Greenacre Times

Thursday, 1 September 2016

Stop Press: Application to demolish The Lodge, Victoria Park - Refused

Stop Press - the application for demolition of The Lodge in Victoria Park, has been refused by Barnet Council. Cllr. Ross Houston will be asking questions at this evening's (1st Sep) Policy and Resources Committee from 7.00pm at Hendon Town Hall, The Burroughs, London NW4 4BQ - all welcome!!

	Development Management & Building Control Service Barnet House 1255 High Road London N20 0EJ
	contact: Nicholas Linford tel: 020 8359 3000 email: nicholas.linford@barnet.gov.uk date: 1 September 2016 our ref: 16/4524/FUL

Dear Sir/Madam,

Town and Country Planning Act 1990

SITE: The Lodge, Long Lane, London, N3 2PY,

PROPOSAL: Demolition of existing building and erection of a three storey building with basement level to provide 8no. self-contained units with associated underground parking, bike, refuse and recycling storage and amenity space, , ,

Further to your letter about the above application. After careful consideration of all of the issues, including your comments on the proposal, the following decision was made: “Refuse”

You can view the decision notice and the planning report supporting the decision online at www.barnet.gov.uk/planning-applications.

If any further applications are received for this site we will let you know. This decision does not preclude further applications being submitted for the site.

Thank you for the trouble you have taken in providing us with comments and please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any queries in relation to this decision.

Yours faithfully,

Nicholas Linford

Principal Planning Officer

South Area Planning Team

Sunday, 21 August 2016

The Lodge, Victoria Park, Finchley

SOS - PUBLIC PARK UNDER THREAT

Stop Press - application for demolition of the lodge has been refused by Barnet Council. Cllr. Ross Houston will be asking questions at this evening's (1st Sep) Policy and Resources Committee from 7.00pm at Hendon Town Hall, The Burroughs, London NW4 4BQ - all welcome!!

Victoria Park, Finchley was created by public subscription for the benefit of the people of Finchley and for generations to come. It was opened in 1902 by HRH Princess Christian, daughter of Queen Victoria and the building now known as 'The Lodge' was built as a park-keeper's cottage.

In November 2014, Barnet Councillors, acting in their dual role as trustees, voted 32 to 31 to sell 'The Lodge', as it was claimed that it could only be used as a residence for a park keeper and would require £100,000 to bring it to 'decent homes standard'.

They have since sold it for £623,000 and the new owner has applied for planning permission to demolish this historic building, and erect a block of eight flats.

This site is within the footprint of Victoria Park, and represents a dangerous precedent for the further development of all our local parks and open spaces.

What can YOU do?

· Object to the planning application by 23rd August 2016 View the planning application online >>HERE<<

· Or email: nicholas.linford@barnet.gov.uk

· Circulate this information to family and friends and encourage them to object too

Follow Victoria Park on Twitter: @victoriaparkfi1

Monday, 1 August 2016

Brookdene Nature Reserve

SOS - PUBLIC OPEN SPACE UNDER THREAT- SOS

BROOKDENE -
closing date Wed 3rd August

After the council refused planning permission for the Brookdene Nature Reserve Application 23rd May 2016, the developer then appealed to the Secretary of State.

It is now up to the Planning Inspectorate.

Click here >>> MAKE AN OBJECTION <<<

Or email: robert.wordsworth@pins.gov.uk

Planning Inspectorate appeal reference number:
APP/N5090/W/16/3149782;
BROOKDENE, HOLDEN ROAD, LONDON N12 7DR

Click here for the original report

What matters can be taken into account:

Planning applications can only be decided on those matters relevant to planning (material considerations). The most common of these include:

1. Effect on traffic, access and parking

2. Scale, appearance and impact on surrounding area and adjoining neighbours

3. Loss of light

4. Overlooking and loss of privacy

5. Effect on nature conservation and loss of trees

6. Effect on a Conservation Area including wildlife

7. Effect on a Listed Building

8. Noise and disturbance resulting from a use

9. Whether the use would be appropriate for the area

___________________________________

Saturday, 4 June 2016

Finchley in Fiction Walk

Part of the

Finchley Literary Festival

24^th-26^th June 2016

Finchley in Fiction – Guided Walk.
Sunday 26th June, 12.00-3.30pm

Meet Waterstones, N12 9QR

Mr Greenacres and Rosie Canning lead us on a literary walk with a lunch stop at Redwood Café (one of our sponsors) in Swan Lane Open Space, and a tea stop at Finchley Golf Club. Short readings will also be given from novels that feature Finchley - after all who can pass the site of Spike Milligan's former home without a recitation?

£3.00 pay on the day.

We are hoping that walkers will join us for the event below before the walk:

Meet the Author. Sunday, 26th June 11.00-12.00pm Waterstones, N12 9QR

Katharine Norbury presents her acclaimed book The Fish Ladder. Part travelogue, part memoir, Katharine Norbury’s moving and lyrical story of self-discovery – told through journeys on foot along the glittering rivers of Britain – is nature writing at its finest. The book follows the course of rivers and time, relationships and the inescapable attraction of family, meaning, and landscape.

Katherine will be interviewed by Mr Greenacres. He is a founder member of the Greenacre Project and was a regular contributor to The Greenacre Times writing the popular Mr Greenacres column as well as articles under his own name. Mike has charted and photographed every green space in the area and gives regular talks and slides shows as well as leading walks, including the one following this event.

Free.
_________________________________________________________________________

Friday, 29 April 2016

Woods and Water - Walk this Sunday

Wellpoint Walk went well, a good turnout and perfect walking weather. A good trek from Finchley to Mill Hill with Tai Chi and breathing exercises along the way.Well done to all those who braved the mud at Rocklands, Burtonhole Lane and Oakfields Wood to get to the finish. Special thanks to the stewards and Angie and the staff at Finchley Golf Club, and Naomi and Raffi at the Summer House. We all appreciate both the food and how hard you worked.

WOODS and WATER - Sunday 1st May 2016 at 12pm.

This is a walk in a completely different direction - northeast from Finchley to Arnos Grove via connecting green spaces and footpaths. We will be going through nature reserves, woods, and along brooks and greenways. We will see several different water features and have very little contact with roads on this one - full details attached. We will be stopping for a packed lunch in the picnic area of Hollickwood Park and then a tea stop at Costa Coffee, which is 0.4 of a mile further on.

MEET AT THE BACK OF THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL 11.45 AM CLICK HERE FOR MAP

Friday, 1 April 2016

Finchley to Mill Hill Walk

Wellpoint Walk, Sunday 17th April.

Spring is here and so is our first walk of 2016. This really is a lovely route from Lovers Walk Finchley to Mill Hill East. The theme of this walk is Health and Wellbeing and we are organizing it in conjunction with The Wellpoint Clinic which is a low cost acupuncture clinic. We meet outside Wellpoiint c which is on the corner of Ballards Lane and The Grove at 11-45 for a 12pm start. Anyone who wants to have a look at the clinic and learn a bit more about acupuncture please arrive a few minutes early. If anyone would like to be met at Finchley Central tube station, (300 yards from Wellpoint),please let me know and we can probably arrange that.

Of course walking in the greenery is the essence of health and wellbeing but we will have a few short stops along the way to do things such as Qi Gong breathing exercises, simple Tai Chi exercises and talks on health related topics.

We set off down Lovers Walk and Head for Dollis Brook and a circuit of Rocklands Lake. We then head back to Lovers Walk for a lunch stop at the grand Nether Court clubhouse. After lunch we head along Frith Lane to Burtonhole Lane, which is a green footpath/bridleway, and on to Finchley Nurseries for a tea stop at The Summer House Cafe. After tea we head through Oakfields Wood, along The Ridgeway to Bittacy Park for a finish at Mill Hill East tube station. We will escort you back to Finchley on the 382 bus if required.

This route is the closest you can get to a walk in the country in or around Finchley and all the greenery will be nearly at its most lush and picturesque in mid-April. Total distance to the finish is 3.8 miles. PLEASE NOTE: lunch and tea will have to be pre-booked with me at least 3 days before the walk.

Lunch stop is Nether Court, the clubhouse of Finchley Golf Club. This is a very grand house with much history. Lunch is on a terrace overlooking the course. Food is excellent. Tea stop is at The Summer House at Finchley Nurseries where home made cakes are on offer.

If you are coming on the walk - please make your selection and pre-order with me by phone: 0208 346 5503 or email mikegee1968@gmail.com.

It would help us if you could bring the exact money on the day. We will collect money at the start of the walk and issue you with vouchers. Present the appropriate voucher at the lunch and tea stops. Be sure to look after your voucher as staff have been instructed only to issue food in exchange for the appropriate voucher. Please try and turn up at 11-45am or slightly earlier if you want to look round the clinic.

Let's hope for favourable weather on the day.

FUTURE DATES FOR YOUR DIARY:

Weds 27th April at 7-30pm, new slide show at North Middlesex Golf Club.

Sunday 1st May at 12pm, Finchley to Friern Green Walk.
Sunday 26th Jun at 12pm, Literary walk part of Finchley Literary Festival

Full details will be sent out shortly.

Thursday, 17 September 2015

The case of the missing objection letters

Click here, to see a very interesting film clip of Brookdene from our very own local TV station, Barnet TV

There was a meeting at Hendon Town Hall last Monday to discuss the future of Brookdene Nature Reserve. Under the 1972 Local Government Act, councillors on the Assets Regeneration & Growth Committee had a statutory requirement to 'consider any objections to the proposed disposal that are made to them'. This is the precise and only reason that Brookdene was on the agenda. The Chairman, Cllr. Daniel Thomas, wrote to us trying to underplay and discredit both the level and correctness of the letters of objection sent in.

With regard to the total number of objections - of the 58 letters appended to council papers, 42 were submitted on the 3rd April 2015. 1 was submitted on the 10th April and 15 were submitted between the 1st and 15th August 2015. No mention is made of letters submitted prior to 3rd April nor between the 11th April and 31st July. We know that there were other letters and emails not included. We would estimate, that about 15 letters were sent in before 3rd April, 30 between 11th April and 31st of July and about 35 directly to Cllr Thomas - we had been copied in to a number of these. THIS BRINGS THE TOTAL LETTERS OF OBJECTION RECEIVED TO ABOUT 137. Quite a considerable number, we think you'll agree. And everybody is saying the same thing - they appreciate this piece of unspoilt woodland and they do not want it declared surplus to council requirements and passed to a property developer for any reason. We stand by what we wrote in our report THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN and no amount of spin or wishful thinking can change this fact.

There was a lot of confustion at the recent meeting with attendants not really knowing what the Committee was doing. And we were very surprised by Labour Councillors who wanted to give three quarters of the Brook's public land to a private developer as when they visited the site they said they would oppose the lease.

It has transpired that no decision was made on the 7th September. The Brookdene item was referred to Full Council for decision on the 20th October, 2015. When a decision is referred to Full Council, it also means that every councillor will have an opportunity to debate and vote on the proposals.

So, in the meantime, get writing to all councillors and remind them that this piece of Brook public land should remain public. We oppose the granting of a 150 year lease in order to make a private garden for 43+ flats. Just copy and paste these names below into your email.

cllr.m.braun@barnet.gov.uk

cllr.r.challice@barnet.gov.uk

cllr.p.coakleywebb@barnet.gov.uk

cllr.d.cohen@barnet.gov.uk

cllr.j.cohen@barnet.gov.uk

cllr.m.cohen@barnet.gov.uk

cllr.p.cohen@barnet.gov.uk

cllr.g.cooke@barnet.gov.uk

cllr.a.cornelius@barnet.gov.uk

cllr.r.cornelius@barnet.gov.uk

cllr.t.davey@barnet.gov.uk

cllr.v.duschinsky@barnet.gov.uk