After controversial plans for The Broadwalk Centre received outline consent from Barnet Council’s strategic planning committee in July, Leïla Davaud went to ask local residents for their reactions

People walking into the entrance to Edgware Bus Station — Edgware Bus Station – (Credit – Leïla Davaud)

On Edgware’s Station Road, buses stream in and out without pause. They pour into the bus station, swap passengers, and swiftly head back onto the road. Inside the ageing building, people wait patiently for their ride, coffee in hand, while others head across to the nearby tube.

Watching this well-rehearsed routine, Anuta Zack, spokesperson for campaign group Save Our Edgware, shakes her head: “This bus station is one of the busiest in London, with 3,500 services a day,” she says. The redevelopment proposes to demolish the existing building and replace it with a loop system beside the tube station, on the site of the current drop-off point.

“There are three problems with what Ballymore is offering,” she continues. “First, it’s smaller, when what we need is something bigger. Second, commuters will be left waiting outside in the rain, instead of sitting inside with a hot beverage as they can now. And third, buses will be forced to queue back onto Station Road, which is already gridlocked.”

Anuta steps out of the building, then turns back to face it. “Picture this,” she says. “The station is knocked down and in its place rise tower blocks up to 29 storeys high.”

Crossing towards The Broadwalk shopping centre, she gestures again: “Take this 35-year-old building, knock it down, and picture even more towers. We lose two functional community spaces, only to build an enormous dormitory for people who won’t even be able to move because the roads and transport will be rammed.”

Inside the shopping centre, developer Ballymore’s offices display posters of its vision. Kate Smith studies them, frowning. She says: “I get the idea. It looks great on paper. But do we have to knock down the entire town centre, places we actually use and care for, in order to build something so… Manhattan? We’re in the suburbs of London. Most of us moved here because we like the suburban life. This seems exaggerated to me.”

Eavesdropping, Jake Mortimer takes a step towards the same posters. However his reaction is quite different. He says: “I moved here last year for work so I don’t have the same attachment to the town. I have to admit, if it does look like these images, it could be really cool. It’s like living in the city but without the madness. We’re used to living so close to each other now, I don’t see the problem.” He shrugs and walks off towards the car park, also meant to disappear to make way for new flats.

That particular space is what former architect Abe Hayeem is fighting to protect. He asks: “Do they expect us, and the thousands moving into these towers, to give up our cars and stay locked in?”

He adds: “We wouldn’t even be able to cycle, since there is no plan for proper cycling infrastructure in the scheme. It’s what I’d call a complete planning disaster. You can’t impose national housing numbers on a suburban town centre and expect it to work.”

Another of his concerns is the delivery time. He says: “What they are planning for would take decades to build. What happens to us in the meantime?

“I may not still be alive by then but people will have to live through this nightmare and I think they realise it, because the councillors are receiving complaint letters by the thousands that take the whole scheme apart in every aspect.”

Helen Simons shares those concerns and more. “This is my home and I’m scared” she says.

“If the redevelopment goes ahead as it’s presented now, I don’t know if I’ll be able to stay.” Living with a disability, she worries most about healthcare.

“I already struggle to get appointments. How do they expect to treat thousands more? They’re knocking down our two biggest pharmacies and Redhill Clinic, and we’ve had no explanation of how or when they’ll be replaced.”

Local doctor Alan Rosenfelder doesn’t think the numbers add up. He says: “For 10,000 people you need five full-time equivalent GPs. Lane End and Penshurst Gardens surgeries already serve 12,000 and 7,000 patients between them, and most of their doctors are stretched. Recruitment is in crisis.

“They promise new surgeries but won’t give details. It won’t be enough, and residents will lose out. This is very wrong.”

If the plans presented by the developers are coming under fire from residents, anger also focuses on how councillors have handled the situation.

Resident Catia Gimmi says sharply: “I’ve always tried to participate in Edgware’s life and its community. Part of my role as a teacher is to educate children about democracy, so they have the tools to do the same. But this approval destroys everything they learn, because it shows that votes don’t matter. Councillors promised to fight tower blocks, and then they waved this through.

“It’s a betrayal. They’ve already decided without listening to us. That’s so hard to accept. It’s jarring. Everything we teach our children about voting and making their voices count feels meaningless nowadays and with our schools already overstretched, how are we supposed to welcome thousands more families?”

Barnet Council insists the decision amounts only to outline consent, not the final design with each phase still needing detailed approval and safety checks. But for many in Edgware, those assurances ring hollow. On Station Road, the buses continue their endless loop and for some residents, uncertainty and mistrust stick. “Edgware isn’t at death’s door,” Anuta Zack says. “It just needs care. We deserve something better than this.”

A spokesperson for developers Ballymore told Barnet Post: “This transformational regeneration development will breathe new life into Edgware’s town centre for residents, businesses and visitors through its £1.7 billion investment over a ten-year period.

“During a housing crisis with delivery at a record low the development will deliver 3,365 much needed new homes, including 1,150 affordable homes as well as 463 student accommodation units. Since 2020, Ballymore and Places for London have engaged with over 3,300 community members through 170 meetings and events.

“This extensive engagement has resulted in over 2,600 positive representations for our outline planning application. LBB’s decision to resolve to grant our outline planning application was a welcome recognition of the support that exists for the proposals.”

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