Barnet Homes to lead on redevelopment of the north-eastern part of Grahame Park Estate, which has already been partially redeveloped
By Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter

Grahame Park Estate in Colindale (credit Google)

Plans to speed up the redevelopment of a large housing estate in Colindale have been agreed by councillors.

Barnet Council’s housing and growth committee has given the green light for the local authority’s housing arm, Barnet Homes, to lead the redevelopment of the north-eastern part of Grahame Park Estate in Colindale.

The scheme will see the existing 157 homes on this section of the estate knocked down to make way for 505 new properties, with 50% of these classed as affordable.

Built in the 1960s and 70s, Grahame Park Estate has long been earmarked for regeneration. Residents voted for a masterplan in 2003 and the first stage, containing 685 homes, has already been built. Planning permission for the second stage, set to provide 2,088 homes in the southern part of the estate, was granted in 2020.

But according to an outline business case presented to the housing and growth committee on 16th November, progress on the regeneration has been slow because of “variable economic and market conditions” and “the sheer scale of the regeneration challenge”. This means the northernmost parts of the estate “are unlikely to see any regenerative activity before 2030”.

The slow progress means residents could be left “in unsatisfactory housing for potentially up to two further decades with the resulting impact on life chances”. The council would also have to continue to maintain and invest in homes with “no long-term future”. Bringing the work forward is expected to save up to £650,000 on maintenance bills.

The 348 extra homes will also contribute to meeting the Labour group’s local election manifesto pledge to build 1,000 more social-rent homes in Barnet.

The Greater London Authority has approved a £22.4million grant from its affordable housing programme to help fund the scheme. To secure the funding, work must start on site by 2026.

Barnet Council confirmed after the meeting that the outline business case for the regeneration scheme was approved. The budget for the scheme is subject to approval by the policy and resources committee. Planning permission will also be required before the redevelopment can take place.

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