The approval comes despite opposition from residents centred around the lack of affordable housing and impact on the local area, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

Divisive plans for a new bowling alley, cinema and nearly 100 flats in North Finchley have been given the green light by councillors.

The project will see 98 homes built across three blocks up to six storeys tall on a car park in Lodge Lane. Accompanying them will be a fourth building containing a bowling alley, cinema and a new car park.

However, none of the new homes will be designated affordable.

Residents had also raised concerns about the scale of the buildings, increased congestion and the design not being in keeping with local properties. 

Tally Ho Corner, which looks set to be regenerated, is a five-minute walk from Lodge Lane and would be a more “appropriate” site for the cinema and bowling alley, according to residents.

However, Barnet Council’s strategic planning committee voted to back the Lodge Lane plans last night (Tuesday 10th).

Lodge Lane Residents’ Association chair Daniela Boyce said: “The area is being treated as part of urban regeneration. Lodge Lane is not urban but a suburban historic, very narrow lane which the visuals [in the application] do not portray. 

“The scale of the development is not suited to a historic lane.”

She noted the housing mix didn’t “fulfil housing targets” in the borough as there are few three-bedroom homes included. 

The plan contains 55 one-bedroom homes, 35 two-bedroom homes, and eight three-bedroom homes.  

Daniela called the project’s design “unimaginative” and said it did not “complement” residences in Lodge Lane, some of which are locally listed and date back to the early 1800s.

Tim Stevenson, a member of The Finchley Society, also objected to the proposal, saying it was “fundamentally flawed” and would overshadow neighbouring properties.

Tim said supplementary planning documents (SPD), part of the Barnet Local Plan, identified a “culture and leisure zone” at Tally Ho Corner as “a far more suitable location for decent sized bowling, a cinema and a public square”.

The project will be served by 80 parking spaces including eight disabled spaces for customers and three more for residents.

Both Labour and Conservative committee members asked the objectors about the car park’s current level of use and traffic concerns. Currently, Lodge Lane Car Park has 232 spaces.

Daniela said other car parks in the area were “pretty much full” and added increasing the local population while reducing and taking away a car park wasn’t “going to work”.

She said the residents would be “lucky” if users of the cinema and bowling alley used public transport or walked. 

However, Labour committee member Humayune Khalick said the council couldn’t “stand still” when it came to regeneration and highlighted there was a “shortage of housing in the borough”. 

Conservative committee member Josh Mastin-Lee and Labour committee member Tim Roberts raised concerns over the lack of affordable housing in the scheme.

Philip Murphy, a town planner, speaking on behalf of developer Regal JP North Finchley Ltd, said: “From an open book transparent basis which has been very carefully analysed, there is not the ability to provide affordable housing as part of the scheme.”

Chair Nigel Young, who proposed a condition that resident spaces on Lodge Lane “remain as such”, said the application was “complicated for the committee”.

However, he said there was “no getting around the fact this is a very significant investment in a town centre”.

Following discussions, councillors voted along party lines with the five Labour members voting in favour of the recommendations to approve and the three Conservative members against them.

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