Oppose and help stop the proposed development around Finchley Central station.

The size and scale of the development will have an unacceptably harmful impact on our surroundings, overwhelm local services including schools and doctor surgeries as well as generate overspill parking that will make our streets even more congested. The site is too small for decent housing at the density being proposed. We know London needs more housing - but we also know it can be done without ruining Finchley Central.

Note: Planning application was due to be submitted at the end of August 2020, but all plans were delayed by Covid-19. The station car park and surrounding area are still earmarked for development, and the proposal is still going ahead.

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  • Who we are
  • What's happened so far
  • What's about to happen
  • What we need you to do

    • WHO WE ARE:

    We are a local group supporting the voice of residents who are opposed to this development at this scale. It does not meet the housing needs of Barnet, there are far too many units crowded into the small space, skyscrapers are totally out of character and inappropriate in a low-rise suburb, the buildings will cause a serious lack of daylight and sunlight and are not environmentally friendly.

    Finchley Central needs your support. Please make sure you are as informed as possible and ready to submit your views and objections when the planning application is submitted. There are a number of ways to stay connected with us:

    1. Sign and share our petition and help continue to raise awareness - http://chng.it/mxVJ4LQdZm
    2. Sign up to our newsletter here
    3. Write to Eva Greenspan, Head of Barnet Planning Committee (cllr.e.greenspan@barnet.gov.uk), and Dan Thomas, Council Leader (leader@barnet.gov.uk), to let them know your thoughts
    4. Like and Follow us on Facebook so you’ll see posts from us and know when to act
    5. Join our campaign group and help us raise awareness when the application is submitted by emailing handsofffinchleycentral@gmail.com)

    WHAT'S HAPPENED SO FAR:

    TfL and Taylor Wimpey have run two public consultations to gather feedback from residents (Jun 2019 and Jan 2020). Both consultations failed to communicate the true impact of their proposed development on the surrounding area. After the first consultation this campaign group created before and after images to show the context of the scheme as being proposed.

    To view any of the details they can be found on our Gallery page.

    To see the latest images supplied by Taylor Wimpey and TfL they can be found here.

    WHAT'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN:

    Owing to Covid-19 there were delays in the planning application being submitted. The following was shared with a committee member by Mike Freer MP (Finchley and Golders Green) (October 2020):

    We are still preparing our planning application for the development at Finchley Central and it remains our intention to submit it this year, but there have been inevitable delays due to the pandemic, and a number of colleagues have been on furlough.”

    Final and revised plans will be released and made available just before the application is submitted. We don't know yet how these will be shared or who with, but we need you all to be ready and waiting.

    WHAT WE NEED YOU TO DO:

    When the planning application is submitted there will be 3 weeks (21 days) to submit your views and objections. Each objection needs to be unique and cannot be done from a template. Numbers matter so don’t think that your voice will be represented by your friend or neighbour.

    We’ll be here to support you with the necessary resources:

    1. Visit our The Key issues page to understand the main problems or challenges our area faces with this development
    2. Visit our How to object page for the tools and information on how to make your objection count
    3. Tell your friends, neighbours, community groups, local faith groups, school mum groups, anyone you can. Get everyone involved who lives locally, the number of objections count so have a voice and spread the word.
    4. Subscribe to our newsletters for campaign updates.

    FIGHT TO KEEP YOUR FINCHLEY YOURS!

    IT’S THE FUTURE OF YOUR AREA THEY’RE PLANNING TO WRECK

    – DON’T LET THEM!

    Residents Feedback

    The proposed development is monstrous and totally out of character with the local surroundings. It will ruin the character of Finchley Central as we know it.

    Paul B - Finchley Central

    Scheme hardly acceptable in a city centre, but in a traditional London suburb it is grossly out of place and will cause massive inconvenience and loss of privacy.

    Anonymous

    “The proposed development is too big and out of scale. It will overlook our back garden, casting shadow on us and we will suffer loss of our privacy and natural light, removing trees, outlook and amenity.

    M & H R - Finchley Central

    While I understand the need for new housing in the London area, the scale of this development is unreasonable. Whatever short-term problems it may solve, it is surely only creating far greater problems for the future.

    Ciaran B - Finchley Central

    Inflicting this Godzilla-like development, overcrowded both by site and the numbers of people to be crammed into it, is grossly insensitive to the area and all local residents. It drives a coach and horses through Council planning guidelines, and will create all sorts of congestion problems: residential, on our roads, and in the station area itself. It will also put intolerable pressure on already overstretched local facilities, from emergency services and GP's, to schools and hospitals. Kill it! Stone dead!

    R & S W - Finchley Central