Up to £800,000 is needed to refurbish the building in Tudor Park but the local friends group is waiting on a lease to be issued by the council before submitting a lottery funding bid, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

Tudor Park Pavilion (credit Barnet Council) and (inset) Simon Kaufman

A New Barnet friends group has voiced frustrations with Barnet Council over delays in the leasing process of a “derelict” cricket pavilion they’re eager to restore.

Since 2020, when the Friends of Tudor Park and Pavilion (FOTPP) group was formed, work has been ongoing to try to bring the 104-year-old pavilion back into public use.

An estimated £500,000 to £800,000 is needed to refurbish the building, and with £200,000 allocated from the council and an expression of interest submitted to the National Lottery Community Fund, the outlook had looked good.

However, a formal application still needs to be submitted in order for the group to carry out refurbishment works, and to do this they need to secure a lease on the building, a process which has been delayed.

The council says the delays are “beyond our control” but is prioritising the issue and aims to have draft lease terms completed in the “coming weeks”.

Simon Kaufman, a committee member with the friends group and also a local architect whose firm Simon Kaufman Architects is involved with the restoration work, said: “We were told in January we were the preferred partner for refurbishing the pavilion and the council promised in March to send us draft terms for a lease. Four months have now gone by without us getting the paperwork.

“We have a team of volunteers which is desperate to start work on the project, but it is hard keeping up the enthusiasm when all we get is promises, promises, and no action from the council.”

A council spokesperson said: “We are pleased to congratulate the Friends of Tudor Park [and] Pavilion on winning the tender and being selected as the preferred tenant for the pavilion.

“Despite our best efforts to progress the matter swiftly, it has been subject to delays beyond our control.

“It is important to note that this is not a conventional lease agreement, and various aspects are being considered in detail before we can finalise the terms, including funding, terms of redevelopment, a detailed statement of work and other issues.

“We are treating this project as a priority and working to conclude the draft lease terms within the coming weeks. We would like to thank the community and FOTPP for their patience throughout this process and look forward to supporting them in the successful realisation of this project.”

For more information on the improvement works planned for the pavilion:
Visit Tudor Park And Pavillion Barnet (simonkaufmanarchitects.com)

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else. £84 annual supporters get a print copy by post and a digital copy of each month's before anyone else.