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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.

UPDATE ON GREAT NORTH LEISURE PARK

Many thanks to those of you who attended our previous events on Lodge Lane in North Finchley. We are still working through your comments and feedback and will return in the early part of 2024. 

We are aware that many of you are interested in Great North Leisure Park too. This is an update on proceedings.   

The redevelopment of North Finchley and the Great North Leisure Park (GNLP), including the public leisure centre, form a key part of Barnet Council’s ambitious plans to reinvigorate the borough’s public spaces, amenities and public services, as well as provide new homes and respond to the climate and biodiversity emergencies.

Our partnerships with the Council will unlock significant joint investment, for example at GNLP, a new public leisure centre will be provided in place of the existing facility which no longer offers the community an amenity fit for the 21^st century.   

With Glebelands open space positioned directly behind GNLP, the connections to this important landscape for the local community are sorely lacking, with the only access through a dark, small and hidden alleyway. This is a missed opportunity. 

Community engagement to inform our approach

In coming up with our proposals we’ve undertaken significant research and engagement with the local community. We continue to shape our plans based on the understanding of the local need and views.

Over the summer, we held consultations, workshops and focus groups with the residents. Whilst we have talked to local people about the broader GNLP masterplans, Barnet Council have been consulting on the detailed plans for a new leisure centre. 

Over the next year there will be more opportunities for local people to share their thoughts, as we engage in dialogue in 2024 to understand people’s priorities, hopes and ambitions.

Our plans for GNLP

We want to transform GNLP into a place that seamlessly integrates new living, leisure and lifestyle spaces along with opportunities to connect with nature and offers a new dimension to the character of the local area. At GNLP we will create a place that gives everyone in the local area a reason to want to visit and spend time there with a range of new homes, lifestyle and commercial uses, all alongside new green community spaces.  

Our GNLP proposals will provide much needed new homes for the local area, contributing to the council’s targets for provision of new housing.  

Better leisure and wellbeing facilities

To meet Barnet Council’s aspirations for better leisure and wellbeing facilities, our plans will unlock investment from Regal London and Barnet council in a new state of the art leisure centre for everyone. We are in discussion with the council and engaging the community in how we design the public spaces and deliver the leisure centre, on behalf of the council.

We know that it’s important to people that redevelopment minimises disruption to current users of the leisure centre. That’s why our plan is to build this in the early phase of construction, with the existing centre remaining open until the new facility has been built.  

At the Cabinet meeting on the 14 November 2024, an outline business case for the North Finchley Leisure Centre’s redevelopment was approved by councillors after a clear majority of residents said they wanted it to stay in the area.

It is proposed that the new centre will be built on a disused outdoor bowling green and will include a replacement swimming pool and lido together with a learner pool, three fitness studios and a 690 square-metre gym. There would also be an indoor adventure zone, soft play, sauna and steam rooms, health consultation rooms and a cafe.

The proposals would see other existing leisure uses on GNLP, such as the cinema and bowling, moved in the direction of North Finchley town centre under plans to create a destination for leisure, arts and cultural along with food and beverage.

A full business case for the New Leisure centre proposals will be brought to cabinet at a later date. Under a timeline set out in the report, plans for the redevelopment of the site could be submitted in the middle of next year, with the new leisure centre set to open in winter 2027.

Since we held our last community workshops a few months ago, there has been a lot of activity happening in the background in relation to the project.

This includes:

• Real meaningful progress being made in discussions between the Council, Regal JP and Transport for London.

• An ongoing dialogue with the Council, Regal JP and the artsdepot

• We have also responded to the Council’s consultation on the option of moving existing leisure centre facilities from Great North Leisure Park to the town centre by exploring feasibility options as to how this could have been accommodated.

With the above activities ongoing it is clear that there has been some inevitable delays to the project timetable. As a result, the Council has recently agreed to extend the exclusivity period within the North Finchley Land Assembly and Site Agreements in relation to our submission of a site wide planning application. The dates for a planning submission have been extended to June 2024 with a long stop date of December 2024.

This also provides us with more time to ensure that the existing community voice is heard and that local people can help shape the proposals as they come forward. We would hope to be in a position where engagement can then continue on the emerging masterplan from the early Autumn onwards.

The revitalisation of the town centre is a large, complex project, and with the extension in place we can work closely with our partners, local people and businesses to ensure a good outcome for all.

Many thanks to all who attended the workshops and exhibition in July, it was great to meet so many new people and to reconnect with some more familiar faces.

The exhibition boards that were on display at the artsdepot capture the feedback and work that we have undertaken, which identified key issues and opportunities within North Finchley Town Centre. Also contained within the boards is a sample of the background research that is ongoing to begin exploring ideas for transformative change for the town centre.

We’ve had a really positive response from our freepost survey, with over 200 responses sent in to be added to the feedback on this website.

We’re preparing for the next round of workshops and exhibitions in the Autumn:

• Wednesday 28th September: Workshop, 6:30PM – 9:30PM

• Thursday 29th September: Drop-in exhibition, timing TBC

• Friday 30th September: Drop-in exhibition, timing TBC

• Saturday 1st October: Workshop, 10AM – 1PM and drop-in exhibition, 10AM – 1PM

Regal London and Joseph Partners have entered into a land agreement with the London Borough of Barnet for the regeneration of North Finchley Town Centre, one of Barnet’s main town centres.

Regal London, with Joseph Partners, are an ambitious and experienced investment delivery team with significant local knowledge capable of revitalising this important neighbourhood. A North Finchley Partnership Board including representatives from across the local community alongside the developers and public sector has been set up to keep local communities engaged and involved as the project progresses.

The Council has been clear in its aim to support the continued vitality and viability of its town centres, focusing on both housing and commercial investment and to promote Barnet as a place of economic growth and prosperity. This requires a strong partnership between the public and private sector and a scale of vision that can act as catalyst for regeneration.

North Finchley Town Centre has seen an increase in vacancy rates over the past 15 years and as identified within the Council’s own planning documents, there is a recognised need to rationalise and improve both the public realm and transport. Currently at an early stage, Regal London is committed to supporting the revitalisation of the area including the creation of a vibrant town centre and cultural quarter.

For the last decade or more, high streets and town centres across the country have faced a multitude of long-term challenges including competition with online shopping and changes in consumer habits which have been exacerbated and accelerated by the pandemic. Covid-19 has accelerated this decline, requiring places to adapt to succeed to avoid risking not just further economic damage, but the loss of our cultural and social infrastructure.

Jonathan Seal, CEO, Regal London said,

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to effect fundamental change - not only to improve the physical environment, but more importantly on the fortunes of those who live near the regeneration area. We share the ambitions of the London Borough of Barnet and Joseph Partners to make North Finchley a diverse, distinctive and attractive place which is well connected, helping to transform London both sustainably and equitably.

“We are looking forward to working closely with our local communities ensuring that we really understand the challenges and opportunities the town centre faces and that we can accelerate North Finchley’s journey to realising its full potential.”

Jonathan Joseph, Principal, Joseph Partners said,

“Working in partnership with Regal London and Council provides a great opportunity for North Finchley to become the bustling hub that it deserves to be. I’m thrilled to be embarking on this journey with such innovative and creative partners.

Stephen McDonald, Director of Growth, London Borough of Barnet said,

“We are supporting our town centres to thrive through strengthening their local identities and creating spaces that everyone can spend time in and enjoy. Each urban centre serves a unique, diverse community and requires a bespoke vision, and the challenges of the last two years have made it quite clear that traditional high streets and town centres must adapt to thrive. Working with Regal London and Joseph Partners provides a fantastic opportunity for North Finchley to be reinvigorated, providing high quality public realm, infrastructure improvements, homes, offices and cultural spaces for the community.”