The 24-storey block proposed for Hyde Estate Road will provide 174 homes with 31% designated affordable, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans for the 'Alcove' development (credit Parkside Investments Limted) — Plans for the ‘Alcove’ development (credit Parkside Investments Limted)

Plans to build 174 homes on a former vehicle repair shop in Colindale have been approved by Barnet Council.

The 24-storey block proposed for Hyde Estate Road, referred to as the ‘Alcove’ development, will consist of 54 intermediate rent homes and 120 market rent properties.

This is up from the 43 intermediate rent homes originally proposed, but completely removes the 13 affordable rent homes. The affordable rent element will instead be absorbed into a neighbouring ‘sister site’ referred to as the ‘Rockery’.

Affordable rent is a cheaper level than intermediate rent, which is usually set at 80% of what is charged on private rent accommodation.

Developer Parkside Investments Limited stated the reason for the change was to improve the “deliverability” of the proposal and to make it “more attractive” to registered providers by concentrating “all the low-cost housing in one building”.

Nathan Hall, a representative for Parkside Investments, said: “In terms of maintenance, instead of having to go to two separate buildings to maintain, they’ve just got the one.”

During a planning committee on Wednesday (23rd), Labour committee member Philip Cohen asked what the disadvantages were of “not having an affordable tenure mix on the two sites”.

Nathan assured it would still be a “mixed and balanced community” and added the move meant they should be able to “get the service charge down”.

Labour councillor and chair Nigel Young said: “We have a scheme that’s delivering over 170 homes, 35% of which will be affordable, so the benefits for us in terms of meeting our housing targets and delivering affordable homes are quite significant.”

During the meeting concerns were raised about the area’s public transport capacity and disabled parking.

Labour committee member Naga Narenthira, while praising the affordable element, had issues with tenure mix and accessibility.

The scheme has 19 three-bedroom homes, 17 wheelchair accessible homes, and is ‘car free’ with the exception of six disabled parking spaces at the neighbouring Rockery site.

Cllr Narenthira said: “Families with young children are going to need car parking spaces and having this as a car free development is a concern.

“We’ve got experience in our ward at Colindale South, the ward next door, the Colindale Gardens development had very few disabled parking spaces, some of the blocks were car free and now they have to go back and find car parking spaces.”

Cllr Young asked whether a line could be added to the legal agreement to look at the staircasing of disabled parking provision at the Rockery site, which a case officer confirmed.

Cllr Narenthira also asked how the proposals would impact transport in the area.

Case officer Sam Gerstein said a £113,000 financial contribution was requested by Transport for London (TfL) to improve bus capacity and provision but said the breakdown was “a question for TfL”.

Following discussion, members voted along party lines with the six Labour members voting in favour of the proposal and two Conservatives against.

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