Barnet Council resurfaced a large stretch of pavement in Station Road but missed a section deemed “precarious” by locals, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

The section of pavement in Station Road which remains untouched and unfixed (credit Google)

Incomplete pavement works on a road in Hendon have caused confusion after a “precarious” stretch of path was left untouched.

Local resident Andrew Crick, who lives at a block of flats in Station Road, said he could not understand why approximately 40 metres of pavement, outside his building, had been left untouched during the Barnet Council repaving work.

Last year the council began renewing and resurfacing the pavement on Station Road, which is just over half-a-mile in length.

In 2024, it had approved a five-year £97million schedule of road improvements across the borough.

But Andrew said it was just after Christmas when he realised the work wasn’t going to be done outside his block. “We just thought they were doing it last,” he said.

“The state of the pavement [outside the block] is just an accident waiting to happen, everything is cracked.

“Why is it acceptable to leave that part untouched and do the rest of Station Road? It’s unfair.”

In response a council spokesperson said: “When Station Road was inspected last year, it was determined that only part of the road met the council’s intervention level, and so was recommended for repair.”

A resurfaced section of pavement in Station Road (credit Andrew Crick)

However, according to Andrew, his stretch of the pavement was in the worst condition. He also said the section was narrow and sometimes required pedestrians to walk into the road to pass each other.

Work to the rest of the street has widened and smoothed the pavement’s surface.

Andrew said: “They’ve done all this paving work, and they’ve omitted the part that actually needs it most, and it’s in front of some of the least desirable blocks.”

Estimating about 20-30 people lived in his apartment block, he said he felt “overlooked”. Along with his neighbours, Andrew said he was asked to provide feedback on the work, which he did, but he said this added to the confusion as his block hadn’t benefited.

He concluded that there “might be a perfectly reasonable explanation” but he said he could not see it. Andrew reached out to the council but did not get any clarification on what had happened.

The council spokesperson said: “We’re investing £97m to fix pavements and roads across the borough. All work is prioritised and this means that in some cases not all sections of a road may be repaired.

“Station Road is inspected quarterly with the next inspection in March. Any parts where damage meets the intervention level will be fixed.”

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