Watling Avenue Car Park developer Bouygues UK has outlined several flood mitigation measures included as part of the scheme but residents claim they’re not enough, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

Watling Avenue Car Park plans (credit Bouygues UK/DLA Architecture) — The Watling Avenue Car Park plans by Bouygues UK (credit DLA Architecture)

Burnt Oak residents are calling for Barnet Council to review plans for a 13-storey residential development on land deemed a flood risk.

Plans from the council and developer Bouygues UK (formerly Linkcity) for hundreds of homes at Watling Avenue Car Park were first announced in 2023, with the site sitting next to the Silk Stream.

Despite some support for the plans, especially the proposed new building for Burnt Oak Library and the committment to 50% of the flats being designated as affordable housing, many residents have also voiced concern over the density and flood-risk of the scheme.

A spokesperson from Bouygues UK said they understood the concern regarding the flooding and said designs had been done in “collaboration with flood specialists” and that they “incorporate recommendations from the Environment Agency to ensure safety and sustainability”.

A council spokesperson added the flood risk was a “material consideration” and was “currently being assessed”.

A planning application for 344 homes has now been submitted and a decision is due to be made by the council’s planning committee this summer. However, local residents are seeking further reassurance before the decision is made.

Mark McLoughlin, who lives near the car park, recalled previous flooding events, when the Silk Stream would “back up” and water would start to come out of roadside drains “like a fountain and into our homes”.

He said he’d been in his property since 2008 and had experienced around seven or eight floods over the last 17 years.

Mark accused the council and developers of not taking the flooding risk of the development “seriously” and described consultations as “tick-box exercises”.

The Silk Stream flows adjacent to the site

Michelle Burke, who lives in nearby Montrose Avenue, is also concerned. She said: “If they push this through, not only is it on a flood plain [as] Watling Avenue Car Park frequently floods, it will be overlooking neighbouring homes.”

Michelle said she felt “hemmed in” and worried people would no longer “have privacy in their back gardens”.

She added: “We’re a working-class community, I have friends on the Watling Estate. Will the affordable social housing rent be genuinely affordable?

“What I call affordable and what the council calls affordable are two separate things and people are being pushed out of the area.”

In response, Bouygues UK explained in more details what methods it will use to mitigate the flood risk.

The spokesperson said: “The key flood mitigation measures are: raising building floors above predicted maximum flood levels; creating a flood storage basin within the landscaped park area to manage excess water naturally; designing open, permeable spaces beneath buildings to allow floodwater to flow freely; shaping land levels to maintain natural water flow paths; installing a raised pedestrian and cycle bridge to ensure safe access during storms.”

The developer added that, according to the London Plan, the Burnt Oak development was not considered “high density”. The definition of high denisty housing in the plan is defined as “at least 350 per 2.4 acres” but the proposal for Watling Avenue has a density of around “191 homes per 2.4 acres”.

Regarding the affordable housing component, Bouygues UK insisted it was committed to “ensuring accessibility to a diverse group of individuals” and that the affordable housing was not “solely targeted at young professionals”.

The council spokesperson added: “We have been working with Linkcity [Bouygues UK] on proposals for Watling Car Park, and flooding is one of the material considerations which is currently being assessed as part of this project, alongside other matters raised such as density and housing.

“There has been regular dialogue with residents on this scheme, including through the Burnt Oak Partnership Board.”

The full planning application can be viewed via Barnet Council’s planning portal, using reference number 24/4556/FUL.

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