News on North Finchley

Since 2021, the London Borough of Barnet and Regal JP North Finchley have been working closely together on a shared vision for the evolution of North Finchley town centre, rooted in the solid foundations of the existing community and building on and respecting the rich heritage.

Historically, the proposals for the town centre had included a new home for artsdepot, maintaining its place as the jewel in the crown of North Finchley. It has become clear that artsdepot will better benefit from simply making changes to the current building and it was confirmed in 2023 that it would remain in place. Following on from this Barnet can confirm that a new long-term lease has  been negotiated and a decision will go to Cabinet to extend artsdepot’s tenure ensuring the current offering to the public can continue into the future.

At the well-attended public engagement events to discuss the proposals for Lodge Lane in 2023, a number of people were interested in the future of any car parking provision in North Finchley town centre. A number of surveys have been undertaken to gather data on the actual usage of the current car parks. As a result, over 80 spaces will be re-provided on Lodge Lane ensuring that capacity for parking is maintained across the town centre.

People were also interested in the proposed height of the buildings. A significant body of work has been undertaken to ensure that the Lodge Lane site works as well as possible - while not being overdeveloped. At present, it is proposed that the new buildings on Lodge Lane will be consistent with the SPD Guidance for the site.

The Lodge Lane proposals include a new public courtyard and broad leisure offer arriving in North Finchley town centre. This will include uses such as bowling, cinema and some restaurants. Whilst not a direct reprovision of the similar existing facilities currently on Great North Leisure Park, having these new leisure facilities for all ages in the town centre will bring wider investment and footfall to other businesses and will also encourage greater levels of active travel and public transport usage.

Cllr Barry Rawlings, Leader of London Borough of Barnet said:

“Making North Finchley a destination for family entertainment with bowling, cinema and theatre will breathe new life into the area. Alongside residential development the aim is to create a new vibrancy about North Finchley and ensure it has a great future as a town centre. I encourage local residents to work with both the Council and Regal London to help us make this happen.”

Jonathan Seal, CEO of Regal London said:

“As a local developer, Regal London has been working tirelessly with Barnet to find an appropriate solution to Lodge Lane and to kick start the much needed evolution of North Finchley town centre.

“Our dynamic neighbourhood is the place where pioneering entrepreneurs can flourish. We want to build on this proud tradition, providing a better ecosystem for current businesses and creating a more appealing environment for newcomers too.” 

Regal London will hold another round of public engagement events which will cover the evolved proposals. This engagement will overlap with an intense period of planning and design development to ensure we are in a position to submit planning proposals by September 2024.