Barnet Council has launched a search for a partner to develop one of London’s largest remaining brownfield sites. It claims the plot, close to the North Circular Road, is big enough to take almost five-million sq ft of shops and 7,500 new homes.
This month the authority signed a multi-million pound regeneration deal with Hammerson and Standard Life to transform Brent Cross Shopping Centre into “the finest in Britain” with new shops, restaurants and leisure facilities and major upgrades to the mall’s transport hubs and infrastructure. Work on the phased rebuilding is set to begin in 2016.
Now the authority is pressing ahead with a plan to build even more retail units on a nearby site. Outline planning permission for the development of the land — known as Brent Cross Cricklewood South — was granted in 2010 and updated after objections earlier this year.
A vital part of the massive scheme is the construction of a new mainline railway station at Cricklewood. This will put both retail sites, connected by a pedestrian footbridge, within 12 minutes of Kings Cross a give the borough a direct link to the City of London.
Barnet council leader, Richard Cornelius, said it was likely the first phase of the southern development would see the construction of 2,000 homes and 190,000sq ft of retail space. “We want to create a new town centre that will set the standard for developing successful new neighbourhoods in London, and we are looking for a developer with the ability to deliver that vision,” he added.
The scheme has already received some high-level approval. The Chancellor, George Osborne, voiced his support for the plans in this year’s Budget speech and Boris Johnson has confirmed his office is already working with the council to find a developer.
“London’s population is set to soar to 10 million by 2030 and the scale of the challenge in providing the infrastructure to cope with that increase is not to be underestimated,” explained the London Mayor.
“I am developing a long-term plan for release later this summer that will aim to meet that challenge head on,” he added. “Key to the plan are schemes like the one at Brent Cross which, as one of our largest brownfield development sites, has the capacity to deliver thousands of new homes and jobs, but only with investment in a new Thameslink station at Cricklewood.”
Objectors to the Brent Cross Cricklewood South development, who forced the council to amend the original scheme, are already regrouping. “It was inevitable this was going to happen, but now all we can do is look to the future,” said Lia Collacicco, who admitted her main concerns were with the residential element of the project, adding, “I hope these homes to go people who will actually be able to afford them.”
Barnet Council says it expects to publish a shortlist of potential development partners by September.
Previous Post
Consumer Confidence continues to grow in West Midlands
