Barnet council refuses two major JTP schemes in the space of a week

Barnet council has refused two major JTP-designed schemes in the space of a week on the basis that the proposed buildings would be too tall.

The pair of schemes for developers Regal and Barratt, which will now be referred to the mayor of London for a final decision, would provide nearly 1,800 homes between them in blocks up to 25 storeys in height.

Councillors voted to refuse Regal’s mixed-use redevelopment of Great North Leisure Park in Finchley on Thursday last week, against a recommendation from planning officers to approve the scheme, in the first of two separate planning committee meetings.

The proposals consisted of a total of 1,485 homes across 20 buildings, including a 25-storey tower, along with a two-storey replacement public leisure centre owned by the council, a single-storey sports pavilion, flexible commercial space and around 400 carparking spaces.

Strategic Planning Committee chair Nigel said the scheme was refused on the grounds that the ”high density proposal would result in overdevelopment of the site, which has a poor public transport accessibility level.”

He added that the “height mass and bulking would be inappropriate in this suburban setting and would cause harm to that setting”.

The same committee met again yesterday evening, issuing a second refusal for a mixed-use redevelopment of High Barnet station car park for Barratt London and Places for London, Transport for London’s development business.

The scheme, which had also been recommended for approval, contained 283 homes and 567sq m of commercial space in five buildings between five and 11 storeys in height.

Again, Young gave the reasons for refusal as being the height of the scheme and “the harm that that would cause to the surrounding context”.

Both schemes generated sizeable opposition from local residents with Regal’s plans gathering 333 objections against 28 in support and Barratt and Places for London’s scheme amassing more than 800 objections against 104 in support.

JTP was lead architect and masterplanner for both sets of proposals, with the project team for the Regal scheme also including BMD as landscape architect, Avison Young on planning, Montagu Evans on townscape and heritage and Ashton Fire on fire.

Barratt and Places for London’s team included Levitt Bernstein as landscape architect, Avison Young on planning, Lichfields on townscape and heritage, Ashton Fire on fire and OCSC on structures and civils.