Brunswick Park tower blocks to be demolished

Barnet Council has funding from the GLA to knock down and replace Holmsdale House and Stanhope House reports Joe Ives, Local Democracy Reporter

Three blocks of flats of varying sizes in a row — Holmsdale House tower block, Coppies Grove Estate, Barnet. (Credit: Google)

Plans to knock down and replace two Brunswick Park tower blocks at “disproportionate risk of collapse” have taken a step forward with Barnet Council set to acquire an important leasehold.

The collapse risks for Holmsdale House and Stanhope House tower blocks on the Coppies Grove Estate were detailed in a 2021 structural report carried out by the local authority.

Naisha Polaine, the local authority’s executive director of growth, formally signed off on plans to acquire the leasehold of Holmsdale House on 19th May, with further details published in a report late last month.

The acquisition of the leasehold for Holmsdale House is the latest step in the local authority’s plans to demolish the ailing buildings and replace them with a new housing development.

A 2025 report by council-run organisation The Barnet Group explained that uneconomical “major remedial works” would be needed to ensure the two tower blocks would “remain habitable” and safe.

The decision to carry out the redevelopment scheme was made by the local authority’s cabinet in November 2023, with decisions over property acquisitions subsequently delegated to Polaine, a senior council officer.

The recent decision to purchase the leasehold of Holmsdale House has been made as part of a “land assembly” process. This will give the council the legal rights needed to demolish the tower block as part of the redevelopment process.

According to a report prepared ahead of the decision, the local authority “is seeking to acquire all properties by agreement as soon as practically possible”.

The council already holds a “freehold interest in the site” but needs to acquire the leaseholds for all the buildings in order to begin demolition and redevelopment of the site.

The local authority says the lease acquisition of Holmsdale House has been carried out in line with its Compulsory Purchase Order compensation rules and an “approved acquisition strategy”, adding: “The leaseholder is non-resident and the agreed terms reflect the approved offer for nonresident leaseholders.”

The council believes the building “is not suitable for guardians” to move into prior to the beginning of the redevelopment works. Instead, once the acquisition has been formally completed, the council plans to ensure the property “remains safe and secure until demolition can take place”.

Although the exact financial details regarding the acquisition have not been made public, the council says “the total direct cost” of obtaining the leasehold for Holmsdale House will reach a maximum of £343,272.

The local authority has an approved application for £7.5m in grant funding from the Greater London Authority (GLA) for the project.

It has also been granted just over £640,000 from One Public Estate Brownfield Land Release Fund, a cross-government initiative, to pay for the demolition works.

In its recent report the council said the lease acquisition of the Brunswick Park tower block “will support the redevelopment of Stanhope and Holmsdale House, Coppies Grove, which will support the target to deliver 1,000 affordable social rent homes as set out in the 2023-2026 Corporate Plan”.

Local news needs your support

We are proud that we were at the forefront of reporting on the recent local elections. We can’t do this without the support of our readers.

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

ACT NOW!

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else. £84 annual supporters get a print copy by post and a digital copy of each month's before anyone else.