Residents claim they haven’t been listened to by Barnet Council, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

A resident group in Mill Hill has raised concerns over the designs of a new playground with a waterlogging issue and has accused Barnet Council of not giving stakeholders any say.

Mill Hill Park playground, off Daws Lane, has been the subject of discussion among local residents for years due to its run-down state.

Following a local campaign, ward councillor Val Duschinsky placed a bid for improvement works which was approved by the council’s north area committee in March 2024.

However, Frank Orman, chair of Mill Hill Residents’ Association (MHRA), a 2,000-member group, has described the new plans as an “accident waiting to happen”.

He explained the north part of the playground needed a wetlands or drainage system to manage the waterlogging but the council’s plans didn’t factor for this and he believed it would create more costs down the road.

“This area you cannot use unless you drain it,” Frank said. “They’re not listening, and ultimately the council should be having discussions with us.”

Currently, the council’s design includes a willow tunnel, in the north part of the play area, a wildflower area next to it, new and restored pathways, and the removal of defunct play items.

The council confirmed works would be completed in early 2025.

But despite works being granted approval for nearly a year, Frank complained the council did not share its designs until January.

In the lead up to the bid and beyond, Frank said the association requested to work with the council providing feedback, and had come up with budget-friendly ideas to tackle the waterlogging, going so far as to offer to pay for a landscape designer to assist.

However, for over a year there’s been a lack of response.

Highlighting MHRA was the second largest association in the borough, Frank said: “I do not understand why our councillors constantly refuse to engage with residents and discuss upcoming issues with them before making local decisions that affect us? Why do they refuse to talk to and listen to us residents first?

“This attitude of deciding what we want without reaching out to talk to us residents first is not just frustrating, it leads to a growing number of bad decisions, costly mistakes, and the ongoing waste of already limited budgets. Such a waste!”

In response, a council spokesperson said only on projects that cost over £60,000 would “wider enagement” take place and the works for Mill Hill Park fell “well below this level” so only “some engagement” was carried out.

The spokesperson clarified the Friends of Mill Hill Park local group was engaged with in late 2023.

Frank, also a member of the friends group, claimed designs were not still shared at the time and the discussion had only been with the chair.

He said MHRA could be the council’s “greatest ally” and channel feedback to ensure voices were properly represented, but instead he accused councillors of keeping “everything under wraps and as secret as possible”.

In response a council spokesperson said: “Where there is a special interest, such as developing a bid for area committee, engagement is co-ordinated directly with the relevant community groups, in this instance the Friends of Mill Hill Park. This occurred in late 2023, in advance of the scheme being approved at north area committee in March 2024.

“The works are expected to be completed in the early part of 2025, and we hope that the area will be enjoyed by children and families, the area will include a willow tunnel and earth mounds plus other features to create a playable landscape to mitigate against the wet weather conditions.”

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