Barnet MP Theresa Villiers has called on constituents to object to plans to build over the agricultural fields at Whalebones in High Barnet.
She has been campaigning to save this green space since 2015. A previous planning application was rejected. The developers, Hill Residential, appealed but the planning inspector turned them down in 2021, backing the decision made by Barnet Council. Theresa spoke at the planning committee meeting and the inspector’s public inquiry.
She is now urging constituents to send in objections to the council which is considering an amended scheme for the site, saying “I want residents to have their say. The council neighbour consultation ends tomorrow. I am encouraging everyone who cares about protecting our green spaces to send in their views to Barnet Council.”
“Whalebones is one of the last areas of agricultural land in the suburbs. It is an important remnant of fields which used to cover much of Barnet. This land is an integral part of our local history and plays are crucial role in the Wood Street Conservation Area which covers this location.”
“Protection of open green land like this is exactly what planning rules are there to do. The reasons why the council and the planning inspector turned down the last plan are still valid. This proposal should be rejected as well. I will always fight to protect the green and leafy suburban environment here in the Chipping Barnet constituency.”
Barnet Council’s Neighbour Consultation on Whalebones ends tomorrow. To submit your views on whether they should build on the fields at Whalebones, you need to go to Barnet Council’s online planning portal:
- Go to Barnet Council’s website www.barnet.gov.uk
- Click on the ‘Planning and building’
- Click on the ‘View or comment on a planning application’ box
- Click on ‘Basic search’
- At the bottom of the page enter 23/4117/FUL in the box and hit ‘Search’
- You should now see a summary of the planning application
- Click on ‘Comments’
- You can now enter your details, register your objection, and enter your comments.
After 28th February, you can still submit your views but these need to go via email to [email protected]. You should include the application reference number 23/4117/FUL in the subject field of your email.
This the response submitted by Theresa Villiers setting out a number of reasons why the council should reject the development. This was written prior to the most recent amendments made by Hill Residential to their scheme for Whalebones, but Theresa believes that the reasons remain valid. The latest changes by Bill do not mitigate the concern about the loss of these fields.
Objection to building on the fields of Whalebones: 23/4117/FUL
We write to object to the above planning application for the fields at Whalebones. We would urge the planning committee to reject it as they did the last one brought forward for this very sensitive site. The changes made in the current proposals do not rectify the sound planning reasons given by the Inspector Jonathan Price for turning down the appeal in the previous application in 2021. The application still contravenes Barnet and London planning policies.
Whalebones has left us some of the very last agricultural fields in the London suburbs. As a local landmark, they are rightly protected by the Wood Street Conservation Area. As the Barnet Society have pointed out, the fields are integral to the history and character of that conservation area and their loss would seriously harm it.
Building over some of the last remaining fields in Barnet would contradict several statements in council’s Wood Street Conservation Area Appraisal Statement and result in substantial harm. This was acknowledged the Planning Inspector’s dismissal in 2021 of Hill’s appeal against refusal of their previous application.
The developers maintain that the flaws of the earlier application are mitigated by setting back the building line from Wood Street, to try to make it less visible from the road. But this change is not sufficient to remedy the problems identified by the inspector. For example, it would still not provide a visual break between the new houses and Elmbank. The separate identities of Chipping Barnet and Arkley would disappear. So key purpose of the conservation area would be undermined.
Character
A fundamental aspect of Barnet’s Local Plan is that development should be in keeping with the character of the surrounding neighbourhood.
Barnet planning policy DM01 provides that: “Development proposals should be based on an understanding of local characteristics. Proposals should preserve or enhance local character and respect the appearance, scale, mass, height and pattern of surrounding buildings, spaces and streets.”
Policy CS5 seeks to ensure that all development in Barnet respects the local context and distinctive local character and improves the quality of landscaping and in turn enhance the experience of Barnet residents.
The character of the land under consideration in this planning appeal is agricultural. Constructing over 114 new dwellings on these green fields is inconsistent with the character of agricultural land and the leafy, open nature of Whalebones. Reducing the number of units proposed from 152 to 114 is not a big enough change to remedy the problems with character which were an important reason why the council turned down the previous application.
A comment made by Historic England in response to the previous application was “…development across the site would collectively represent a visible urban hardening to this western part of the conservation area.”
They concluded that the prominence of the land’s open natural landscaped character and views out into Dollis Valley would be reduced, harming the character and appearance of the conservation area. We believe that this point also applies to this new application.
Although the number of units has been reduced, it is proposed that the buildings will range from two to five storeys, even higher than the previously refused application. The development is too dense for such a sensitive site.
It is inconsistent with the rest of the conservation area which is predominantly one and two storey buildings. The development would be visually overbearing, especially for residents in Collison Avenue.
Public access
We understand that Gwyneth Cowing, the previous owner, allowed access by means of a permissive path. So providing a Woodland Walk (as envisaged by this current application) would only be replacing what has been withdrawn. It is also concerning that the application does not provide clarity about the long-term ownership and management of the proposed new public space. Nor is there certainty on how this park will be properly separated from the neighbouring property, Whalebones House.
Nature and biodiversity
Just as was the case with the previous rejected application, this latest proposal would see the loss of wildlife habitats which make an important contribution to local biodiversity. The site, together with neighbouring Whalebones Park, currently supports bats, badgers, and deer. Birdlife includes species on the Red List such as Grey Wagtails. Local residents tell us that the fields are a feeding ground for a colony of swifts.
While it is proposed by the developers that part of the site will be open space, this would be in the form of an urban park. This cannot replicate the rural character or natural value of the land as it is now. The rich biodiversity of the fields would be replaced by areas of grass of limited ecological value.
Barnet Local Plan policy DM16 states that where the council is considering development, it will seek retention, enhancement or creation of biodiversity.
Concreting over a significant part of the fields would have the opposite effect. Moreover, this development on greenfield site would hinder the achievement of the purposes of Local Nature Recovery Strategies which are a requirement of the Environment Act. These strategies are expected to play a key role in achieving the Act’s legally binding target to halting species decline by 2030, as set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan published by the Government in January [2023].
In an era where it is becoming ever more apparent that we must act to prevent the disastrous loss of habitats after a record decline in biodiversity, this is not the time to build over precious fields which have survived London’s expansion for so long. If the council is serious about its declaration of a climate and biodiversity emergency, we hope it will turn down this application…
Conclusion
In summary, if allowed these building plans would amount to a serious breach of conservation area policy which was put in place to protect a location of significant historical and environmental importance.
The scale, massing and density of the proposals are inappropriate for an open greenfield site of this sensitivity and would amount to an overdevelopment. Building over these fields would contravene planning policy on protecting biodiversity, as well as making it harder to meet legally binding targets set on nature recovery and conservation. The Whalebones site provides a green lung which helps to fight pollution and the loss of trees and open space will hamper efforts to improve local air quality. These green fields should not be sacrificed to meet excessive London Plan targets for building new homes. It would contradict other Council, London Mayoral and national planning policies which value open space, the environment and farming.
Digital Imprint: Promoted by Theresa Villiers MP of 163 High Street, Barnet, EN5 5SU.
