Barnet Council has acknowledged “delays” to a heritage review after a local campaigner demanded answers over his bid to save a historic arcade.

A petition to save The Grand Arcade in High Road, North Finchley, has gained the backing of more than 2,500 residents, along with high-profile figures including local MPs, a Labour peer, and guitar legend Dave Davies of The Kinks, who shopped in the arcade as a teenager.

Built during the 1930s in the Art Deco style, the arcade has been earmarked for demolition to make way for flats under a council-led redevelopment of the town centre.

Finchley resident Ian Dunn, who is leading the campaign to save it, nominated the arcade for inclusion on the council’s local heritage list in March 2021 but says it has been “impossible” to get any updates from the council.

In January 2020, councillors publicly agreed to review the local heritage list every year. In an update posted to his petition site, Ian criticised the council over what he called a “lack of transparency, lack of communication, lack of interest and lack of scrutiny”.

Ian added: “If we do nothing, we will lose the arcade and Rex House. It is time to reawaken enthusiasm and let Barnet Council know how much this small Art Deco corner of Barnet means to us.”

Barnet Council is currently in pre-application discussions with its development partner Regal London and Joseph Partners over the plans to redevelop North Finchley town centre.

The council previously said keeping the arcade “would restrict the necessary comprehensive development of the site”. Its North Finchley Supplementary Planning Document confirms the arcade would be removed if the regeneration plans go ahead.

Pointing out that Historic England had said the Grand Arcade should be “considered for retention” within any development, Ian called for it to be listed urgently.

Locally-listed buildings are deemed to be of historic or architectural merit and are protected by local planning policies, but do not benefit from the same level of protection as statutorily-listed buildings.

Responding to the concerns, Barnet Council said the local list had been “reviewed through a transparent and comprehensive process undertaken throughout 2021 and as per the council’s commitment made in January 2020”.

It added: “The council acknowledge delays in the formal adoption of [the] local heritage review and are actively looking to bring it to a policy and resources committee shortly.”