Cash raised from developers will be used to fund the installations, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

The junction of Church Lane and Long Lane as it currently looks (credit Google)

Two community gardens are set to be installed in hopes of “reinvigorating” an area of East Finchley.

Two areas of Church Lane will have new planters and benches installed, as councillors have described parts of the road as “dilapidated”.

Claire Farrier, an East Finchley ward councillor, requested £57,282 of community infrastructure levy (Cil) funding for the project, which was unanimously approved at an east area committee meeting on Monday (23rd).

Councillor Arjun Mittra, who was substituting as committee chair, said: “Church Lane was the original village in East Finchley – it is quite important for us to try and reinvigorate it a little bit.

“There are a number of shops there, and this application is for a set of planters opposite those shops.

“The assets there at the moment are in really quite an appalling dilapidated state. This is a much needed investment to bring them back up to standard.”

Cllr Farrier added: “This will make this much more pleasant and safer to walk on, local residents want this very much and are planning and preparing to maintain and look after them.”

The council’s plans will form part of a ‘green corridor’ along with the new Leopold Road neighbourhood garden, and Market Place, a new park in East Finchley.

The planters are set to be installed at two junctions on Church Lane. One junction is with The Walks and the other is with Long Lane.

Committee member Pauline Coakley-Webb asked who would maintain the planters, whether the new benches would be “metal”, making them “less likely to be vandalised”, and whether the new bike stands would cause an obstruction.

A resident, Judith Salomon, confirmed she and her neighbours would “commit” to maintaining the two areas. She said: “There’s quite a large number of properties that are proximate and we know there are some keen local gardeners on that stretch of Church Lane.

“We’ll take guidance from the council on the benches, and on the bike stands. We need to make sure wheelchairs or prams can get by.

“At the moment there are two or three bike stands, but I’ve hardly ever seen bikes on them. A bench could go there and we would still provide parking for bikes, but in a nicer way.”

A separate plan to grant £129,901 for a new playground and cafe at Southgate Recreation Ground in Brunswick Park ward was deferred at the meeting, as neither the public nor councillors had access to the design proposal.

Committee members Alison Moore and Pauline Coackley-Webb noticed there were papers missing which detailed the specific equipment to be installed.

Cllr Coackley-Webb said: “We all sort of agree with the principal of it, but I don’t mind looking at it in more detail next time around.”

A plan to grant £138,767 for pavement and road repairs at Hayes Crescent in Golders Green was also deferred, after being brought forward by Conservative councillor Dean Cohen, as committee members demanded a “comparison with other needs in the borough”.

Committee member Alison Moore said: “I would like to know the overriding justification for using area committee money.

“What criteria does it meet that puts it ahead, by comparison, to other roads across the borough?”

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.