Colindale Developments Update – October 2013
I promised to keep you up to date with the developments in Colindale and as it is a little while since I last wrote, I thought you would like to hear from me about this issue.
Beaufort Park has been in the news, in that the Council have now decided actually to reduce the number of affordable homes St George are required to provide on the site. 238 of the originally approved affordable homes will now be replaced with homes for sale on the open market, no doubt boosting the profits of the developers.
To me this looks like social engineering, especially when the Barnet Council cabinet member for housing said that he wanted wealthy people to move into the borough because they do not use the public services on which everyone else depends.
In the meantime, I am hearing from Beaufort Park residents who live in shared ownership properties, that they have seen their rents and service charges increase dramatically, and many are struggling with these additional bills which they did not expect to see.
The Mayor has selected Redrow as the preferred bidder to purchase the 22 hectares of land not required for policing operational needs at the police’s Peel Centre training site. The Mayor expects a planning application will be submitted for the site in the first half of next year, following a public consultation. We will have to keep a close eye on this, as I doubt the developers will have much regard for the existing local community, as has been the case with all the other overdevelopment in Colindale so far.
The police training and operational facility will be located on a smaller part of the site which is being retained for operational use. Work on this part of the site is due to start early next year.
Last but definitely not least, we are about to see the development of the Colindale British Library Newspaper Library site by Fairview, with yet more homes, as well as retail. I don’t have a lot more information on this as yet, but they are holding an exhibition of the plans be at Merit House, 508 Edgware Road NW9 5AB on Tuesday 22 October between 2pm and 6pm and Wednesday 23 October between 4pm and 7pm. I hope to be there on Tuesday afternoon.
I would be interested in your views on any for these subjects, please email me at andrew@andrewdismore.org.uk or write to me at
Andrew Dismore AM, London Assembly, City Hall, The Queens Walk, SE1 2AA
Best wishes,
Andrew Dismore
London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden
