West Hendon development background information

The information below provides background to our opposition to the West Hendon development and may be useful for those making objections to Barnet Planning Committee:

• There already is an approved Planning Application dating from 2008 for a development of ~2000 homes on the site. The recent development on Cool Oak Lane is part of that. This had lower towers and they were placed back from the water much further. I believe the tallest tower was almost on the West Hendon Broadway. It also included outline approval for two footbridges. This approval for the balance of the development and the two bridges is still extant.
• Barratts claim that this was not financially viable and have come up with the current proposal.
• The potentially damaging Northern Footbridge is shown on the plans by a wide swathe through the West Woodland of the SSSI. In the already approved plan it is shown immediately behind Halfords which is on the Edgware Road. To mitigate the effect of this bridge we need the following.

           To build it as close to Halfords as the new envelope allows

 To make it a throughway only with no access possible to the wet woodland

To have minimal lighting to preserve the site as a dark site

It should be locked overnight

It should be constructed to prevent fly-tipping into the river and the SSSI

• The Cool Oak Lane Bridge needs to be sited as close as possible to the road bridge. The road bridge is grade II listed and must be preserved.
• The reduction of the tree screen to allow views down from West Hendon Broadway is also damaging as this is exactly where the largest winter flocks are frequently found.

This all focuses the mind on the things to argue about. The height and location of the Towers. The layout of the whole Estate, The siting and construction of the bridges. The provision of adequate screening. The estate is too large and too dense in its new form.