Tag: Barnet Council

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A visit to Barnet Environment Centre gives Mayor of Barnet an opportunity to observe nature reserve’s wide range of birdlife  

With binoculars at the ready the Mayor of Barnet Councillor Danny Rich paid his first ever visit to the Barnet Environment Centre in Byng Road, congratulating volunteers for establishing a “fantastic educational resource” for local children.

Between February and the end of the coming summer term, 2,000 pupils from across the borough are due to attend classes at the centre – and there is a waiting list of schools keen to take part.

In the first ten minutes of his walk around the nature reserve Councillor Rich – above left with Bernard Johnson, vice chair of the Friends of Barnet Environment Centre – picked out in the surrounding trees, four goldfinches, a blue tit, a great tit and a crow flying overhead.  

He was amazed by the richness of the birdlife at the centre and given his membership of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said could not resist the opportunity to get his eye in.

His visit was to help celebrate the conclusion of events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the environment centre – and a chance to tour its facilities including the classroom where the centre’s education manager Robyn Stern introduces children to what they can see and find out in the reserve.

Councillor Rich acknowledged that after living in the borough for the last 20 years, he was thrilled at last to have a chance to visit a centre which did so much to alert children to the importance of nature.

“Although here in Barnet we live in a relatively green area, children do need to come here to learn about the environment.

“I’m a birdwatcher myself, so it was a real privilege to see so many birds in such a short time, and I want to book my next visit straightaway.”

He promised to try to keep free the first Sunday in May when the centre is holding its annual early morning gathering to hear the dawn chorus – an event which was led last year by Bob Husband of the RSPB when 33 different species were identified or observed.

On his tour of the centre, Councillor Rich was shown tree stumps left purposely in the undergrowth to encourage the growth of fungi. Last spring the stumps were covered in yellow fungus which fascinated the children.

Mayor of Barnet Councillor Danny Rich pays his firist visit to Barnet Environment Centre and praises their inspirational work with children and wide range of birdlife in nature reserve.

Another stop on the tour was one of the newly refurbished dipping ponds – where children can take samples and observe aquatic life – above from left to right, the Mayoress of Barnet, Laura Lassman, the Mayor of Barnet, Bernard Johnson and trustee Liz Pearson.

 Councillor Rich thanked the volunteers – up to 20 of whom meet each Monday – for all their work maintaining the reserve and for helping with the school visits which take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Voluntary work was one of the features of life in Barnet. “It is the volunteering which adds so much to the richness of life in the borough and Barnet is a special place because the council does all it can to work in conjunction with our voluntary groups and organisations.”

Looking ahead to projects planned at the centre in the coming months, Bernard Johnson said the centre hoped to redevelop the former Marc Bolan garden into a community orchard.

The centre was even planning to build a boathouse to house a boat that could be used on the Hadley and Willow ponds to help control the growth of bullrushes and other vegetation.

Another innovation was a planned visit by year nine pupils from Queen Elizabeth’s Boys’ School who were studying nature poems and who were looking for ideas for their work.  

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Top spot for drivers and vehicles from Barnet Classic Car Club in London’s New Year’s Day Parade  

Four entries from Barnet Classic Car Club had a prime spot in London’s New Year’s Day parade – gaining praise in the live television coverage on Sky News for adding some royal glamour to the event.

A look-alike King and Queen in the front of Derrick Haggerty’s 1955 Ford Popular were a surprise attraction.

Sky’s commentary team joined in the fun, complimenting the club for parading a wonderful collection of classic and vintage cars:

“We didn’t know the King was going to be here…and the Queen as well…no one told us. But we much appreciate your presence your majesties.”

Derek’s Ford Popular has been in his family since it was purchased in 1973 as a non-runner for £50 – and after £5 and a couple of new king pins it was back on the road.

This was the 40th anniversary of London’s New Year’s Day Parade and despite the freezing weather it was watched by crowds of well over 700,000.

More than 8,000 performers took part in the spectacular procession from Piccadilly to Whitehall treating revellers to marching bands, acrobats and eye-catching floats.

Dancers twirled away in their daffodil costumes and a cavalcade of open-top Mokes made their way through the West End.

Barnet Classic Car Club, representing the Borough of Barnet, was invited to participate by the Mayor of Barnet, Councillor Danny Rich – see above with club member Howard Pryor and Howard’s pet dog Bertie.

Councillor Tony Vourou – above with a Pearly Queen – co-ordinated the club’s entry to the parade.

The club’s four entries – which had 34th place in the parade – were a 1974 Rover P6 owned and driven by club member Peter Snow; a 1955 Ford Popular owned and driven by Derrick Haggerty; a 1952 Morris Minor Convertible owned and driven by club member Paul Reed; and a 1939 Morris Commercial driven by club member Howard Pryor.

Originally built as a utility fire engine, the Morris Commercial was converted in 1947 to an ambulance and was kindly loaned by the Whitewebbs Museum of Transport in Whitewebbs Lane, Enfield.

Entries from Barnet Classic Car Club have a prime spot in London's spectacular New Year's Day Parade and get a special mention of Sky TV

Before setting off on the parade club members lined up for a photograph – from left to right, Derrick Haggerty, Peter Snow, James Beeton, Howard Pryor and Paul Reed.

The club was delighted to have been invited to take part in the parade which drew record crowds approaching 700,000 or more, much more than the 500,000 that had been anticipated.

Sky News had agreed a last-minute deal with the parade and broadcast it in its entirety linking up with 1,100 tv stations around the world and a potential global audience including up to 27 million in the USA.

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Plan for additional flat rejected as Barnet Council still hopes tenant might be found for vacant community space close to Barnet High Street

Barnet Council has intervened to see if a tenant can be found for vacant community space on the ground floor of a block of flats which were built in Salisbury Road after the demolition of the former Fern Room, once the home of Barnet Old People’s Welfare Committee.

After failing since 2021 to either sell or rent the community space, the developers applied for permission to convert the ground floor into a three-bedroom flat – an application that was rejected last year.

This refusal has now prompted the council’s intervention as the planners were not prepared to allow the loss of a possible community facility so close to the town centre.

The council says it wants to work with the developers to see if a tenant can be found for a broader range of openings including possible flexible work, retail or community use as part of the town centre improvement.

Community groups and local charities – together with Chipping Barnet Town Team – are being alerted to see if there is any organisation which might be able to make use of the space.

Given the financial pressures on the voluntary sector, it is perhaps no surprise that the developers have failed to find a new tenant – the ground floor space of 1,280 square feet is on the market for a guide sale price of £400,000 or an annual rent of £25,000.

A report presented to the council on behalf of the owners by real estate advisers Newsteer says that despite having been “extensively marketed” for four years there has been minimal interest in the space for community use.

Therefore a “logical beneficial re-use” would be to convert the space into a three-bedroom flat, but the council’s planning department disagreed.

After refusing plan for additional flat Barnet Council intervenes to see if a tenant can be found for vavant community space close to Barnet High Street

Barnet Old People’s Welfare Committee – which provided activities for Barnet’s elderly residents for 75 years – had to vacate the Fern Room in 2017 when it was purchased by SAS Investments to make way for the new of flats.

Eviction from its day centre meant the loss of a wide range of activities including coffee mornings, a social advice centre, and the running of evergreen clubs and minibus outings.

After paying £875 a quarter to rent the Fern Room, the committee realised it would be unable to afford the new community space which SAS Investments said would be increased in size to 1,600 square feet and offered for hire to a much wider range of uses including sports activities such as 5-a-side football.

In the event the new community space was reduced to 1,280 square feet – the same as the Fern Room – and the planning committee noted that it remains an empty shell although the 2019 planning approval stated it would be “fully fitted out and ready for use.”

Failure to fit out the space had made the rent “potentially prohibitive” for some prospective community use and the planners considered the developers had presented insufficient evidence that the facility was no longer required.

The proposed new ground-floor flat would have no private amenity space and high-level windows to the bedrooms would provide inadequate daylight and a poor outlook, resulting in a poor standard of accommodation.

“Consequently, the proposal would provide only a single additional residential unit and whilst in a sustainable location, would not outweigh the harm resulting from the total loss of a community facility without adequate justification.”

When first applying to demolish the Fern Room, SAS Investments said it was a “very dilapidated, inefficient building” but respected the longstanding community use of the Salisbury Road site and were anxious to work with local community groups by providing a new and much larger community space.

The loss of the Fern Room is an illustration of the on-off, piecemeal development of Barnet town centre.

The site was sold by Barnet Council to the developers of The Spires shopping centre in 2009 and passed on through the ownership of UBS, the William Pears group and Hunter Asset Management before being sold to SAS Investments for redevelopment in 2017.   

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Barnet Council to reintroduce food waste collection service – households will receive new food caddies and bins over next few weeks

Householders might be forgiven for thinking they are living in a time warp in the coming weeks when Barnet Council starts to deliver homes with two containers ready for the re-introduction of a weekly food waste collection and recycling service which begins again in March.

Between January and March each home will be supplied with a brown kitchen caddy for collecting food waste indoors and a small brown outside food waste bin.

A much larger food waste recycling bin will be provided for bin stores and outside use in blocks of flats and in community housing.

Collections will take place on the same day as the regular recycling and waste collections and the service will start as from the week commencing 30 March 2026.

Food waste will be turned into clean energy and nutrient-rich fertiliser for local farmland.

“Barnet is proud to support residents to recycle efficiently – doing our bit for the environment and future generations,” says Councillor Alan Schneiderman, cabinet member for environment and climate change.

For many residents there will be a sense déjà vu about being urged to do their bit for the environment by recycling food waste. 

Until seven years every house across the borough had a kitchen food waste caddy and brown bin – see the full set above, circa 2018 – but the food waste recycling service was abandoned in a cost cutting drive.

Against the advice of the Mayor of London, Barnet Council cancelled food waste collections in November 2018 to save an annual bill of £300,000.

New government regulations now require local councils to collect food waste separately from other household waste, hence the reintroduction of the service.

Grants are being made to local authorities to meet the cost of new containers and collection vehicles.

New kitchen caddies and the kerbside bins for the borough will cost £1.3million and a food waste collection vehicle will be hired for five years from Riverside Truck Rental Ltd at a cost of £2.8million.

The first tranche of capital grant funding of £2.7 million has already been received by the council.

Currently Barnet’s recycling rate for household waste refuse is 27.3 per cent and that should increase by around 4 per cent with the recycling of food waste.

During the five years when there were waste food collections in Barnet, some residents complained about their properties lacking the space for so many bins.

When this service was withdrawn householders tended to find alternative uses for their waste food bins and caddies and there are large numbers of these repurposed containers still in circulation.

Food waste collection service being reintroduced by Barnet Council after it was abandoned in 2018. New food waste caddies and bins to be delivered to householders over coming weeks.

Barnet’s introduction of food waste collections in 2013 led to something almost akin to a game of musical chairs among the wheelie bins and containers which were already proliferating in the frontages of houses and flats across the borough.

2013 was also the year the previous black and blue recycling boxes – see above – were withdrawn and were replaced by a blue wheelie bin for all recyclable material, followed by the arrival of the kitchen caddies and bins that lasted for five years before being declared redundant in 2018 – and are now having to be replaced.

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Angry residents, community groups and primary school headteacher demand a rethink on Barnet Council’s new CPZ in Underhill   

High Barnet’s latest controlled parking zone took effect in Underhill in the week before Christmas sparking a furious response from residents as well as staff and parents at Whitings Hill Primary School.

Despite the opposition of 85 per cent of householders, Barnet Council imposed the CPZ on an experimental basis for 18 months on 16 roads north of Mays Lane on either side of Chesterfield Road.

Increasing demand for on-street free parking by staff, patients and visitors at Barnet Hospital has resulted in an ever-widening CPZ with the latest extension to Underhill provoking widespread community protests.

In response to criticism during Barnet Question Time that the imposition of the new Underhill South zone – to be designated the US zone – had been left in the hands of highways staff rather than councillors, the leader of Barnet Council, Councillor Barry Rawlings, gave a public assurance that the operation of the scheme would be reviewed after six months.

He said residents’ responses to the parking controls would be considered and after an assessment of the effectiveness of the CPZ, councillors would decide whether any changes should be made to the zone or whether it should be kept or abandoned.

Councillor Rawlings’ undertakings were welcomed by two community leaders who are continuing to mount a co-ordinated campaign against the CPZ, Gina Theodorou, chair of the Quinta Green Residents Association and Jon Woolfson, founder of the Underhill Residents’ Group.

They briefed residents on how they should co-ordinate their response in the coming weeks – see above, from left to right, Gina Theodorou, Jon Woolfson, Richard Hockings, Victor Benson, Deepa Samani, headteacher at Whitings Hill Primary School, and Alison Kley, school business manager.

Mrs Samani – see above right with Mrs Kley – said the introduction of the CPZ was already having a devastating impact on the school and leading to great deal of anxiety among the staff at a time of severe teacher shortages.

“The school has only 23 parking spaces for our staff of 82 and half our teachers, especially those on low salaries, have been relying on free on-street car parking in nearby roads which has now all been withdrawn,” said Mrs Samani.

“They simply cannot afford the £6 to £7 a day cost of CPZ parking. Whitings Hill will lose teachers unless the council thinks again.”

Mrs Samani said that the school might have no option but to sacrifice all the green space in front of the building to make way for an enlarged car park.

“There has been no proper consultation about this. Highways staff told us the teachers could either pay up for parking or leave their cars much further away where there is free parking. That’s just not practical.”

Business manager Mrs Kley feared that the withdrawal of all the free parking around the school and the introduction of CPZ charging would endanger use of their swimming pool by local mothers and children.

“We depend on income from lettings for mothers and babies and other community users to help finance maintenance of the swimming pool, and we fear a big drop in revenue.”

Whitings Hill School was already included in the existing Barnet Hospital CPZ (BH) but now roads to the south and west of the school have been included in the new US zone removing all on street parking within the immediate vicinity.

Mrs Samani deplored the lack of proper consultation with the school and failure to consider exemptions for essential staff.

“Pushing staff further away into neighbouring uncontrolled roads, or asking them to pay, effectively pushes the problem caused by the much larger Barnet Hospital CPZ onto local residents and vulnerable families.”

Yet another extension of CPZ around Barnet Hospital provokes furious response from Underhill residents, community group and local primary school.

 What so upset the two leading community organisers, Gina Theodorou and Jon Woolfson – see above with residents Richard Hockings and Warlito Naval – was the failure to respect local wishes and then for councillors to absolve themselves of responsibility by leaving it to highways staff to take the final decision.

“The introduction of the Underhill South CPZ has been largely officer-led under delegated authority which has resulted in a lack of transparency about who decided what, and why,” said Ms Theodorou.

“When schemes fail or cause harm, accountability becomes blurred and residents are left with nowhere to turn.

“The result is a growing feeling that the council operates on a ‘we know best’ basis, rather than genuinely listening to local evidence or lived experience.”

Mr Woolfson said a survey had shown that 85 per cent of residents in the area opposed the proposed CPZ extension and more than 70 per cent reported having no parking problems.

Originally the council proposed the zone should extend to a total of 29 roads to the north and south of Mays Lane but after a groundswell of opposition this was cut back to the 16 roads where a council survey had indicated “extremely high levels of parking stress” caused by the demand for free off-street parking by Barnet Hospital staff, patients and visitors.

The roads included in the US zone are Chesterfield Road, Dexter Road, Dormer Close, Edwyn Close, Greenland Road, Howard Way, Jarvis Close, Juniper Close, Matlock Close, Niton Close, Nupton Drive, Sampson Avenue, Sellwood Drive, Shelford Road, St Anna Road and Stanhope Road.

Richard Hockings said his street Alan Drive was just outside the designated area of the US zone, but it was included in the original scheme and he and his neighbours feared they would inevitably be the next in line for any further extension.

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Hadley Green residents line up in opposition to housing development in their conservation area

Fine period houses in their own sizeable grounds and gardens are a feature of the tree lined roads and footpaths around Hadley Green – all adding to the character of the Monken Hadley Conservation Area.

That settled harmony of the locality with its clusters of mature trees is about to challenged by a contentious proposal to seek planning permission to build a large new architect designed house with its own swimming pool.

A wooded plot on the western edge of Hadley Green – alongside Christ Church Lane at the junction with Sunset View – is the proposed site for what would be a new five-bedroom double fronted property to be built in the Arts and Crafts style.

Nearby residents say the vast majority of those living in adjoining roads are firmly opposed to new housing on the one-acre plot because it would threaten protected trees and disrupt a local wildlife corridor.

They fear they are faced with a speculative proposal aimed at getting planning consent to build inside the conservation area.

Mounting opposition within the neighbourhood was all too apparent after the developers Christchurchgrove Ltd held a public consultation to unveil their plans – opposition to which was led by residents in Gladsmuir Road, Hadley Gove and Christ Church Lane.

Stuart Lees of Alan Cox Architects told Jenny Remfry, a nearby resident and Barnet Society vice president, that steps would be taken to safeguard mature trees on the site, most of which are already covered by tree protection orders, and there would be other measures to enhance the biodiversity of the woodland.

In fact, the new house would be surrounded by trees and as a result would be hardly visible, which had been one of the aims in the design.

But Dr Remfry asked why have such restricted views of the new property when much was being made of the fact that it was in the Arts and Crafts style in a design which reflected the Arts and Crafts houses in Sunset View – see above.

“What makes this area so appealing is that people admire the magnificent period houses and villas in and around Hadley Green. They like looking at them.

“If the developers are going to all the trouble of designing an Arts and Crafts style new house surely it should be more visible?”

Controversial application to build a large house in Hadley Green woodland in Monken Hadley conservation area.

Mr Lees accepted that the new house would be larger than other nearby houses, but it matched the scale of the plot and was in character with the historic pattern of residential development in sizable plots with cultivated gardens.

Most of the objections revolve around the loss of natural habitat if the woodland becomes the site of a new house.

Stuart Robinson, planning adviser for the project, acknowledged that there might have been a case for building more than one house but trees on 70 per cent of the site were safeguarded by protection orders.

However, the site had “relatively low ecological value” at present largely due to the prevalence of invasive non-native plants and general neglect.

If the site was properly managed, it would contribute more to the biodiversity of the area, and the developers would be legally bound for 30 years to ensure there was a net biodiversity gain.

Similarly, in order to reassure local residents that they were not planning to build more houses on the land, there would be a covenant on the planning application to restrict the site to one house.

Project manager Andrew Robinson said that the purpose of the public presentation was to answer rumours about their intentions and to reassure residents that the application was restricted to one house and that with enhancement they were proposing there would be a biodiversity gain for the next 30 years.

Nonetheless nearby residents told the Barnet Society they remained sceptical about the likelihood of the proposed house ever being built.

They were also concerned about the ownership of the land which is currently in the joint ownership of Barnet Recreational Trust and Barnet Council.

Christchurchgrove Ltd has a purchase agreement with the council, conditional upon obtaining planning permission.

An application for planning approval is due to be presented to the council early next year.      

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High Barnet Place planning application refused by 8 votes to 1!

After a nearly three-hour Strategic Planning Committee meeting this evening, Barratt London’s planning application for 283 flats on High Barnet Station car park was refused on grounds of excessive height and harm to local context (see jtp Architects & Masterplanners visualisation above). It’s a magnificent vindication for the 802 Barnet residents who objected to it.

The decision follows last Thursdays’ rejection of a much larger proposal for 1,485 homes plus replacement leisure, sports and other facilities on the site of the former Great North Leisure Park off the A1000 by the North Circular in Finchley. It’s encouraging that the Council is willing to treat cases on their merits instead of simply shooing through every housing project.

The Barnet Society role

The Society had submitted a 64-page critique of the application plus a further 8 pages of comments on recent Barratt amendments. In his report, the Planning Officer summarized our comments in just 10 lines, a feat of compression worthy of a planning award. But that didn’t matter as we had circulated our full comments to all Councillors on the Committee, as well as to the Councillors of Barnet Vale, High Barnet & Underhill wards.

We’d collaborated closely with Barnet Residents Association (BRA) whose submission was broadly aligned with ours; and members of both organisations were kept informed at all stages. Of the 802 individual comments posted on the planning portal, it was notable how many were well argued, detailed and by no means standardized letters – unlike many of those supporting the application.

The meeting

At the meeting the Planning Officer summarized his 100-page report and recommended approval of the application.

Three ward Councillors then addressed the meeting in person (in addition to the nine Councillors on the Committee itself): Cllrs Sue Baker, David Longstaff & Mark Shooter. Though from three different parties, all passionately opposed the application, which may have made an impression on the members of the Committee.

A dozen objectors had asked to speak but Committee rules only allowed one. By prior agreement between them Simon Kaufman, a local architect and Society member, spoke against the scheme, supported when it came to questions from Councillors by Gordon Massey of BRA and Nick Saul of BRA & the Society.

Simon began by circulating some of Barratt’s misleading visualisations, pointing out that the height of several blocks exceeded the limits in Barnet’s Local Plan. He disputed that the design was ‘exceptional’ as Barratt claimed. No Conservation Officer’s view had been obtained on the impact of the design; it would be visually dominant, out of character and harm the settings of St John the Baptist’s Church and High Barnet Station. He deplored the quality of the housing and public realm; the result would not be an inclusive, sustainable community. He noted numerous concerns about personal safety and vehicle congestion. Public consultation had been performative, not collaborative. The scheme offered no tangible community benefits, repeated mistakes of the 1970s and Barnet would inherit the long-term costs.

One young woman, a student of Barnet & Southgate College, spoke in support of the application – but when asked by a Councillor if she would like to live in the development, admitted that she didn’t live in Barnet and probably wouldn’t.

Barratt were represented by project director Martin Scholar and a colleague. They emphasized their experience of delivering similar housing developments and denied that financial viability was their only criterion.

Committee Chair Cllr Nigel Young probed Barratt’s justification for breaching the 7-storey height limit for the site in Barnet’s Local Plan. When they replied that the station would benefit from a tall landmark, he quoted from the Plan’s Examining Inspectors who had identified High Barnet’s skyline as a defining feature of the locality and asked whether they had given that due consideration. Barratt’s representatives didn’t have a satisfactory answer.

Committee members then debated the proposal between themselves, but when put to the vote the outcome was surprisingly decisive.

What will happen next?

The application, being one of strategic importance to London, must be referred to the Mayor of London, who may call it in or refuse it.

Barratt has the right to appeal to the Planning Inspectorate against the Council’s refusal, but that would entail months of delay with no guarantee of success.

A simpler solution would be for Barratt to slice the tops off blocks over 7 storeys and modify the design to look more in keeping with the existing neighbourhood. That would probably mean offering less than the 40% of affordable housing in the rejected scheme. However, if they could significantly improve interchange and accessibility between all forms of transport around the station – and even provide some car parking – they might surprise themselves by the amount of public support a new scheme could attract.

Below (L to R): Gordon Massey (BRA), Simon Kaufman & Nick Saul display three shades of happiness at the scene of their victory.

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Great enthusiasm and community spirit for Barnet’s annual Christmas Fayre despite a wet and windy Sunday in the High Street

Heavy rain did not dampen enthusiasm at Barnet’s annual Christmas fayre which was opened by the Mayor of Barnet Councillor Danny Rich with a rallying cry to residents to support their local shops and businesses.

Barnet Council was “very proud” of the commercial strength of Barnet town centre and its thriving High Street.

“We are delighted to support the fayre every year as it demonstrates the great community spirit of Barnet,” said Councillor Rich who spent three hours touring a wide array of stalls and events.

He cut a red ribbon to open the fayre alongside the Mayoress Laura Lassman, assisted by two of their grandchildren, Vinny and Emilia.

Before the official opening the marching band of the Barnet Boys Brigade and Girls’ Association paraded in the High Street and then accompanied the Mayor to the Christmas courtyard in the piazza outside Barnet College.

For the first time the fayre was sponsored by Hunters estate agents.

Joint proprietor Martin Richards said the agency was proud to be sponsoring an event which reflected the varied life of the local community.

Entertaining visitors at The Spires shopping centre were two characters – Alice (Montana Jackson) and Cheshire cat (Leo Marshall) – from The Bull Theatre’s Christmas pantomime Alice in Wonderland and the Stolen Christmas List.

Inside The Bull, there were two children’s magic shows by Leon – magician Leon Thomson of Barnet – who was the youngest member of the Magic Circle when he joined at the age of 18. Both shows were a sell-out.

Leon was assisted by two elves who are both pupils at the Susi Earnshaw Theatre School, Laurel Sumberg (13) and Nathaniel Morgan-Bennett (12).

Laurel was voted the second-best Matilda in the recent West End production of the show and Nathaniel is currently playing Simba in The Lion King.

Barnet parish church hosted a packed programme of events which started with a performance by the Big Choir under their conductor Sophie Hutchinson.

In a prime position in the High Street were two classic commercial vehicles adding a touch of variety to this year’s display organised by the Barnet Classic Car Club.

Pride of place went to a 1937 Morris delivery van from Crosse and Blackwell which was on loan from the Whitewebbs Transport Museum at Enfield.

Another Whitewebbs vehicle was a mini van which used to deliver car parts supplied by the former Enfield Brake and Clutch Services Ltd.

Seeing the van on display brought back memories for Classic Car Club stalwart Derek Haggerty who said he remembered the van delivering parts to a garage where he worked at Bush Hill Park.

“I couldn’t believe it at first. But it is the very same van that delivered the parts we needed, and I can even remember that it was Linda who used to be the delivery driver.”

Another community group determined to make its presence felt was the football supporters’ group BringBarnetBack who despite setbacks are determined to keep up the pressure on Barnet Council to help Barnet FC return to the town.

Currently the supporters are exploring with Barnet Council possible alternative sites for a new stadium following the refusal earlier this year to grant planning permission for an application by the club to develop a site off Barnet Lane, near the Ark Academy in Underhill.

Keith Doe, a founder member of the group – see above, right, with David Cursons – said they were working behind the scenes to come up with a suitable site so that the club could return to Barnet from its current stadium at The Hive in Harrow.

Residents who backed BringBarnetBack were encouraged to ring the club’s bell in support.

“If we cannot agree a new location with Barnet Council the club would almost certainly launch an appeal against the earlier refusal of planning permission but that would be very costly for everyone involved,” said Mr Doe.

Back in use for the Christmas fayre was the historic Tudor Hall which hosted a craft stalls.

Ever popular was the children’s fun fair close to the junction with St Albans Road. The rides were all busy until was it was dark – rounding off a fun day for so many of the children.

Barnet's annual Christmas fayre gets enthusiastic support despite heavy rain but lots of stalls and events built up community spirit

After spending the afternoon touring the fayre, the Mayor Councillor Rich said it had been a fantastic event despite the weather with great support from the town and a real community spirit.

“Yet again High Barnet has demonstrated why the town is such a popular place to live.”

Councillor Rich took the opportunity to give his best wishes to the Reverend Cindy Kent who is about to complete a two-year contract as vicar at St Peter’s Church Arkley.

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Sad loss of an imposing Victorian villa built when New Barnet was developed after the opening of its main line railway station

One of New Barnet’s last remaining large Victorian villas – 33 Lyonsdown Road – is being demolished much to the disappointment of community and heritage groups who fear it will be replaced by blocks of flats.

There is no certainty about future development of this prime site as two planning applications by the owners Abbeytown Ltd have been rejected by Barnet Council.

A spirited campaign was launched in 2017 to try to secure the restoration of what was considered one of the last and best examples of the imposing private villas and terraced houses which were constructed after the opening of New Barnet station in 1850.

After failing to secure approval for a five-storey block of flats – and losing two planning appeals – Abbeytown was granted permission in 2022 to demolish 33 Lyonsdown under permitted development rights.

Demolition contractors have finally moved heavy equipment onto the site, and the roof of the building was off within a matter of days.

In his monthly newsletter the Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson said that residents had raised concerns about the state of the property at a consultation event in Barnet Vale. He said he was “pleased to report that demolition work started this week”.

Robin Bishop, who leads for the Barnet Society on planning and the environment, was appalled by the sad loss of one of the few surviving buildings from the first Victorian settlement at New Barnet.

“Despite being on Barnet’s heritage list, a quirk in the planning law has allowed the owner, Abbeytown, to demolish it without reference to the planning committee.

“For five years the local community, together with the society, fought off earlier plans to replace 33 Lyonsdown with characterless blocks of flats.

“We raised substantial funds for top level legal advice and even designed a more acceptable scheme to retain and extend the villa, all without success.

“A new planning application is doubtless already in the pipeline.”

33 Lyonsdown had a chequered history variously having been a private home, an outpost of London’s Foundling Hospital, a women’s refuge and a base for missionary priests.

In her time as the Chipping Barnet MP, Dame Theresa Villiers, intervened to prevent the demolition, writing to the development company Abbeytown at the offices of estate agents Martyn Gerrard.

She supported the society’s campaign arguing that it was “sad to see such a beautifully designed villa, which was such a feature of New Barnet”, being threatened with demolition.

Simon Kaufman Architects prepared a full feasibility study and visibility assessment to demonstrate a more conservation-led approach to retain a building that had become a heritage landmark.

Under the proposal, the existing building would have been converted into apartments, retaining its original richly detailed stone porch, panelled entrance hall and other original feature.

This would have delivered a comparable floor area and improved sales values when set against total redevelopment.

Alongside the restoration, there was a proposal for a modest new-build block within the grounds which would have mirrored key proportions and materials while maintaining distance from neighbouring properties.

Simon Kaufman insisted this alternative vision was supported with site plans, financial appraisals, and heritage justification, and those opposing demolition had been anxious to engage with the owner to promote a design-led conservation strategy that would have protected the unnecessary loss of an important local building.      

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New zebra crossings and a mini roundabout for Mays Lane area…and a new controlled parking zone is also on its way  

Barnet Council has completed a major programme of road safety measures around Mays Lane and surrounding roads.

A controversial width restriction has been removed, new zebra crossings installed, a 20-mph speed limit zone extended, more yellow lines painted on the roads and dropped kerbs provided.

In announcing what it says is the completion of the largest ever such scheme in the borough’s history, the council fails to mention that further changes are about to be made.

Despite vociferous opposition from the Underhill Residents Group, the council is going ahead with an experimental controlled parking zone in 16 roads north of Mays Lane which are on either side of Chesterfield Road.

The new Underhill South zone – to be designated the US zone – is to be operated on an experimental basis for 18 months from Monday 15 December.

Originally the council proposed the zone should extend to a total of 29 roads on either side of Mays Lane but after a groundswell of opposition this was cut back to the 16 roads where a council survey indicated “extremely high levels of parking stress” caused by the demand for off-street parking by Barnet Hospital staff, patients and visitors.

The new road safety improvements in Mays Lane extend all the way from its junction with Barnet Lane in the east to Shelford Road in the west, with additional measures in Chesterfield Road, Quinta Drive and Whitings Road.

A new mini roundabout has been installed on Whitings Road at the junction Whitings Road and Bells Hill.

Perhaps the most contentious change is the removal of the width restriction on Mays Lane close to the junction with Manor Road and Leeside.

London Fire Brigade had raised concerns because the restriction impeded fire engines and reduced their response time.

There were also complaints about unacceptable levels of emissions resulting from queueing vehicles, but residents in two nearby roads – Hillside Gardens and Manor Road – claim that the removal of the width restriction has already led to increased traffic – and larger vehicles – using short cuts to avoid jams in Barnet town centre.

Quinta Village Green Residents Association says the increase in heavier vehicles along Mays Lane has fundamentally changed the nature of what was always, outside the commute period, a quiet, residential lane. –

However, on potential change following the removal of the width restriction is that it might be possible to re-route the Uno 243 bus between Barnet Hospital and Hatfield via Underhill, Mays Lane and Manor Road.

At present the 243 stops at Barnet High Street and High Barnet tube station on its route from Hatfield to Barnet Hospital and on its return to Hatfield stops at the Wood Street and Union Street junction and again in Salisbury Road.

Councillor Nik Oakley, Hertsmere Council’s cabinet member for transport – who led the campaign for the restoration of a bus service between Potters Bar and Barnet – told the Barnet Society that possibilities for amending the route of the 243 had been suggested to Uno bus.

Barnet Council completes its largest ever traffic improvement scheme in Mays Lane area -- where a new controlled parking zone is coming.

Barnet Council’s go ahead for the Underhill South CPZ – in the face of sustained opposition from the Underhill Residents Group – will require the installation of resident parking bays, yellow lines and signs and posts in 16 roads on either side of Chesterfield Road.

This work will need to be completed by the start of the scheme on Monday 15 December.

Residents in the affected roads will have a six-month period during which they give their reaction to the CPZ. A final decision on its operation will be taken by the council after the 18-month trial.

The Underhill Group has already collected over 750 signatures for a petition opposing the introduction of a CPZ which it says was opposed by a majority of the residents and had been rejected by 60 per cent of those living in the 16 roads included in the scheme.

https://www.change.org/p/oppose-a-controlled-parking-zone-in-underhill-south?utm_medium=custom_url&utm_source=share_petition&recruited_by_id=24715750-8834-11f0-9cee-83b7a10cb9e8

In explaining why the CPZ was approved, the council says parking stress surveys indicated there was support for parking controls and only “the most problematic roads” had been included in the experimental scheme.

Given the introduction of extensive new double yellow lines, the Quinta Village Green Residents Association says it fears this will result in a loss of car parking spaces and only amplify the problems caused by the long-standing displacement of parking from the hospital.

The roads included in the new US CPZ are Chesterfield Road, Dexter Road, Dormer Close, Edwyn Close, Greenland Road, Howard Way, Jarvis Close, Juniper Close, Matlock Close, Niton Close, Nupton Drive, Sampson Avenue, Sellwood Drive, Shelford Road, St Anna Road and Stanhope Road.

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Judgment Day for High Barnet Place

UPDATE 2 DECEMBER 2025 Back in September, the Barnet Society submitted a 64-page critique of the planning application for 283 flats on High Barnet Station car park. The application will be decided by the Strategic Planning Committee at 7:00pm on Monday 8 December.

You can find our full submission here (dated 17 November). 802 objections have been received by the Council and only 104 ‘supports’. Strangely, many ‘supporters’ of the application show no knowledge of the site and have been canvassed by an organisation called Just Build Homes.

Despite the unambiguous proof of local opposition to this application, the Planning Officer is recommending its approval. The Council is committed to delivery of new housing and its Planning Committee could accept the recommendation. If it refuses permission, the developer is likely to appeal against the decision.

Alongside Barnet Residents Association we stand ready to speak at the meeting. If you care about the outcome, you can attend the meeting at Hendon Town Hall or watch via video.

Since the original application, Places for London have submitted numerous amendments and clarifications, which they claim respond to consultation feedback.

The design amendments are mostly minor changes to the appearance and internal layout of the buildings. Their height and footprint are unaltered. Misleading errors in key views have not been corrected. The Barnet Society’s extensive criticisms have been ignored.

High among our concerns is the almost complete lack of improvements to accessibility and safety for both residents and users of the station – indeed their worsening through loss of the car park.

We are also convinced that the site that should never have been considered suitable for 1,000 new residents. The resulting excessive density and poor design – and the operational difficulties that will beset tube users, residents and the public, commercial and emergency services trying to serve them – risk repeating the mistakes of postwar housing estates. That would be to the lasting cost of the community, Council and the identity and character of Chipping Barnet.

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Refurbished Scout hut at Underhill is to be new base for Barnet’s Rainbow Centre and its wide range of activities

What was formerly the Underhill headquarters of 1st Barnet Scouts is being transformed into a new home for the Rainbow Centre, ending years of uncertainty over the future of this long-established Dollis Valley community hub.

For well over a decade the centre has been running a weekly food bank, hosting martial arts classes and providing a children’s lunch club during school holidays.

Finding new premises for the centre had become a priority because its existing building in Dollis Valley Drive is about to be demolished to make way for the next phase of the Dollis Valley regeneration scheme.

Relocating the centre to a new base nearby at Underhill – at the former Priory Grove Scout hut – was finally agreed by Barnet Council after a sustained campaign by the Rainbow Centre’s volunteers and supporters.

Initially it seemed likely that the hub would move into a former cricket pavilion in Barnet Lane – vacant since the departure of Barnet Football Club from its Underhill stadium – but this was ruled out on grounds of the cost of refurbishment.

The centre is due to start operating from its new base as from Tuesday 16 December and the weekly food bank – which assists up to 70 families a week – will be provided for the first time at the new location on Thursday 18 December.

An official opening is planned for early in the New Year once the centre is fully operational and organisers hope to welcome the Mayor of Barnet to take part in the ceremony.

Finding a new base in Priory Grove has been an “incredibly long journey” for Steve Verrall, director of the charity Barnet Community Projects and Patricia Gay, a director of the Rainbow Centre’s users’ group – seen above in 2023 when they were told they might be moving into the dis-used sports pavilion in Barnet Lane.

“We are very grateful that Barnet Council has finally found us a new home,” said Mr Verrall.

“The former Scout hut is slightly smaller than the existing centre, but it is a much better building, and we are very optimistic about the future.”

New home for Dollis Valley Rainbow Centre is former headquarters of 1st. Barnet Scout group in Priory Grove Underhill

The Rainbow Centre must be out of its Dollis Valley Drive site by Monday 15 December.

“While our address is changing, please be assured that all of our events, activities and services will remain the same.

“We will continue to be the same vibrant hub for our community, just from a new location.

“The next chapter for the Rainbow Centre is about to begin, and we are so excited to share it with you.”

In recognition of her long association as a volunteer at the Rainbow Centre, Patricia Gay was rewarded earlier this year with a Barnet Council “Inspiration All” award.

Trish – as she is known to one and all – started volunteering at the Rainbow Centre after she retired from her work as a secretary in the City of London. She grew up on the Dollis Valley estate and became head girl at Ravenscroft School (now Totteridge Academy).

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Three hot soups – butternut squash, lentil and Haleem – were on offer at High Barnet open evening for anyone in need of a tasty meal

Butternut squash soup was just one of the tasty choices on offer at an open evening when the High Barnet Islamic Centre welcomed low incomes families, homeless and lonely people to enjoy a hot meal and some company.

Local foodbanks had given their support in helping to provide supplies for what the centre hopes will become a regular soup kitchen available to the community.

As an alternative to Zeenatch Auleear’s offer of a dish of butternut squash soup – see above – there was a lentil soup and Haleem, a traditional South Asian winter soup.

Since the centre, which is in Bath Place, just off Barnet High Street, opened last year it has been extending its outreach programme of community events.

Events co-ordinator Anjim Iqbal (far right) welcomed a delegation from Barnet Council including Underhill Councillors Tim Roberts and Zahra Beg who both praised the centre’s latest initiative.

Councillor Roberts said the hospitality offered by the centre was very impressive.

“Opening a soup kitchen at the start of winter is just the right moment as it is a time when people might well be cold and hungry and looking for somewhere warm and safe to go and for something to eat.

“The centre has lots of space for events like this and it is absolutely central, just off the High Street.”

In addition to a hot meal and other refreshments, there was other help on hand.

High Barnet Islamic Centre welcomes those in need to a soup kitchen as it extends its outreach programme.

Everyday items such as combs and a range of health and sanitary products were laid out on a stall where Muskaan Iqbal and Aisha Fazil were ready to offer help and support.

“People on low incomes often cannot afford to buy what they need so it is important to be able to offer them everyday health and sanitary items,” said Muskaan.

Other items that were available to anyone in need were clothes and sleeping bags.

Anjim Iqbal said their initiative in launching the soup kitchen had been supported by the Food Bank Aid hub in Chaplin Square, Finchley; the Southgate Mosque and Food Bank; and the North Finchley Community Grocery.

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Two re-laid pitches and installation of new floodlights are the start of extensive improvements at Barnet’s Byng Road playing fields

Barnet Council has contributed to the upgrading of the rugby pitches at the Byng Road playing fields by paying for the installation of six new floodlights.

Two of the pitches were re-laid during the summer and will remain fenced off until the start of the new playing season next autumn to give the grass ample growing time to bed in.

Barnet Elizabethans Rugby Club, which has planning approval for an extensive programme of improvements at Byng Road, is delighted with the council’s investment in new floodlighting which it says will do so much to extend the opportunities for playing and training.

Funding for the floodlighting was provided through the council’s income from the community infrastructure levy which is paid by developers.

Relaying the first two pitches was a costly exercise for the club because of the sloping ground at Byng Road and a poorly drained surface liable to get waterlogged.

During the worst of the winter months the pitches have often been unplayable for up to eight weeks.

If the two newly laid pitches are ready for use next autumn, the club will engage contractors to relay and resurface the playing area nearest the clubhouse.

Alex Bell, chair of the group responsible for ground improvements, said a target date had not yet been set for the demolition of the Elizabethans’ clubhouse, which dates back to the late 1950s, and which is in urgent need of replacement.  

Planning approval for a new clubhouse was obtained two years ago.

“Our aim is to start work on the clubhouse in the next couple of years once we have dealt with and met all the conditions which go with the planning agreement.”

After these conditions were finally agreed between the council and the club, there was a unanimous vote in favour of the scheme by the strategic planning committee despite fears that a new two-storey clubhouse and floodlighting would result in “substantial harms to the sense of openness” to the Green Belt countryside surrounding the playing fields.

There was concern that the scale of the new clubhouse together with 108 car parking spaces and a total of 12 floodlights would be highly visible and have a harmful impact.

Given the strategic significance of the Byng Road playing fields for Barnet Elizabethans – and the importance of maintaining outdoor sports facilities within the borough – the committee considered these “very special” circumstances outweighed any harm to the Green Belt.

The elevation of the new clubhouse – with eight changing rooms on the ground floor and a function area above – far exceeds the dimensions of the current building, increasing the height by 3.4 metres to 7.6 metres and increasing the volume by 150 per cent to just under 1,000 square metres.

However, these dimensions are just below the threshold to be referred to the Greater London Authority.  

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Green around High Barnet war memorial packed for annual Remembrance Sunday Service  

High Barnet’s Remembrance Sunday service at the war memorial at the parish church was exceptionally well attended.

The first wreath was laid on behalf of the King by the Deputy Lieutenant for the London Borough of Barnet, Martin Russell.

The green alongside Church Passage was packed for the ceremony and Mr Russell expressed his pleasure at the strength of support shown for the service.

Reservists from 240 Transport Squadron of the Royal Logistics Corps led the ceremonial march through the High Street from the Army Reserve Centre in St Albans Road.

Captain Chandra Pun – a former major in the Gurkhas – laid the wreath on behalf of the armed services.

Other local dignitaries who stepped forward with wreaths included Councillor David Longstaff, representing the Mayor of Barnet; Councillor Emma Whysall, representing the Labour group; and Olly Gough, a prospective Labour candidate for Barnet Council, who laid a wreath on behalf of the Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson, who was attending the Remembrance Sunday service in East Barnet.

The last post was sounded by bugler Jonny Tillett, a 14-year-old pupil at Mill Hill School – the first time he had performed at a Remembrance Sunday Service.

Sergeant Charlie Forster, who assisted in conducting the ceremony, complimented Jonny on his performance.

Father Sam Rossiter, team vicar at the parish church, led the service.

For the first time the full parish and evensong choir – plus the choristers – were in attendance under the church’s director of music Patrick Korczak.

Parish administrator Tony Long said a total of 31 organisations had asked to lay wreaths during the service, including Barnet police, Queen Elizabeth’s Girls School, Totteridge Academy, cadet corps, guides and others from a wide range of organisations.

Exceptionally well attended Remembrance Sunday service at Barnet Parish church

Another first on the day was a wreath on behalf of the Barnet Society which was laid by the chair John Hay – and which in itself was another first.

The wreath was made up of poppies left over from a production of Snow White, which Pinewood studios donated to Ursula Stone, founder of the much-acclaimed Flower Bank project in New Barnet, which re-purposes surplus flowers.

Among the others who stepped forward to lay wreaths were Kevin Callaghan, proprietor of the new Corner Cafe in St Albans Road, and representatives of the licensees and staff of the Sebright Arms, Monken Holt and Old Fold Manor Golf Club.

Among the stalls selling British Legion poppies in the lead up to Remembrance Sunday was one at the Spires installed by East Barnet British Legion whose branch secretary Lisa Partridge welcomed the support of Barnet Pearly Queen Evie Waldren.

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Safeguards agreed by Barnet Council add greater protection for Quinta Village Green and could help to restore derelict youth club

Quinta village green and derelict Quinta youth club one step closer to being brought under residents' control after Barnet Council agrees asset of community value protection.

Quinta Village Green and the abandoned former Quinta Youth Club are one step closer to being brought under the control of a group of residents living in and around Mays Lane, Barnet, who have been campaigning for years to safeguard their open space and reopen a derelict clubhouse.

Barnet Council has agreed to list the whole site as an asset of community value, a safeguard which the Quinta Village Green Association hopes will be the first step towards establishing new facilities for the community.

ACV status for the green and clubhouse gives the community the right to apply for a potential community asset transfer which would allow a residents’ organisation to manage and operate the land and building for the benefit of the community.

An application is now being made to register the association as a community interest company which could develop and maintain community facilities on a non-for-profit basis.

Councillor Barry Rawlings, leader of Barnet Council, agreed to list the green and clubhouse as an ACV after meeting representatives of the village green association.

They outlined their vision for reviving the youth club building and enhancing the village green as a community-led hub.

Gina Theodorou, chair of the association, said the membership was thrilled that the importance of the green and club had been recognised and that the council had shared their vision that this was a place where people could come together.

“We can now start planning for a sustainable future with the hope that ACV status will ultimately lead to a full community asset transfer, ensuring the site remains protected and accessible for generations to come.”

She thanked Councillors Rawlings and Councillor Zahra Beg (Underhill) and Paul Frost from Barnet Council for their support.

The site was registered as a village green in 2010 following a public inquiry. Residents had argued that it should be preserved as an open space for community use and maintained by the council.

Local volunteers built the clubhouse in the 1960s and it served first as a youth club and community hub, later becoming a nursery and meeting place.

It has been vacant since 2006 when it was boarded up but in recent years residents have become increasingly concerned about continuing vandalism and anti-social behaviour around the building.

Planning approval was given in 2021 for use of the clubhouse to be changed from community use to become a store for the library service for schools in the Borough of Barnet but the proposed refurbishment did not take place, and the building has fallen further into disrepair.

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Former public house The Jester – the haunted house of New Barnet – is finally levelled by demolition contractors

After a seven-year campaign New Barnet community activist Ros Howarth finally says farewell to the last remnants of the abandoned public house The Jester which was left wrecked after a fire in 2018.

Demolition contractors have spent several days levelling the derelict pub which had remained an eyesore after protracted disputes over its future and then a series of contested planning applications.

Approval was given in May last year for the site – at the junction of Northfield Road and Grove Road – to be redeveloped with a three-storey children’s nursery and three houses.

Built in 1958 as a result of a petition from residents, The Jester became a well frequented pub and restaurant.

The fire seven years ago – photograph above by Oliver Jennings – was said at the time to have been a heart-breaking blow for the community.

Ros Howarth and other campaigners fought tirelessly for the construction of a replacement public house or some other community building to benefit the locality.

“It’s a bitter-sweet moment,” she said.

“Everyone around here has been delighted to see it being demolished but we are disappointed. We wanted a new community pub or cafe.

“Instead, approval has been given for a private children’s nursery with up to 100 places.

“We already have three council-run nurseries within walking distance, and we don’t think there will be the demand for a private nursery.”

The final go ahead for the demolition of what had been dubbed New Barnet’s haunted house was a relief for Barnet Councillors.

East Barnet Councillor Simon Radford – above far right, with Councillor Phil Cohen and Councillor Edith David – said he and his colleagues shared the disappointment of nearby residents that the owners of the site had not opted to construct a new community pub.

“While we won’t be getting pub, we will have a children’s nursery which is certainly better than the haunted house which has stood there for the last seven years.”

Councillor Radford paid tribute to the resolve shown by the community.

“Ros Howarth has been a tremendous advocate for their campaign to get a replacement for the pub, and they demonstrated there was a viable alternative.”

Ros Howarth – founder of the Justice for Jester Facebook page – said she doubted whether a private nursery with up to 100 places would be viable.

Construction work is due to last for 18 months with the development completed by the spring of 2027.

The fear of nearby residents was that the new building – see developer’s image above – might at some stage be converted into flats.

Even if there was sufficient demand for a nursery, they were concerned that the site lacked sufficient car park spaces for 27 members of staff and visiting parents.

Parking was already a problem in surrounding roads, and an added problem was that Northfield Road was the main approach road for the nearby Jewish Community Secondary School which was served by a dozen or more coaches every day.

“All the new nursery school will have is a few dropping off places, so we think that with the amount of local traffic this isn’t going to be the safest place for small children.”  

The Jester public house, wrecked and abandoned after a fire in 2018 is finally demolished to make way for a new children's nursery in New Barnet

A start was made on demolishing the pub after the fire in 2018, but Barnet Council stepped in to halt the work – and that was the start of what seemed to be a never-ending saga of changes in ownership, court cases, appeals and futile planning applications.

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Star Pubs say “high level of interest” in re-opening Black Horse but mounting local concern over pub’s continued closure

Star Pubs want to re-open Black Horse public house as soon possible but concern over continued closure prompts petition to safeguard its future

Such is the depth of local concern over the continued closure of the Black Horse public house that a petition has been launched to gather support for its future to be safeguarded by Barnet Council with an order to declare it an asset of community value.

Owners Star Pubs, part of Heineken UK, told the Barnet Society that they are keen to re-open the Black Horse as soon as possible.

“The Black Horse is a great pub.

“We are in the process of recruiting a new operator and we are getting a high level of interest.”

Star Pubs operates 2,400 leased and tenanted pubs across the country and the last leaseholder of the Black Horse vacated the pub in mid-September.

Within a few days well over 1,000 people have signed the petition calling for the pub to be listed as an asset of community value. It has been organised in the name of Olly Gough – www.change.org/p/save-the-black-horse-chipping-barnet-list-it-as-an-asset-of-community-value

It says the current closure is a reminder that “times are tougher than ever” for pubs and that Chipping Barnet cannot risk losing one of its most cherished pubs.

Said to have been established in 1720, the Black Horse is described as having “real social importance to the local community” and if it ceased to be a pub it could become a place for social gatherings, recreation or cultural events.

Chipping Barnet MP Dan Tomlinson, says he has already alerted Barnet

Council to the continued closure.

“Given the status of the Black horse as a locally listed building within the Wood Street Conservation Area, I sought assurances that the council would retain the building and that any future development would be sensitive to its heritage status – which the council confirmed would be the case.”

An application for ACV status would need considerable support from the community.

Chipping Barnet ward Councillor Emma Whysall, who has expressed her concern over the pub’s closure, together with the Barnet Residents Association, are urging regular customers to band together to see if they can get sufficient backing for an application.

An ACV declaration was made by the council last year after the closure of the Prince of Wales, the last pub in East Barnet village, and it was added to Barnet’s list of buildings considered to be community assets.

However, the ACV was overtaken by Stonegate Group’s sale of the pub to the Heartwood Collection which runs a chain of licensed premises with dining areas, and which re-opened the Prince of Wales in May after what was said to have been “a multi-million pound” investment.

East Barnet Residents Association raised a petition with over 3,000 signatures in support of the ACV application.

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Developers Hill Residential preparing to start construction work on estate of 115 new homes on Whalebones farmland off Wood Street, Barnet

Access for contractors’ heavy equipment has been established at the site of the former Whalebones smallholding and farmland off Wood Street, Barnet, where Hill Residential are to build 115 new homes.

Site offices have been installed ready for preparatory groundwork and the construction of a new community building to provide a replacement studio for the Barnet Guild of Artists.

Hill Residential of Waltham Abbey recently completed the purchase of the Whalebones land from the Gwyneth Cowing Will Trust following the granting of planning permission.

Demolition of the farm buildings which make up the smallholding – and an adjoining timber-framed artists’ studio bequeathed by Miss Cowing – is expected to start once the replacement studio has been completed.

The new community building will be constructed on farmland which faces on to Wellhouse Lane, opposite the bus terminus at Barnet Hospital.

Trustees for Miss Cowing, who died in 1987, and who was the granddaughter of the founder of the Barnet Press, first applied ten years ago for planning permission to build houses on the fields around the now privately-owned Whalebones House.

A protracted campaign to prevent the development ended in October last year when the Mayor of London gave the final go ahead after Barnet Council had voted narrowly in favour.

Objectors to the scheme, who included the Barnet Society and the former Chipping Barnet MP Theresa Villiers, claimed the new housing estate would destroy a significant wildlife habitat and result in the loss of the last remaining   farmland between Arkley and High Barnet.

Most of the new houses will be built in the largest of the fields which is opposite the Arkley public house, and which is between the new Elmbank development and the woods surrounding Whalebones House.

In an interview for Built Environment News, The Hill Group’s founder and group chief executive, Andy Hill, confirmed that the purchase of the Whalebones farmland had been completed.

He reiterated previous undertakings that half the 12-acre site will be retained as a publicly accessible open space.

“Whalebones Park is a site of outstanding beauty, and we are proud to be entrusted with its future.

“Our plans respect the heritage of the Grade II listed Whalebones House and the character of Barnet, while delivering a sustainable new neighbourhood.”

Planning approval has been given for 115 houses and apartments in buildings ranging from two to five storeys in height. (Image, Hill Residential).

“Spacious, modern family homes” would be available for private sale and affordable homes would be provided in partnership with the affordable housing charity Sovereign Network Group.

SNG’s regional managing director Matthew Bird told BE News that its partnership in the development of Whalebones Park would demonstrate how affordable homes can be integrated into high quality sustainable development.

“Our 54 homes at Whalebones will provide much-needed opportunities for local people to access affordable rent and shared ownership in Barnet, supported by the wider benefits of new open space and community facilities.”  

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Protecting green spaces – how serious are our politicians?

View of Christchurch spinney in early autumn

This peaceful spinney in Christchurch Lane is a haven of wildlife less than 200 metres from Barnet High Street – but it’s threatened by new building. How can that be?

Barnet Council declared a Climate and Biodiversity Emergency in 2022. Its recently-adopted Local Plan contains policies and supplementary planning documents specifically to protect green spaces of all kinds.

Mayor Khan has similar planning policies and is currently consulting on London’s first Nature Recovery Plan (LNRS) to reverse biodiversity loss. Surely the spinney’s future is safe?

Worryingly, the answer is no.

Last year the Council authorised the sale of part of the spinney that it owns for £430,000, subject to the buyer obtaining planning consent. Existing covenants on the land restrict development to private residential use. A planning application is expected before long.

The site is mainly well-established woodland with several Tree Preservation Orders but would benefit from sensitive management. Although small in area (0.438 hectare / 1 acre), its ecological value is great because it provides a vital undisturbed ‘green corridor’ for the transit of insects, animals and flying creatures between the Old Fold Manor golf course and Hadley Green, both of which are in the Green Belt.

Local resident Marianne Nix says ‘The spinney is a rich and biodiverse habitat, regularly visited by badgers, foxes, muntjac deer, bats and hedgehogs as well as birds on red and amber conservation list 5.’ Above and below are some of her recent photographs.

The spinney’s location within the Monken Hadley Conservation Area should provide it with statutory protection. But the Barnet Society knows from bitter experience over the Whalebones Estate housing development that the Council can override Conservation Area status if it decides that development would be ‘less than harmful’.

The plan above is based on an interactive map that is a key component of the draft London LNRS. It shows Areas of Particular Importance for Biodiversity (such as Hadley Green – purple on the plan) and Areas that Could Become of Particular Importance (such as Old Fold Manor golf course – sage green on plan).

On it is marked Christchurch spinney, highlighting its value of as a strategic link between the golf course and green. Unfortunately, the spinney itself is not designated in the LNRS.

Mayor Khan’s draft explains the purpose of an LNRS, identifies six overarching priorities for London and describes in impressive detail the range of landscape characteristics and wildlife species that deserve protection. It’s a welcome framework for the guidance of future development across London.

Development of the LNRS has enabled Council Biodiversity Officers to check the existing data. It turned out that much was inaccurate, out of date, incorrect or non-existent. It has now been updated and significant effort has gone into identifying potential sites of particular importance and for taking action. So thanks to the LNRS, we now have a better baseline for our local nature.

There’ll be a chance to suggest new locations such as Christchurch spinney when the LNRS is next reviewed, which will take place every three to 10 years (the government will advise on the timeframe). Until then, the Council’s duty is to protect the spinney.

In 2022, Barnet Labour’s Green Manifesto promised to ‘Protect ALL existing green spaces in the Borough’. In the May 2026 local election Barnet voters will be able to hold Councillors to account.

You can comment on the draft LNRS here. The deadline is Wednesday 29 October 2025.

Below: LNRS map extract showing designated areas in Chipping Barnet parliamentary constituency

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Family homes rather than high-rise blocks of flats are planned for New Barnet gas works site where redundant gasholder will be demolished

After several ongoing local disputes about the height and density of new blocks of flats residents’ associations have welcomed plans to build 80 family homes on the remainder of the gas works site in Albert Road, New Barnet.

Save New Barnet campaigner John Dix said community groups were delighted that developers Berkeley Homes had reflected local opinion and are seeking planning permission for three- and four-bedroom homes – of two to three storeys in height – instead of opting for a high-rise scheme.

The four-acre site is just to the north of the much larger Victoria Quarter development where City Fairview are constructing a new complex of 420 flats in 11 blocks of up to eight storeys in height.

After years of opposition to schemes offering only high-rise flats, usually of just one- and two-bedrooms, Mr Dix said Berkeley Homes had taken heed of the campaign by community groups for the construction of more family homes.

Under the Barnet local plan, the four-acre brownfield site had been earmarked for as many as 190 homes.

Save New Barnet feared that Berkeley Homes might follow the example of City Fairview and build yet more blocks of flats.

“Berkeley Homes have seemed anxious to engage with the community, and it really is a pleasant change when a developer listens to what the community wants,” said Mr Dix.

“Our demand all along has been for more family homes rather than one-bedroom flats and well done to Berkeley Homes for having listened.”

Mr Dix acknowledged that there were some restraints on the site which might add to the sale price of the new houses – the site needed to be decontaminated and there will continue to be some underground pipework.

When asked by the Barnet Society at a consultation evening as to whether the scheme would include any affordable housing, architects JTP said this was still under consideration.

Berkeley Homes and other developers have been in discussions with the Greater London Authority over possible changes to the affordable housing targets for London – one proposal under discussion is reducing the requirement from 35 to perhaps 20 to 25 per cent in order to speed house construction. 

Family homes planned for remainder of New Barnet gas works site where redundant gasholder os to be demolished

Perhaps the biggest change to the area will be the demolition of the 90-year-old cast iron framework of the New Barnet gasometer – a local landmark as seen from the Victoria Recreation Ground.

Built in 1934, with an original capacity of 2,000,000 cubic feet of gas, the gas holder was decommissioned in 2009, purged of gas and collapsed to its lowest level.

Visible from streets all around New Barnet, the massive structure divides opinion – some think it should have been pulled down years ago while others admire its elegance and welcome its presence as a familiar sight on the local skyline.

The 38-metre-high frame of what was originally known as a column guided gasholder has been described by National Grid Property Holdings as having “no particular historic or architectural merit” and “little, if any, heritage value.”

Consultation on Berkeley Homes’ master plan for the Albert Road site closes at the end of October when an application will be made to Barnet Council for planning permission.

Demolition of the gasholder is likely to take place during 2026 along with other remedial work on the site. The scheme is due for completion in 2031.

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Sad farewells with house building to start soon on farmland at Whalebones, off Wood Street, the last countryside between Arkley and High Barnet

Demolition and clearance of the Whalebones smallholding and fields off Wood Street, High Barnet, has moved a step closer with developers having completed the purchase of the site for the construction of an estate of 115 new homes.

Housebuilders Hill Residential of Waltham Abbey and the Gwyneth Cowing Will Trust were jointly granted planning permission last year to develop farmland which adjoins Whalebones House, former home of the Cowing family.

With ownership having been transferred from the Cowing trustees, the handover has required the relocation of two long-standing tenants of Whalebones – the Barnet Guild of Artists and the Barnet and District Beekeepers’ Association.

A replacement studio for the artists’ guild is to be provided in a new community building to be constructed in Wellhouse Lane but the beekeepers’ association, which has been based at Whalebones for the last 60 years, has moved to a temporary site at a farm in Arkley. 

Trustees for the late Miss Gwyneth Cowing, granddaughter of the founder of the Barnet Press, who died in 1987, first applied ten years ago for planning permission to build houses on fields at Whalebones,

A protracted campaign to save a significant wildlife habitat and the last remaining farmland between Arkley and High Barnet ended in October last year when the Mayor of London gave the final go ahead after Barnet Council had voted narrowly in favour of the scheme.

Most of the new houses – see image above from the Hill Group – will be built in the largest of the fields which is opposite the Arkley public house, and which is between the new Elmbank development and the woods around the now privately owned Whalebones House.

In an interview for Built Environment News, The Hill Group’s founder and group chief executive, Andy Hill, confirmed that the purchase of the Whalebones farmland had been completed.

He reiterated previous undertakings that half the site will be retained as “publicly accessible open space”.

“Whalebones Park is a site of outstanding beauty, and we are proud to be entrusted with its future.

“Our plans respect the heritage of the Grade II listed Whalebones House and the character of Barnet, while delivering a sustainable new neighbourhood.”

Space will be provided close to Well Cottage for a small holding for an agricultural tenant. The former tenant farmer at Whalebones, Peter Mason, who had been there since the 1960s and who had once reared cattle and horses at Whalebones, died last year.

Planning approval has been given for 115 houses and apartments in buildings ranging from two to five storeys in height.

“Spacious, modern family homes” would be available for private sale and affordable homes would be provided in partnership with the affordable housing charity Sovereign Network Group.

SNG’s regional managing director Matthew Bird told BE News that its partnership in the development of Whalebones Park would demonstrate how affordable homes can be integrated into high quality sustainable development.

“Our 54 homes at Whalebones will provide much-needed opportunities for local people to access affordable rent and shared ownership in Barnet, supported by the wider benefits of new open space and community facilities.”  

Alongside the purchase of the farmland by The Hill Group, the former stable block has also changed hands and has been acquired by the owners of Whalebones House.

In recent days there have been some emotional farewells because over the decades the stable block, with its much-loved ornate and welcoming interior, had been home not only for the beekeepers but also for groups of Barnet Girl Guides and Brownies.

Miss Cowing’s generosity in providing a meeting place for local organisations – and paying for the construction of the timber-framed artists’ studio – left a legacy of philanthropy which the trustees of the estate said they had been anxious to preserve and respect.

Unlike the Guild of Artists which is signing a lease for use of a new community building in Wellhouse Lane, the beekeepers’ association decided it was not in a position to secure charitable status and take on added responsibilities.

Instead, the beekeepers have found temporary storage place for their equipment at an apiary on a farm in Arkley but will miss the use of the stable block for meetings, lectures, training courses, honey extraction and storage.

Moving out was a sad moment for long serving members of the association who gathered for a final group photo in a room which, for them, held so many memories – from left to right, president Geoffrye Hood, apiary manager Wilf Wood, association secretary Ann Songhurst, and Shri Kam.

The association, which currently has 107 members, has apiaries at various sites around High Barnet including Cat Hill, Arkley, and also Mill Hill. 

Four hives of bees kept at Whalebones were moved from the site earlier this year.

One of the greatest disappointments for the association will be the loss of a purpose-built facility for honey extraction which was fitted out with the latest equipment with help of a grant from the Millennium Commission which distributed funds to mark the turn of the millennium.

Geoffrey Hood said their facilities had been of great importance in the association’s education programme and every year since 2013 he had helped to train ten to 15 newcomers to beekeeping.

“We tend to start new beekeepers off with a hive at one of our apiaries and then they usually find their own sites.”

Developers Hill Residential completed purchase of farmland at Whalebones off Wood Street, High Barnet, site of 115 new homes

The Barnet and District Beekeepers’ Association had its very own postcode. Wilf Wood said a former president Rodger Hedgecoe arranged with the Post Office that letters should be addressed to EN5 4BZ.

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Planning inspector is being asked to reconsider Barnet Council’s rejection of plans for Barnet Football Club’s return to Underhill

Barnet Football Club has launched an appeal against the refusal of Barnet Council to approve an application to build a new stadium at Underhill.

A public inquiry before a planning inspector will give the club a chance to explain what it believes are the reasons why a new football ground should be permitted on playing fields close to the club’s previous stadium.

Despite being within the Green Belt, the club hopes an inspector will overturn the planning department’s advice that a new stadium in a “valued local park” would result in “substantial and irreversible harm to the openness and function of the Green Belt”.

BringBarnetBack, the group which is campaigning to bring the club back to a site as close as possible to its original home at Underhill, believe every effort should be made to secure a full public hearing.

When the application was considered by the strategic planning committee in July, members voted by 6-0 to reject the plan (with three councillors abstaining).

Councillor Barry Rawlings, leader of the council, told the Barnet Society that planning officials were now assessing the grounds of which the club had launched its appeal.

As the debate about whether Barnet FC should return to Underhill – from its current base at The Hive, Harrow – was now “a live issue” once again he was restricted in what he could say.

But he wanted to emphasise that his door as council leader remained open if the club did come forward with other alternative sites for a new stadium in or around High Barnet.

“It is difficult because of the proximity of the Green Belt, but as a council we would be prepared to look at other sites suggested by the club, such as a ground shared with another club or land already designated for sport.”

A survey conducted by the Barnet Society among community groups and councillors before decision in July, showed that the town was split down the middle over whether a 7,000-seat stadium should be built on Barnet Playing Fields.

Underhill Councillor Zahra Beg, who spoke out against the application in July, said she remained opposed to using the playing fields for a football stadium, but she was anxious to understand the grounds on which the club was appealing.

Planning inspector being asked to reconsider Barnet Council's refusal to grant planning permission for new stadium for Barnet Football Club at Underhill.

In view of promotion to League Two of the Football League, BringBarnetBack believe the club’s current success – it is currently placed 10th in the League – strengthens the case for securing a return to Underhill which they argue would provide a tremendous boost to match attendances and boost the High Barnet economy.

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Last chance to have your say on Barnet Heights

… or High Barnet Place, as the development proposed next to High Barnet Station is officially called (see above). But Barnet Heights would be a more accurate description of 283 flats over the whole of the present car park in blocks of 5 to 11 storeys high.

Whichever, it’s the most serious threat to Chipping Barnet’s character and functioning in decades. And Friday 19 September is the deadline for public comments on the planning application.

The Barnet Society strongly opposes the proposals, and urges you to do so too.

Our key reasons for objecting strongly to the current planning application are because:

  • It breaches many policies in Barnet’s recently-adopted Local Plan.
  • It would create homes of unacceptably poor safety and quality in terms of layout, detailed design and amenity.
  • It would be no more accessible – and probably less safe – than the present site.
  • Contrary to the developers’ claims, it would be unsustainable by many environmental standards.
  • It would irreparably harm the identity of the neighbourhood, nearby and from afar.
  • No compensating benefits of significance are offered in terms of transport connectivity or new/improved facilities to the existing community.

We’re currently finalising a full justification of our objections. A draft summary of them can be found here.

The Society would welcome a development that combined a genuine improvement to the public realm and public transport connectivity alongside well-designed homes at a sympathetic scale of development. But this application is not that.

As I write, over 300 objections have been posted on the Council’s planning portal – impressive, but we need more.

In March Dan Tomlinson MP’s position was neutral, but his current stance has not yet been made known. Former Chipping Barnet MP Theresa Villiers has submitted an objection.

Curiously, of the 26 supporters of the scheme, hardly any actually live in Chipping Barnet.

How you can comment

Have your say one of these ways:

  1. on the Council’s planning portal (ref. no. 25/2671/FUL) via the Comments tab;
  2. email comments direct to planning.consultation@barnet.gov.uk (cc sam.gerstein@barnet.gov.uk); or
  3. post your comments to the Planning Officer: Sam Gerstein, Planning and Building Control, Barnet Council , 2 Bristol Avenue, Colindale, NW9 4EW.

In the cases of 2 & 3, be sure to include:

  • the application ref. no. (25/2671/FUL) clearly at the top
  • the site address (High Barnet Underground Station, Station Approach, Barnet EN5 5RP) and
  • your name, address and postcode.

Sending a copy of your comments to our MP dan.tomlinson.mp@parliament.uk and to your local Councillors will increase the effectiveness of your objection.

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Years of neglect prompting residents’ bid to get Barnet’s former Quinta Youth Club registered as asset of community value

Bid to get asset of community value status for derelict Quinta Youth Club in Mays Lane Barnet

After years of frustration about the state of the derelict and vandalised former Quinta Youth Club, residents in Mays Lane and surrounding roads are applying to have the building and adjoining village green registered as an asset of community value.

They regard this as the only way to secure the site for community use in case there is an attempt to sell the site for redevelopment.

Over 30 residents have already signed up in support of the application which has been made by the 200-strong Quinta Green Residents Association.

A campaign to try to persuade Barnet Council to refurbish or rebuild the boarded-up youth club was launched in the summer but there has been continued vandalism, and no action has been taken to secure the building or tackle the disrepair.

Local volunteers built the clubhouse in the 1960s and it served first as a youth club and community hub, later becoming a nursery and meeting place.

The clubhouse is in a corner of Quinta Village Green which was registered as a public open space in 2010 after a public inquiry following a campaign by residents to ensure that it was preserved for community use and maintained by the council.

Gina Theodorou (above), chair of the Quinta Green association, said that registering the clubhouse and green as an asset of community value was “a once in a generation” chance to get the building back into community use.

“For too long the Quinta Youth Club has been left derelict, attracting vandalism and arson.

“With strong community support, we are asking our councillors and our MP to stand with us in safeguarding this historic site for the benefit of the whole area.”

Ms Theodorou recognised that the scale of disrepair has made it difficult to lease the building.

Registering it as an ACV would give the community the chance to take it over once again and restore it for public use which would improve the area and help tackle antisocial behaviour.

Planning approval was given in 2021 for use of the clubhouse to be changed from community use to become a store for the library service for schools in the Borough of Barnet.

There were proposals to refurbish the single-storey building, install new doors and windows, and use it for the storage, archiving and dispatching of library books for the borough’s Schools Library Resource Service.

But no action was taken to implement the plan, resulting in the mounting concern of residents about the failure to tackle the vandalism and disrepair.  

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Barnet Hospital said to be in “constructive discussions” with Barnet Council over car parking pressure on nearby roads

Community organisations have welcomed assurances that Barnet Hospital will try to reduce the pressure which car parking by hospital staff, patients and visitors is placing on surrounding residential roads.

Plans for a further expansion of the ever-widening controlled parking zones around the hospital are meeting a barrage of criticism from householders who are forced to pay for parking permits.

Barnet Council officials are understood to have suggested to the Royal Free Hospital Trust that the management at Barnet should look for ways to alleviate the problem.

Nearby residents could not be expected to acquiesce as more and more local streets become a parking lot for the hospital, necessitating the introduction of an ever-expanding CPZ.

Residents’ associations understand that the trust will now examine what more can be done to increase the capacity of the hospital’s own car parks off Wellhouse Lane – by making better use of the space available – and by taking over vacant sites.

Currently Barnet Hospital has insufficient parking space for its own staff and a request for yet another increase in the undisclosed number of on-street parking permits – which are already issued for staff use – has apparently been refused.

News of what are said to be “constructive discussions” between the council and the hospital follow in the wake of further expansion of Barnet Hospital CPZ.

This has recently been extended – despite strong local resistance – to take in seven roads around Ryecroft Crescent, on the Arkley side of Quinta Drive.

Almost 80 per cent of the residents who replied to a consultation were against the introduction of a CPZ extension, but the council has gone ahead with a widening of the zone on what officials say is “an experimental basis”.

There was further uproar last month when the council held consultations on the proposed Underhill South CPZ – a new CPZ which would introduce restrictions and permits in 29 roads, including several cul-de-sacs, which are on either side of Mays Lane, extending from the junction with Manor Road all the way westwards to the junction with Shelford Road.

A council survey was said to have shown that there were “extremely high levels of parking stress” in most of the roads surrounding Mays Lane caused by the extra demand for spaces from hospital staff, patients and visitors.

But residents say a CPZ over such a wide area – extending to the Dollis Valley riverside walk – is completely unnecessary and would become extremely expensive for residents.

The Quinta Green Residents Association and the Underhill Residents Association – which are both claiming there is overwhelming opposition to a new CPZ – said they had been urging strategic solutions to the problems caused by the hospital.

Community groups welcome assurances that Barnet Hospital will take steps to try alleviate car parking pressure on surrounding streets.

They believed the hospital’s existing car parks could be reconfigured to take more vehicles and that vacant land around the hospital – such as the site above at the Wellhouse Lane-Wood Street junction – should be brought into use.

The two associations say one option might be for the hospital to reach agreements with local organisations including schools and clubs to see whether it was possible to rent additional parking spaces.

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Transport for London bans flats protest rally outside High Barnet station – but across the road residents launch their “New Battle of Barnet”

A mass protest against plans for five high-rise blocks of flats on the car park at High Barnet tube station attracted over 250 residents who were greeted with toots of support from the horns of passing motorists.

London Transport moved swiftly to warn of prosecutions if protestors gathered around the station entrance, so the rally was switched to the other side of Barnet Hill.

Fifteen posters warning of the consequences of any “unauthorised protests or gathering or loitering” had been fixed to walls and fences all around the lower entrance.

A posse of four members of London Underground staff stood at the station forecourt and were on hand in case of any breach of Transport for London byelaws.

Despite the ban on meeting in the area around the station’s lower entrance, the groups organising the protest – Barnet Society, Barnet Residents Association and Hands Off high Barnet – were determined to show the strength of opposition to a redevelopment they argue is the “wrong scheme, in the wrong place”.

As supporters were marshalled back up the slope of the station entrance to cross the road to the grassy bank on the opposite side of Barnet Hill, there were muttered protests at what was seen as TfL’s high-handed approach in banning a rally on their land.

In particular, the wording of the notices – suggesting their presence might lead to prosecutions – led some residents to complain that TfL seemed to be turning High Barnet into a police state where free speech and protest were being suppressed.

While remaining friendly and approachable, the four London Underground staff on duty outside the station entrance were a clear indication that TfL meant business – the rally had apparently been banned on grounds of health and safety.

As the crowd of protestors continued to grow in size – approaching 250 people or more on some estimates – the organisers said they were delighted by the turn out.

Four thousand leaflets had been distributed calling for support, reminding residents they had until Friday 19 September to register their objections with Barnet Council.

Gordon Massey, who analysed the scheme on behalf of Barnet Residents Association, told the crowd they had to recognise that TfL – through its subsidiary Places for London – was determined to build as many homes as possible on spare land at London Underground stations.

“283 flats on this site are far too many and the design of them is absolutely dreadful. Just listen to the noise from the road and think what it will be like living there.”

He praised the joint effort there had been with the Barnet Society whose planning and environment spokesman Robin Bishop said the society’s team approach would allow them to present Barnet Council with “a substantial submission” detailing the faults in the scheme.

As the rally continued, hand-made posters held up by the grandchildren of Jane Ouseley (far left) amused passing motorists who tooted their horns in support of the message: “No tower blocks in High Barnet”.

Summing up the defiance of the crowd was a slogan on one of the posters: “The new Battle of Barnet”.

Another poster on the roadside at the entrance to the station left passers-by in no doubt about what the protest was all about.

Ken Rowland, chair of the residents’ association, said the size of the crowd showed why residents felt so strongly about an “appalling and monstrous” development.

“We need to stop this…the children living in homes in these blocks will not be able to open the windows…they will be overlooking an electricity sub station and railway tracks, and it is not the appropriate place for a development of this size.”

Kim Ambridge, a founder member of Hands-Off High Barnet which fought successfully against a 2019 plan – later withdrawn – for high-rise flats, deplored the loss of the station car park.

Her concern was reinforced by Barnet Vale Councillor David Longstaff who thought that by building over a well-lit car park, TfL was failing to acknowledge the fears of women arriving at the High Barnet station late at night.

At the end of the rally the crowd showed their contempt for TfL’s ban on the protest outside the tube station by marching up the High Street to the parish church of St John the Baptist.

Mass protest rally against tower blocks of flats at High Barnet tube station goes ahead despite Transport for London ban on gatherings outside the station entrance

A final photo-opportunity underlined another message of from the rally – that the proposed 11-storey block of flats at the station would break the historic skyline of High Barnet and compete with the commanding presence of the church tower.

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Work underway to stabilise precarious brickwork in fire-ravaged Hadley Green house before reconstruction starts

A massive crane has been brought in by contractors to help install scaffolding and internal braces to stabilise the walls of a large Georgian house on Hadley Green which was gutted in a disastrous fire over the May bank holiday.

Seventy firefighters supported by ten fire engines fought the blaze at Hollybush House, but the roof collapsed and all that was left was the shell of the Grade II listed building and its chimney stack.

Plans are now being prepared for the repair and restoration of the house, which was built in around 1790 and which the owners say they recognise is an important part of the historic heritage of Monken Hadley.

An application has been submitted to Barnet Council for the post-fire reconstruction, including repairs to the walls, high-level masonry, windows, doors and roofs and the reinstatement of historic stairs and rooms.

Work starts on reconstructing Hollybush House, a Georgian property on Hadley Green which was gutted in dramatic May bank holiday fire.

A report to the council by architects and historic building consultants Donald Insall Associates says masonry at a high level and in some areas at the rear of the property was left structurally unstable and needed to be stabilised.

Work is due to start on the reconstruction in October and should be completed by March 2027.

Because the internal floors and fabric of the building were totally destroyed, the architects say it will only be possible to recreate the original appearance of the house.

The rebuilding would go “as far as it is possible” to restore the significance of the Grade II listed building and its contribution to the character and appearance of the Monken Hadley Conservation Area.

Hollybush House is one of several Grade II-listed buildings along the east side of Hadley Green, including Wilbraham Almshouses and Grandon to the north-

east, and Livingstone Cottage, Monken Cottage, Monkenholt, and Fairholt to the south-west.

The houses along Hadley Green Road are all located within the registered battlefield for the 1471 Battle of Barnet, a defining conflict of the Wars of the Roses.

Hollybush House is described in the consultants’ report as a modest country house formed of an amalgamation of 18th century domestic buildings and later additions.

It is thought that the site began as an early-18th century cottage, which was extended in the late-18th century with a classic Georgian country house façade.

The main house, which retained the majority of the historic features and decoration, suffered the worst damage.

However, there are some surviving historic items – a few sashes, shutters, and doors – which were temporarily removed for repair and refurbishment, but the loss of original historic fabric meant that the significance of the house had been permanently diminished.

Soon after the current owners purchased Hollybush House in 2020, they applied for planning permission to restore the building.

After 18 months of restoration work, which included installing a new roof and windows, the refurbishment was due to have been completed sometime in early 2026 – until fire broke out in one of the rooms in the early hours of Bank holiday Monday and spread to the roof.

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Barnet Council goes to High Court to challenge a planning inspector’s go ahead for a travellers’ caravan site in Mays Lane

An application has been made to the High Court to challenge the go ahead for a travellers’ caravan site on a field in Green Belt land off Mays Lane, Barnet, on the grounds that the decision was inaccurate.

A planning inspector approved the plan for pitches for two travellers’ caravans because the needs of two gypsy families with seven young children “tipped the balance” in their favour.

Barnet Council had previously refused permission but after a lengthy planning inquiry, the inspector, Graham Chamberlain, decided that the “very special circumstances” of the two families outweighed any harm to the Green Belt.

In seeking to reverse the decision through a judicial review, the council will have to indicate why it believes the inspector’s conclusion was factually flawed.

Mr Chamberlain had concluded that the best interests of the “seven young children” in case would be served by “establishing a secure permanent home” for them at the appeal site”.

But in challenging the decision, the council is expected to argue that the evidence showed that in fact only four or five children would live on the site, with just one of them enrolled in school.

Therefore, the council could insist that the inspector’s decision was legally unsound.

Quinta Village Green Residents’ Association – which opposed the caravan site, and which was disappointed by the go ahead given by the inspector – has welcomed the council’s High Court challenge.

When he overturned the council’s refusal to grant planning permission, Mr Chamberlain acknowledged that a travellers’ caravan site on a two-acre paddock, previously used for grazing horses, would result in “some modest harm to the character and appearance” of the Mays Lane area.

However, he concluded that the balance in favour of the scheme changed significantly when the personal circumstances of the two gypsy families were factored in, especially the best interests of the seven children.

“Indeed, personal circumstances tip the balance in favour of the scheme when all other considerations are contemplated cumulatively…It follows that the very special circumstances necessary to justify the development have been demonstrated.”

Members of the residents’ association have now been told of the legal challenge which is being made by the council close to what would have been the end of the six-week period for a judicial review.

In going to the High Court, the association hopes the council will emphasise that Green Belt protections carried substantial weight under national planning policy.

Inappropriate development of the kind proposed, should only be allowed in “very special circumstances”.

While the welfare of children was rightly a primary consideration, it had to be based on accurate evidence.

The inspector had relied on the advice of the barrister for the brothers Patrick and J Casey, who had made the planning application, but by seeking a judicial review the council implies these submissions were incorrect and failed to consider the actual circumstances of the children involved.

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Co-ordinated fight back by community groups organising a united front against plans for high rise flats at High Barnet station

Community groups are presenting a united front in objecting to Transport for London’s planning application to build five high-rise blocks of flats on a car park and strip of land alongside the London Underground station for High Barnet.

To highlight the strength of opposition to the “wrong scheme in the wrong place” a rally is to be held on the morning of Sunday 7 September at the lower entrance to the tube station starting at 11.30 am.

Barnet Council has extended until Friday 19 September the deadline for residents to respond to the scheme.

After widespread complaints about the decision to organise public consultation during the summer holidays when so many people were likely to be away, the council acknowledged extra time should be given to ensure residents understood the full impact of the application being made by TfL’s property subsidiary, Places for London.

Leading the way in opposing the scheme are the Barnet Society and the Barnet Residents Association which have both been preparing a detailed list of objections to the application to provide 283 flats in five high storey blocks, one of which would be 11 storeys high.

They say the five blocks of flats are “unattractive and overbearing” and completely out of scale and character for the locality with the eleven-storey block rising above the skyline.

Gordon Massey, who prepared a point-by-point summary of the association’s objections, says the proposed development is a “poorly designed blot on the landscape” with the expectation that the flats would be overwhelmingly purchased by buy-to-let landlords.

Living conditions on the new estate would be poor as 75 of the flats would be single aspect facing west, raising issues of noise, heat and ventilation with the likelihood that with all windows having to remain closed, they would rely on mechanical ventilation.

“We are not opposed to the redevelopment of this site for housing, but the people of High Barnet and future residents of this development deserve something much better than this.”

Mr Massey’s conclusions are in line with those of Robin Bishop, who leads for the Barnet Society on planning and the environment, and who thinks the scheme would have a brutal impact on the existing townscape and greenery of High Barnet, Underhill and Barnet Vale.

“Our main objections to the scheme are to the alien scale and character of the designs; its unsustainability as a neighbourhood; its unsafe environment; and the lack of community benefits.”  

Other community groups warn of grave consequences if the development goes ahead with the danger that sandwiching high-rise blocks of tiny flats onto a strip of land between the tube line and Barnet Hill would, in their opinion, be destined to create the slum housing of tomorrow.

Hands Off High Barnet, a campaign group which co-ordinated objections to a 2019 scheme to build seven blocks on the site – a plan which was later reduced and withdrawn – fears the same mistakes are being made once again.

Of the 283 flats being proposed, 68 would be of only one bedroom when High Barnet desperately needed more family homes.

The loss of a well-lit station car park would pose a particular danger for women returning to High Barnet late at night.

“After all the objections we made to the last application, TfL are still not making it any easier for disabled passengers who need to be dropped off or collected at the station,” said Kim Ambridge, one of the founders of Hands-Off High Barnet.

John Dix of the Save New Barnet Campaign – which fought long and hard trying to prevent too many new flats being squeezed into the Victoria Quarter site – said he thought the station scheme was “really shocking”.

The children’s play space in the new development was the “absolute bare minimum” for under 11s.

“One of the children’s play spaces is a steep slope – it drops by 3.3 metres from top to bottom – with steps down the middle underneath one of the blocks.

“They call it the ‘undercroft’ play area, but the wind assessment says it is a problem area and is not for lingering.

“How any human being could classify this dark, draughty underpass as a play area is beyond me.

“The children’s play area for the 12-18-year-olds is, wait for it…500 metres away on Barnet playing fields.”

Mr Dix said he hoped Barnet Councillors read the details of the application, refuse to give approval, and tell the developers to go back to the drawing board.

To raise awareness of TfL’s application and publicise the rally on Sunday 7 September volunteers hope to distribute a leaflet – see below – to around 4,000 households in High Barnet.

Community groups across High Barnet organising co-ordinated fight back against plans for high rise blocks of flats at High Barnet tube station