Plan for blocks of flats in The Spires highlights debate over new and improved housing in High Barnet
Property company BYM, owners of The Spires, have supplied Barnet Council with more details of their plans to redevelop the shopping centre to include blocks of flats of up to six storeys in height.
An appraisal indicates that the redevelopment – which is still at the planning stage – might involve the construction of five blocks to provide a total of 280 homes with a mix of one- and five-bedroom apartments.
The Barnet Society – which is holding a public meeting on housing at The Bull on the evening of Tuesday 21 February – thinks as many as 280 flats might overload the site and that blocks of up to five and six storeys would overshadow both the centre itself and neighbouring streets.
Barnet Residents Association agrees that the height of the redevelopment is likely to generate considerable debate and will be a crucial factor when considering how to retain the character of Barnet town centre.
BYM is planning to replace the existing shopping precinct with a new pedestrian street to connect the High Street with Stapylton Road.
There would be blocks of flats on either side of the new street with shops on the ground floor. The twin towers at the High Street entrance would be retained.
The blocks would range in height from four to six storeys and the diagram above, illustrating the layout, indicates that blocks F and G, close to Chipping Close, would be the lowest in height and blocks A and C would be the tallest.
Robin Bishop, who leads the Barnet Society’s planning and environment committee, says they have already supplied BYM with their initial response.
“We would not object to new housing in The Spires, but the 280 units mentioned seem to be overloading the site.
“Five and six-storey blocks would overshadow The Spires precinct, and others would impact visually on neighbouring streets.
“As important to us as quantity is the variety and quality of units. We want to see a good balance of market and affordable homes, a range of unit size and type, and preferably provision for key workers, the elderly and disabled.”
BYM’s plan to redevelop The Spires with flats is almost certainly going to be one of the issues to be discussed at the Society’s public meeting on housing on Tuesday 21 February where speakers will include Ross Houston, housing lead for Barnet Council, green experts, and local architects.
If planning permission is given for the redevelopment of The Spires, BYM intend to start construction in 2024 and continue work through to completion in 2030.
As regards the issue of the height of the blocks, BYM’s document says that the scale of the development is “unlikely to be perceptible” from sensitive areas such as the neighbouring Monken Hadley Conservation Area and Wood Street Conservation Area.
“At a local level, the site is located in an established urban area and the provision of marginally taller buildings would not be incongruent to the character and appearance of the wider area.
“The architectural approach, including orientation and skyline profile will be important to mitigate potentially harmful impacts.”
The majority of the new buildings are expected to comprise red brick facades in keeping with the surrounding area.
Under the plan both the Waitrose supermarket and multistorey car park would be retained as well as space for the twice weekly Barnet Market.
Fruit and vegetable stall holders Tyler Bone and Andy Gardiner, joint proprietors of Barnet Market Ltd, have met representatives of BYM and said they were impressed by the steps that were being proposed to safeguard and enhance the market.
Mr Gardiner – above – said he was reassured that the developers recognised the importance of the market and were ready to discuss whether the market area could be expanded.
“We walked round the site with their representatives, and they talked about the possibility of moving the bandstand, re-using the grassy knoll on the other side of the service road, and providing storage space for the stallholders.
“So yes, we were impressed. BYM does seem very keen to work with us”.
14 thoughts on “Plan for blocks of flats in The Spires highlights debate over new and improved housing in High Barnet”
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Get on a bus and go to North Finchley observing all the horrible flat developments on the way,is this what we want or need for High Barnet? 300 odd extra dwellings and no car parking….
Six,yes 6 years of construction,cranes,noise,pollution,construction traffic chaos.This will finally kill off the High Street.Why is the Market not given much more space or will that finally die too?
Profit rules ok!
Barnet Society should be opposing this hook line and sinker.
Let’s hope the 84 comes back and we can get to
Potters Bar!
As a resident and journalist on a local paper at the time and with respect I recall things rather differently not recognising some of the comment. The likely alternative designs seemed brutalist modernist particularly hard on Stapylton Road and reminiscent of the backside of Woodgreen Shopping Centre. When the Spires opened both it and Barnet Market thrived. The decline of both was down to subsequent owners with to be exceedingly charitable other priorities than making money from their operation. I applaud the principle of inclusion of housing in the new scheme but the retention of viable shops is no more of a priority than it has been for years. On the other point the collateral damage was serve, unjustified and mainly down to an appalling implemented town plan. Also the loss of direct access from the car parking to the High Street during construction killed many excellent independent shops. I do not think the town centre could survive a repeat of this.
It doesn’t really Rob, and there’s no need to be rude. It sounds like you’re having an argument with yourself because I never said that I have a “hatred of building anything new”, I’m simply offering an opposing view. Allow me to enlighten you…
The High Street isn’t dying because of a lack of people living in Barnet wanting to shop, it’s because of greedy landlords, high business rates and units that are too small (like Victoria Bakery and Hobbs Salon) to attract large businesses who are more likely to remain in Barnet long term. Which is why all we’ve had for the past few decades is a revolving door of small, unsustainable businesses.
We need shops with a more stable presence (not to mention more choice and variety), and the High Street can’t provide that because of the issues mentioned above. And re-purposing the Spires to have single, ground floor units will just create a carbon copy of that with exactly the same problems blighting the High Street (although hopefully without the squatter problem).
High Barnet needs this like a hole in the head,the disruption alone will kill the area fore what benefit to the locals
JVK: It is not proposed to demolish the existing carpark. It would be reduced in size to reflect “spare” capacity although that could be needed if the shopping centre is improved. The proposed housing would be “car free” ie no parking spaces except with extremely limited blue badge spaces. The new residents not allowed to have parking permits. All sorts of other issues but the current proposals do not envisage demolishing the multi-story carpark or disrupting access from it to Waitrose or the High Street. We need to look very carefully at the pros of the concept and the cons of this particular design. It is a question of not just first thoughts but also second thoughts and second second thoughts. We need to give this all a great deal of serious scrutiny and consideration.
No no, this will need an extra 300 parking spaces for the new flats, but I can see the existing car parking for Waitrose is being demolished.
The discussion is not about Not In My Back Yard but rather What In My Backyard, a discussion that is very necessary and which the developer has invited. The council and residents groups should and so far it seems will insist on it..
The freehold of the land AND building are owned by the council arguably in trust for the town and its people making it literally OUR backyard.
Most people will be pointing in the same direction on this but no doubt there will be very necessary and lively debate about the substantial details of what should be built and just how much the developer genuinely intendeds to be flexible. With all due respect whatever they say plans are normally only ever seen when developers know exactly what they want and will change nothing significant whatsoever.
The issue is to press for a suitable quantity of good quality housing suitable for local people in housing need including families and with as much as possible of it “affordable”. Then there is the issue how the redevelopment is laid out and what facilities and public spaces it has for the use and enjoyment of new residents and their neighbours.
Above all, literally, is the issue of the height of the project. Four storeys in total is the accepted maximum height in High Barnet for which planning permissions can be obtained. It would accommodate a suitable number of new homes plus the required new commercial content that could if well planned and executed revitalise the town for everyone.
Anything higher would result in decades of construction of increasingly high rise buildings including the replacement of recently built developments and the topping out of others with additional storeys slung on top. This has not been a success elsewhere.
This will be the new heart of High Barnet and the project must respect that.
Those who have seen the plans pretty much agree they must be treated as very much a work in progress.if it is to add to the town rather than detract.
We have been assured that the developers are taking local comments on board throughout this design process. Having a residential development in this new ‘street’ will surely not only support all our high street retail but also offer additional excellent living location.
Yes the building process is bound to be fraught for the current tenants, locals, the traffic and more but in any process of this sort there is rarely gain without pain. It is a price we will all have to pay to secure a town centre fit for the future.
The question we must bear in mind is whether this is truly a grand design or simply a planning exercise that once approved will simply once again be sold on. Let us hope not! I for one am quietly excited at the prospect of a boost to our town centre. I hope that its not pie in the sky!
eh? there is plenty of room for new shops etc on the high st (for instance in the empty victoria bakery and hobbs salon) and there will still be spaces for shops in the updated spires – the plans say the entire ground floor will be shops, there are currently many empty spaces that need filling.
The argument makes perfect sense, the high st is dying partly because of a lack of demand, increasing the number of people is likely to increase demand for shops, restaurants and cafes, which can only be a good thing unless your hatred of building anything new or changing anything blinds you to any positive argument
So where will these new people shop, and where will these theoretical “new shops, restaurants and cafes” open?
The High Street is dying already and devoid of many useful shops (unless you drink lots of coffee and buy all your clothes in charity shops). The Spires represented the last chance to bring in new businesses but with these new plans the number of available units will reduce significantly.
Your argument makes absolutely no sense.
I agree with you david, we need more housing in London and this seems like a sensible place to put it. 280+ new people shopping and spending money in the heart of barnet can only help to encourage new shops, restaurants and cafes to open up.
I only hope the inevitable NIMBY rubbish is ignored and we crack on with building
Who will sit in the Spires at the Cofffee Bean during 6 years of construction or even get to any of shops because the carpark isn’t there anymore, it is being turned into a block of flats. 280 flats shows you how greedy this plan is, no consideration to the community or how the people will live in those blocks which are too close and too big… Why would anybody want a truck loading bay as thier front yard, not very kid friendly. And really no parking for 280 flats, do we really think that no one will have a car? The Spires should be the heart beat of High Barnet not a thin narrow street banked by 6 storey apartments open 24/7… which has the potential to turn in to a no go zone at night in my opinion. I had hoped for more considerate options for the community this is not it, besides it being out of keeping with Barnet’s historical style you just don’t do this to a small town centre.
Seems like a great scheme with the potential to inject some new life into the Spires and the wider Barnet area. An opportunity that should not be missed!
It looks like the earlier proposals of a minimal impact redevelopment respectful of the surrounding area have already evaporated. “In-keeping with the area” would be terraced houses NOT monstrosities like five (or seven as it appears to show in the drawing) multi-storey flats!
280 flats is definitely too much. As part of their proposals I’d like to see BYM being honest about how much they expect to make for such a redevelopment, that way we can see the real motivation behind it.
The Spires shopping centre, particularly the poorly maintained car park building, are already eyesores and do need to go, but this is not the solution.
BYM should cut their losses and be forced to sell the land to somebody that isn’t motivated by greed. How about turning the site into a predominantly green space where there’s room for the market, a handful of genuinely affordable houses reserved for real buyers (and not for investment firms to gobble up), and a park that commemorates the Battle of Barnet. Wouldn’t that be better?