STORY
City Hall has overturned Barnet Council’s refusal of two major housing schemes totalling more than 1,700 homes. The Mayor of London used call-in powers after the council had rejected proposals at the Great North Leisure Park and near High Barnet tube station car park.
Deputy Mayor Jules Pipe approved the developments after City Hall said it intended to be more interventionist where rejected applications could help deliver more homes. The Great North Leisure Park plan includes tower blocks of up to 25 storeys and 1,485 homes, including 341 affordable homes.
Barnet Council had objected to the scale and density of the scheme and raised concerns about character and planning obligations. Local critics argued that the development was too dense, while the developer said the brownfield site was suitable for new housing.