The Bring Barnet Back campaign hopes dialogue with councillors will lead to support for a new home for Barnet FC in the town of Barnet after last year’s rejection of plans for ‘New Underhill’ reports David Floyd

A large field in the foreground with trees, blue sky and clouds in the distance — Barnet Playing Fields where Barnet FC had hoped to build their new stadium (Credit – David Floyd)

Campaigners have backed a decision by Barnet Football Club not to appeal against Barnet Council’s decision to refuse planning permission for its new stadium after discussions with councillors.

In a statement last month, the Bring Barnet Back campaign said it had taken part in “constructive conversations with councillors and others” following July’s decision by the council’s strategic planning committee.

As a result, it has recommended that the club should not attempt to overturn the committee’s vote against its plan to build the New Underhill stadium at Barnet Playing Fields, close to the site of its former Underhill home.

In its update to supporters, Bring Barnet Back said that following the decision “51 alternative sites have now been identified, evaluated, ranked and assessed” by the campaign and “the highest-scoring 4–5 sites have been discussed with councillors from different political parties and have been positively received”.

They added: “Detailed work and enquiries are now underway to assess their further suitability before another application is brought forward.”

The statement suggests a big improvement in the relationship between campaigners and the council after some fraught exchanges last year.

The initial breakdown in relations came in July when council leader Barry Rawlings inadvertently provoked outrage from the club and Bring Barnet Back after he claimed in a council meeting that the club had been offered “three or four sites” by the authority as potential alternatives to Barnet Playing Fields: a claim which proved to be untrue.

The situation deteriorated further in October when, in another off-the-cuff statement, Cllr Rawlings told The Barnet Society that the club was in the process of appealing against the planning committee’s decision when this was not the case.

At this point, a furious Bring Barnet Back implied it may even stand candidates in this year’s local election to persuade politicians to give its campaign more attention. It said: “Unless there is a shift towards a more honest and constructive approach, it will be difficult for the campaign not to consider a more direct political strategy ahead of the May 2026 local elections to ensure the matter of the club’s return is properly addressed by all who seek public office.”

Now though, Bring Barnet Back (BBB) is clear that it won’t be running in the elections. In last week’s statement it confirmed: “The outcome of the local elections in May will have a bearing on the timeline for the submission of any new application. In the run-up to those elections, BBB will work to ensure that candidates clearly articulate their position on the club returning to the town of Barnet. BBB will not run independent candidates at this stage, for reasons explained below.”

While the tone of the interactions between Barnet Council and Bring Barnet Back has changed, it is less clear whether that has been a major shift in the underlying situation.

It does seem that campaigners have successfully communicated to the council the point that the football club is seeking a new stadium in the town of Barnet rather than just somewhere within the wider borough. However, statements from both Barnet Labour and the club itself suggest there is a long way to go before any new stadium is built.

When the Post approached the council for comment on the discussions with Bring Barnet Back, a Barnet Labour Group spokesperson said: “We thank the Bring Barnet Back campaign for inviting cross-party councillors to their engagement meetings. We will continue to engage with the campaign as they search for a suitable site.”

In answer to some specific follow up questions, they confirmed that their position remains: “The council administration has always said they would welcome the club’s return to Barnet on an appropriate site.”

When asked about the outcomes from the recent discussion, they said: “Cross-party councillors and the local MP have been invited to and attended meetings organised by the BBB campaign to hear about their aspirations and ideas for the club to return to Barnet. There have been no concrete outcomes from these meetings to date.”

They also confirmed the council has not held any direct discussions with the football club since the planning committee decision in July and that “no potential sites have been suggested by the council to either the BBB campaigners or BFC.”

Barnet FC also confirmed the lack of direct contact. A spokesperson told the Post: “Since the strategic planning committee on 14th July 2025, conversations with Barnet Council and their officers have been held directly with the Bring Barnet Back campaign representatives. Whilst we fully support them and their endeavours, we feel that their independent approach better positions them to carry the conversations forward.”

Asked about the club’s preferred site for a new stadium, the spokesperson said: “Whilst the club does not have a preferred site, we fully appreciate the need to be near the town centre in Barnet. It is imperative that the Barnet community benefits from the return of the club and being near the High Street and in walking distance of residents means a huge boost to the local economy and less cars hitting the roads on a matchday.”

When asked about the potential timeline for a new stadium, they made clear that the process currently has a long way to go. The spokesperson said: “The club is fully committed to a return to the borough of Barnet and have made this very clear with Barnet Council on numerous occasions.

“The amount of physical work and funding that has already gone into this project well exceeded expectations and sadly, the application for our new community stadium was refused planning permission back in July of last year.

“We understand how long projects such as this take and will continue on our quest to return the club to its home. The biggest time factor in all of this is the identification of a new, feasible site from Barnet Council. A lot of stars will need to align but we remain hopeful.”

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