Council has to abandon immediate completion of Dollis Valley redeveopment following withdrawal of GLA affordable housing grant of £58 million in another setback to troubled scheme.

Demolition of the block of flats and maisonettes deemed unfit for occupation and a start on the construction of the new homes was due to begin in September.  

When approving this plan two weeks ago, the cabinet meeting acknowledged the “potential guilt” felt by some councillors for letting down the private owners.

What cabinet members and council officials had not taken into account was the determination of the private residents’ group to press for the decision to be called in.

Once this action was taken by Conservative councillors, council officials were no longer in a position to give the guarantees which were needed by the GLA over access to the £58.85 million grant.

A full report on the setback is to be considered by the council’s call-in sub-committee on Tuesday 4 August.

Residents who have been consulted by the Dollis Valley Partnership Board have welcomed the news that the grant is “no longer available” and say it has strengthened their argument for the council to start again and undertake meaningful discussions with them.

Among the financial issues facing the call-in sub-committee will be the demand for more information about the council’s contribution to finishing off the Dollis Valley estate – said to be another £40 million.

Unless the deal with Vistry can be renegotiated, the council might be left with no other option but to demolish the vacant blocks and clear the site with the hope that conditions in the housing market might improve or that the site can be sold to a private developer.

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Redevelopment of Dollis Valley estate due to restart in September after three-year delay in demolishing vacant flats

Redevelopment of Dollis Valley estate due to restart in September after three-year delay in demolishing vacant flats

Completion of the redevelopment of the Dollis Valley estate – where blocks of flats and maisonettes have been awaiting demolition for the last three years – is finally to go ahead with access to a £58 million grant from the Greater London Authority.

Regeneration of the estate was stalled in 2023 because the developers Vistry said the scheme previously agreed with Barnet Council for 126 new privately-owned and 95 affordable homes was no longer viable.

A revised plan approved at a cabinet meeting will now provide for the construction of 208 affordable homes which will be managed for the council by Barnet Homes.

The new Dollis Valley houses – 187 for social rent and 21 for key workers – will provide what is described as a “significant” contribution to Barnet’s target to deliver 1,000 new council homes.

But by abandoning the previously agreed construction of over 100 new private homes, the council has angered owners of new Dollis Valley houses who fear this will alter the balance of an estate which was supposed to be a 50/50 split between private and social ownership.

Despite what was described at the meeting as the “potential guilt” felt by some councillors for letting down the private owners, the cabinet decided there was no other viable option than to accept Vistry’s latest proposal.

To qualify for access to £58.85 million of GLA affordable housing grant, construction of the new houses has to start by September this year.

Redevelopment of Dollis Valley estate due to restart in September after three-year delay in demolishing vacant flats

If the council failed to meet the deadline one option would be to demolish the vacant flats and maisonettes and retain the empty site until the housing market improved but that would expose the council to further financial risk.

The first three phases of the Dollis Valley regeneration have delivered over 400 new houses in what the council describes as “a low-rise, gentle density garden suburb style development dominated by houses with gardens and traditional streets.”

Dollis Valley regeneration to restart after Barrnet Council agrees new deal with developers Vistry for 221 new homes

The final two phases of the scheme – which would result in the demolition of the vacant Garrowsfield and Mill Bridge blocks – were originally intended to provide 126 private and 95 affordable homes.

Poor market conditions and increased construction costs were said to have made this “significantly unviable” which resulted in Vistry proposing the construction of 208 affordable homes at “a fixed price” and 13 private homes, the scheme which has now been approved.

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Spare land around New Barnet bowling green becomes a community garden under Barnet Council scheme to take advantage of under-used space 

Spare land around New Barnet bowling green becomes a community garden under Barnet Council scheme to take advantage of under-used space 

A new community garden has been established in New Barnet through a partnership between a church and a bowls club.

A blessing to celebrate the opening of the garden at the East Barnet Valley Bowls Club was conducted by the Reverend Sharon Ejinkonye, the newly installed vicar at St James Church, New Barnet.

Produce from the garden will be offered to needy residents visiting Jim’s Café, a Wednesday morning community advice centre and coffee morning organised by the church.

The partnership came about because the bowls club, next to Victoria Recreation Ground, New Barnet, had spare land and the church was looking for a new site for its community garden.

Spare land around New Barnet bowling green becomes a community garden under Barnet Council scheme to take advantage of under-used space 

In her blessing to celebrate the opening of the new garden, Sharon thanked Barnet Council and the bowls club for sharing their vision and creating a space where they could work together nourishing plants and vegetables.

Spare land around New Barnet bowling green becomes a community garden under Barnet Council scheme to take advantage of under-used space 

Jeremy Alford – see above with Sharon – who helped co-ordinate the development of the new garden said it was a replacement for a previous community garden in the former St James vicarage.

“When we lost that garden at the old vicarage, we realised the bowls club had spare land on an ideal site where we could work together and we have now adopted the space.”

A garden shed purchased with a grant from the National Gardens Scheme was moved successfully from the vicarage to the bowls club.

Every Tuesday morning volunteers care for the garden which was developed with raised beds and stocked with the help of grants from the Faiths Forum for London and the National City Park Foundation.

East Barnet Valley Bowls Club hosts community garden for St James Church New Barnet taking advantage of spare land for new community initiative

Bowls club secretary David Mulford – see above with Sharon – said it was the ideal solution to use their vacant garden to host a community garden for the church.

An extra bonus was that following the reseeding of the club’s green, there was plenty of surplus soil to build up the new beds for the garden.

Work started developing the garden last November and despite the summer drought, they are hoping for a good crop of vegetables, including tomatoes, runner beans, sweet corn, garlic and other crops.

Now that the community garden is a visible presence in Victoria Recreation Ground, the bowls club and church are hoping users and visitors to the park and leisure centre will get involved.

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Approval for new High Street retail premises and housing at junction with Moxon Street as demolition underway on two other nearby developments

Approval for new High Street retail premises and housing at junction with Moxon Street as demolition underway on two other nearby developments

Planning approval has finally been given after four years of negotiations and discussions for a new four-storey building at a prominent site in Barnet town centre at the corner of High Street and Moxon Street.

Architect Simon Kaufman is confident the new building – see above – with 11 new homes over commercial premises with a traditional shop front will enhance the character of a site at the heart of the Wood Street Conservation Area.

Moxon Street itself is currently being transformed by new housing developments.

Demolition is underway at the former Checkalow Tiles showroom, where there will be 21 new homes, and at the much larger site of the former Intec House, where there is approval for a new block of flats.

Approval for new High Street retail premises and housing at junction with Moxon Street as demolition underway on two other nearby developments

Discussions over how to redevelop the two empty shop premises at the corner of High Street and Moxon Street – where there had been a photo-copying business, a Foxtons estate agency and then a community pop-up shop – began six years ago.

Simon Kaufman Architects consulted planners, conservation officers, the Barnet Society, nearby residents and other local stakeholders.

“A collaborative design process has helped shape a scheme which responds positively to both the site and its historic setting while delivering an exciting new future for this important High Street building,” said Mr Kaufman.

Once the planning application was submitted, negotiations with Barnet Council’s planning department took another four years.

“This has been a long journey.”

“It is tremendously rewarding to see this prominent High Street building restored and given a new lease of life, making a positive contribution to the local community once again.

“The approved design carefully restores and enhances its historic character through the recreation of a traditional shop front, sensitive restoration of the masonry and architectural detailing, and a carefully designed roof extension that complements the historic townscape.

“This will bring 11 new homes, fresh investment and new life to this important part of Chipping Barnet.”

Dan Tomlinson, MP for Chipping Barnet, said he had worked closely with Simon Kaufman Architects to ensure that the site – 98-100 High Street – was brought back into life after such a long delay.

“This site spent years stuck in process and paperwork, and it was my intervention that finally stopped the administrative ping-pong.

“I am over the moon that through hard work, alongside my team, Simon Kaufman Architects, and local groups like the Barnet Society, we will finally see this eyesore turned into a new retail site and, most importantly, housing for residents.”

Approval for new High Street retail premises and housing at junction with Moxon Street as demolition underway on two other nearby developments

Demolition work is now underway on the Checkalow site in Moxon Street where a car-free mews with two rows of terraced homes is to be built to provide a total of 21 new homes for Barnet Homes.

The new tree-lined mews will connect Moxon Street to Tapster Street and will be open to pedestrians but have no access for motor vehicles.

Half the new one- and two-bedroom houses will be affordable housing, some perhaps under shared ownership.

Planning approval granted for new retail premises and housing at High Street corner with Moxon Street as demolition is underway on two other nearby housing developments

Demolition of the former Intec House, a three-storey office block, will make way for the construction of a six-storey block of 113 homes of which 17 will be for social rent.

Approval for the redevelopment by Moxon One Ltd was given by Barnet Council in October 2024 despite opposition from some nearby residents in South Close who fear that because of its height the new block will overlook their homes.

Top image Simon Kaufman Architects

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Another accolade for staff at Chipping Barnet Foodbank as key campaigner receives top award for work combatting low pay

Another accolade for staff at Chipping Barnet Foodbank as key campaigner receives top award for work combatting low pay

Pioneering work on behalf of the low paid by Bob Bevil, who is a lead campaigner for Chipping Barnet Foodbank, has won national recognition.

He was presented with a Living Wage Champion of the Year Award at the annual awards ceremony held by the Living Wage Foundation.

Mr Bevil (centre) is seen above with Matthew Bolton (left), chief executive and lead organiser of Citizens UK, and Bruce Daisley, host of the awards.

The award recognised his role in campaigning to encourage the London Borough of Barnet to become an accredited real living wage employer which means Barnet Council now pays more an hour than the legal minimum under the government’s national living wage.

The higher rates will benefit hundreds of sub-contracted professionals across the borough, especially essential care workers.

His next challenge is to help step up the campaign to persuade Barnet’s largest employer, the Royal Free Foundation Trust, to follow the borough council’s example and provide an increase in the pay of hospital workers across the borough.

The legal minimum wage, known as the national living wage, is £12.71 per hour, whereas the real living wage, as calculated by the Living Wage Foundation, is £13.45 per hour across the UK and £14.80 per hour in London.

Nearly 17,000 accredited employers across the country pay higher rates on a voluntary basis.

Chipping Barnet Foodbank, through the advocacy of Bob Bevil, is at the forefront of campaigning across the borough to try to reduce dependency on foodbanks by increasing the wage rates of low-paid workers.

After he was presented with his award, Mr Bevil said the accreditation of Barnet Council as a real living wage employer had provided a big economic boost for the borough and they were hoping to persuade the Royal Free Trust, the borough’s largest employer to follow suit.

Another accolade for staff at Chipping Barnet Foodbank as key campaigner receives top award for work combatting low pay

There was recognition at the awards ceremony that demand for emergency food parcels has increased because of the cost-of-living crisis.

Poor wage levels were largely responsible which was why the progress being made in Barnet was so important in a borough with “very few” accredited real living wage employers in the borough.

Graham Griffiths, director of the Living Wage Foundation, congratulated Mr Bevil and the living wage campaign team in Barnet for helping to transform the lives of local employees.

A full-time worker paid the £13.45 real living wage receives £1,400 in additional wages each year compared to those on the legal minimum and for a full-time worker in London this figure rises to over £4,000 a year.

Since it began 25 years ago, the real living wage has secured over £4.1 billion of pay rises for low paid workers which had made a “profound difference” to millions of people.

Award for Beb Bevil, who is advocacy and campaigning lead for Chipping Barnet Foodbank for his work combatting low pay -- his award is for living wage champion of the year

Chipping Barnet Foodbank – one of over 20 across the borough – helped to organise an all-day conference in 2024 to discuss concern about the levels of malnutrition among local people seeking support.

Mr Bevil – seen above with foodbank manager Victoria Miller and the Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson – joined other speakers in arguing that assisting those on low incomes was the only way to improve the life of those whose food intake was insufficient to meet the needs for normal health.

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Planning Inspector dismisses appeal to build mansion in Christchurch Lane spinney

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An Inspector has dismissed an appeal by developer Christchurchgrove Ltd against Barnet Council’s refusal of its planning application to build a 5-bedroom house in a wood in Chipping Barnet. The decision concludes a successful campaign by local residents, with help from the Barnet Society, to save a cherished natural habitat in the Monken Hadley Conservation Area. It also sends a message to developers about the Council’s commitment to protecting green spaces in Barnet.

Although only one acre in area, the spinney beside Christchurch Lane forms a link in a green chain connecting Old Fold Manor golf course and Hadley Green, both in the Green Belt. Both are also designated Areas of Particular Importance for Biodiversity in the Mayor of London’s Nature Recovery Plan. Many trees in the wood are subject to Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) and it is a haven of wild life, for example the Muntjac deer and her fawn in the photograph above (courtesy of neighbour Marianne Nix).

Planning Inspector dismisses appeal to build mansion in Christchurch Lane spinney

Concerns arose two years ago, when it emerged that the Council had authorised the sale of the part of the spinney that it owns for £430,000, subject to the buyer obtaining planning consent. But its own planning and biodiversity officers took issue with aspects of the preliminary ecological appraisal commissioned by the developer and breaches of Barnet’s Local Plan.

In parallel local residents monitored wildlife in the wood, photographing and recording a fascinating range of birds, bats and animals coming and going within 200 metres of Barnet High Street (as reported in our web post on 31 January). A petition to Save Chipping Barnet Woodland was started in September 2025, and within a few months had been supported by over 2,250 signatures. 

A planning application was eventually submitted in January this year. It comprised a new mansion, designed in the Arts & Crafts style of existing houses in Sunset View, with a private garden and an enclosed swimming pool. In response to Society suggestions, the house boundaries were softened to integrate the garden more closely with the existing vegetation, and a plan was offered to manage the whole of the spinney. Despite constructive pre-application discussions between the developer and the Society, however, the final proposals did not go far enough to safeguard the existing environment and we objected to them – as did 278 other members of the public. Not a single comment was submitted in support.

Barnet planners recommended refusal of the application. Not only did the application breach several policies in its Local Plan (adopted only last year), it would have contradicted the Green Manifesto which had formed part of Labour’s platform in the 2022 local elections. Perhaps with an eye on the impending May local elections, the Council rejected the application on 10 March.

Almost immediately, the developer appealed against the Council’s decision.

The Planning Inspectorate’s verdict, published on 10 July, is unambiguous:

‘…the development of the site would have a harmful impact on the character and appearance of the area…and would fail to preserve the character or appearance of the Monken Hadley Conservation Area [MHCA]’, as well as being contrary to policies in The London Plan and the Barnet Local Plan.’

The Inspector echoed the opinion of local residents:

‘The sense of depth and scale that the woodland currently possesses is of considerable value…It provides a characterful wooded setting to the adjacent development and ties these roads into the wider landscape character of the MHCA…’

S/he also noted that,

‘This impact would be exacerbated by the proposed design…the proposed dwelling would appear to sit within an overgrown garden without a clear visual and spatial connection to the road or the sense of grandeur that many dwellings in the area possess.’

Regarding the hedge proposed around the site perimeter, the Inspector commented,

‘It is however highly doubtful that it would be possible to plant and successfully establish a continuous hedge in this location given the number of trees that would be retained around the edges of the site and their scale.’

Furthermore,

‘…the value of the woodland and the presence of a veteran tree, have not been accurately assessed, resulting in an unreliable biodiversity net gain calculation.’

The Society and campaigners have welcomed the Inspector’s decision. Retired GP Richard Norris commented,

‘Very definite rejection from Planning Inspector Tucker, very detailed, gives me faith in our institutions.’

Marianne Nix, who was instrumental in setting up the Save Chipping Barnet Woodland website and petition said,

‘I am delighted and hugely relieved that the Planning Inspectorate has dismissed the Appeal. The local community has worked together tirelessly to raise funds to publicise and to fight the potential destruction of this precious pocket of green on our doorsteps. Together we have gained the support of thousands of Barnet residents as well as petition signatures from all parts of the UK and even overseas. The World is waking up to the fact that we need to protect even the smallest pockets of nature and biodiversity that we in Barnet are lucky enough to enjoy.’

She thanked everyone who had objected to the planning application. But she went on to warn,

‘Although the veteran trees and wildlife are safe for now, I have a feeling there will be another application, this time with two or three houses.’

So we can’t relax. The Barnet Society was founded specifically to protect London’s Green Belt and the wider environment, and these are under greater threat than ever. We need funds to continue doing so. If you haven’t done so already, please join us or donate – just go to the top of this page.

Planning Inspector dismisses appeal to build mansion in Christchurch Lane spinney
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High Barnet hostelry The Black Horse is welcoming customers once again after a surprise initiative to rescue threatened pub

High Barnet hostelry The Black Horse is welcoming customers once again after a surprise initiative to rescue threatened pub

Standing proud in the re-opened garden of the Black Horse public house are three former regular customers who have taken on the lease of what they hope will once again become a popular community pub.

When everything looked bleak last September after a sudden closure of the premises – and while worried residents succeeded in getting the pub listed as an asset of community value – the local trio were working away behind the scenes to mount their rescue bid.

Without any fanfare the three regulars – above, from left to right Danny Daly, Simon Anderson and Martin Taylor – started putting together a business plan and began negotiating with Star Pubs, part of the Heineken group.

Months went by because of legal complications following the pub’s closure last year, but the trio pressed on establishing Barnet Community Pubs Ltd to take on the tenancy.

“We three all live within a five-minute walk of The Black Horse, we understand what the locality wants, and Star Pubs realised we were really serious about wanting to run a proper community pub,” said Simon Anderson.

“We have secured a first year’s tenancy, and we finally got the keys on June 8 and here we are a fortnight later serving drinks.”

High Barnet hostelry The Black Horse is welcoming customers once again after a surprise initiative to rescue threatened pub

Barnet Community Pubs has taken on a staff of 12, led by a new general manager, Phoebe Thickson – see above with Archie Taylor (left) and Arni Nolan.

The new tenants say they plan a soft re-opening of the pub, taking it step by step, and, after some reconstruction work, hope to re-open the kitchen within the next six weeks so that they can offer a new simple menu of well-prepared food.

“We are keen to establish a family pub which knows what its customers like. “All 12 of our staff live within walking distance and our new manager Phoebe was formerly an assistant manager at The Black Horse, so she knows many of the former customers.

“We are a fully tied house. We have seven beers and four of those are cask ales which we know is what the locals want and appreciate.”

After being closed since last September the Black Horse public house has re-opened after three regular customers successful bid to re-open popular High Barnet community pub

Scaffolding outside the pub, which was installed when Star Pubs carried out some essential repairs, will have to remain for several more weeks because brickwork on the frontage of the building needs attention.

Simon said they were determined in the coming months to prove to Star Pubs the success of the business.

Once they had established themselves, they hoped to get a longer lease. Barnet Community Pubs might even take on other licensed premises if opportunities arose.

“Star Pubs have been really good to work with. I think they appreciated that what we were proposing was a community pub that had every chance of succeeding.”

The trio behind the initiative, who invested their own money in fitting out the pub, believe they have a good skills match to make The Black Horse a going concern.

Martin has considerable expertise in finance and sorted out much of the paperwork and agreements with public utilities.

“We turned round the pub in a couple of weeks, newly redecorated and with the garden re-opened.”

Simon has a track record in hospitality. He previously owned The Albion in Islington which was an award-winning pub.

Danny, who has experience in publishing and promotion, said that although they did not want to go public on their plans, they were helped by the petition that was launched to save The Black Horse and then the declaration by Barnet Council that it was an asset of community value.

“All that community support and loyalty worked in our favour when negotiating with Star Pubs.

“It’s great to see The Black Horse open again – our nightmare vision was that we might lose the pub and see the site redeveloped with a block of flats.”

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Strong objections registered to a possible threat to a much cherished and historic setting at Monken Hadley

Strong objections registered to a possible threat to a much cherished and historic setting at Monken Hadley

Residents and conservationists have reacted with alarm at a proposal to include the historic gate at Monken Hadley within an eruv – a symbolic boundary for Orthodox Jews – which would require the installation of two 5.5metre high poles with a crosswire over the road.

If planning permission is granted, an eruv would be created largely within the Borough of Enfield which would take in the United Synagogue in Hadley Wood, but which would also require eruv installations at three boundary points which are within the Borough of Barnet.

The application affecting Monken Hadley – establishing a boundary from Hadley Common – is for permission to install a 5.5metre pole on the footpath outside Rectory Close; another 5.5 metre pole on the other side of the road on the footpath outside Clocktower Cottage; and an overhead a connecting wire.

Strong objections registered to a possible threat to a much cherished and historic setting at Monken Hadley

A series of objections posted on the Barnet Council’s website (closing date 25.6.2026) claim the two poles would be unsightly and an unacceptable intrusion into the most sensitive and significant setting within the Monken Hadley Conservation Area.

The Reverend Francesco Aresco, recently appointed rector of Monken Hadley Parish Church, says that as a nearby resident he objects to the installation because it would result in visual harm to an historic setting and create hazards for pedestrians.

The pavements outside Rectory Close and Clocktower Cottage are both “very narrow”.

They are used regularly by school pupils, requiring pedestrians to step into the road when trying to pass parents pushing prams.

Among the objectors was the Hadley Wood Neighbourhood Planning Forum Committee which considered the eruv would be of no benefit to the population at large and hoped that an alternative option would be to use the tollgate itself as a symbolic boundary – a suggestion which is apparently to be considered by the relevant “eruv” authorities.

Monken Hadley Common Trust agreed with the planning forum committee that the white tollgate might itself form the eruv boundary.

In its application, the United Synagogue Trust Ltd – of which the Hadley Wood Jewish Community of 471 members is a constituent member – says the proposal would encourage social cohesion within the community.

Residents and conservationists alarmed by application for an eruv installaton close to historic gate at Monken Hadley

There would need to be three eruv installations at three locations within the Borough of Barnet – two poles and a crosswire at Monken Hadley; a tubular steel arch at Bakers Hill at the Hadley Wood railway bridge; and an installation at the Cromer Road/Lawton Road entrance to the pedestrian tunnel under the main railway line.

These three installations would achieve linkage with an existing New Barnet eruv.

An eruv allows observant Orthodox Jews to carry and push objects – such as housekeys, medication or prams – between private and public domains on the Sabbath.

According to biblical law, carrying anything in a public space is considered a form of work, which is forbidden on the Sabbath. An eruv solves this by symbolically turning a neighbourhood into one large, unified “private domain”.

A comment from a supporter of the application sets out the case: an eruv would enable observant Jewish families to attend synagogue, join community events and maintain normal social connections, especially family visits and celebrations.

Eruv boundaries have been installed across London and the UK during the last 15 years including in nearby areas such as Stanmore, Bushey, and Camden apparently without objections and at no public cost.