Concerns continue to be raised about the density of development proposed for Edgware town centre, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

Barnet’s new Local Plan has been given the nod by senior councillors despite ongoing concerns over Edgware town centre’s regeneration plans.

Barnet Council’s Labour cabinet approved the lengthy document – setting out housing and employment development up to the year 2036 – last night (Wednesday 5th).

After nearly nine years of work the Local Plan will now go to full council for final approval. It has already undergone a public examination by a government-appointed inspector.

The Local Plan identifies where development should take place as well as where it should be restricted. The documents guide local authorities when making decisions on future development proposals and also address an area’s housing, employment and commercial needs.

However, the Barnet Local Plan has faced opposition from the Conservatives.

In particular, the Tory group’s deputy leader Lucy Wakeley asked the cabinet to “urgently review” a 2021 supplementary planning document (SPD) for Edgware town centre.

Edgware has been recognised at London planning level as “suitable for regeneration and growth for decades”. However, residents have been calling on the council for years to amend the height limits on tower blocks that have been agreed.

In a partnership between developer Ballymore and Transport for London (TfL), plans for 25 tower blocks up to 29 storeys in height have been submitted as well as a new electric bus garage, which has raised concerns from London Fire Brigade.

In response, thousands of residents have objected to the level of housing and the heights permitted in the Local Plan for Edgware town centre.

Opposition leader Peter Zinkin said he was “anxious” for the residents to feel that “their concerns have been heard” and at the “very minimum” councillors should write to TfL.

Suggesting the council discuss with TfL the type of bus station that will be built, he added: “It seems, given the circumstances, that is the closest you can get to actually reflecting the concerns the residents have in terms of the bus station.”

Some of these specific concerns will be discussed when the Ballymore and TfL plans go before a planning committee, but Cllr Zinkin stated the council could do more to allay any “misapprehensions”.

He said: “When 5,000 people object to something it’s a message to us, we’ve failed collectively to communicate well enough, therefore it requires something slightly different from just going through the planning process.

“Separate the things planners can do and those things planners can’t or won’t do, so we can show the council we do listen to residents.”

In response the council’s cabinet member for homes and regeneration, Ross Houston, acknowledged one of the “controversial parts” of the Local Plan was the site allocations, a process which began in 2018 under the leadership of the Tories.

He said the Edgware site, along with many others, was brought forward and once offered the council was expected to “deliver on those sites” and that amendments at this late stage of the Local Plan process were not feasible.

Cllr Houston said: “In relation to Edgware, it’s fair to say the inspector did actually take into account in their schedule of main modifications [changes to make the plan legally compliant] and was comfortable in terms of the modifications with the numbers presented to the Local Plan for Edgware.”

He added the council had already fed back concerns to Ballymore and said he personally had “no problem” passing on concerns around the bus station to TfL, calling it a “reasonable thing to do”.

In regard to the bus station, Cllr Houston added: “That was brought up with inspectors and the response is it’s not a planning consideration, it’s a matter for TfL. Clearly the planning committee will be asked to have a view on that and TfL will have to come forward with a view, but it isn’t a planning matter.”

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.