Theresa Villiers has condemned the decision last night by Labour councillors to approve two controversial development proposals at a meeting of Barnet Council’s planning committee at Hendon Town Hall.
By a majority (with Conservative councillors against) the committee voted through plans for 420 flats in blocks of up to eight storeys on the old gasworks site at Victoria Quarter in New Barnet. The meeting went on to approve construction of 115 flats and houses on agricultural land at Whalebones in Chipping Barnet.
“This is a sad day for our community," Theresa said. "The Labour council have voted through overdevelopment in Victoria Quarter and they have also given the green light to concreting over green space at Whalebones,” she continued.
“Similar plans for these locations was rejected by the previous Conservative council. There were major campaigns against both projects by local residents. But Labour would not listen. Their party leader says he would ignore local views on planning application and build over the green belt. Last night’s council planning committee gives us a taste of what that means in practice.”
“The high density blocks buildings approved for Victoria Quarter are far to tall for a low rise outer-suburban area like New Barnet and the quality of the homes proposed is not good enough. The developers should have built the scheme for which they were given permission in 2017 and which had a broad degree of local acceptance.”
“Approving the application to build at Whalebones amounts to a tragic loss of precious natural space – one of the last pockets of agricultural land in the suburbs. At a time when the urgent need to reverse the decline of natural habitats is becoming ever more clear, it is shocking that Labour is allowing the bulldozers on to this site.”
“The one positive from all of this is that campaigns by residents, which I strongly supported, have had a real influence in mitigating the harms these applications will have. They have forced the developers to make changes to their initial plans. This would not have happened with the work of Save New Barnet on Victoria Quarter and the Barnet Society on Whalebones. I will be working to ensure that the promises made by the developers are kept, for example on conserving part of the open space at Whalebones are kept.”
Theresa Villiers has been campaigning on issues relating to Victoria Quarter for fourteen years and Whalebones for eight.
Digital Imprint: Promoted by Theresa Villiers MP of 163 High Street, Barnet, EN5 5SU.
