Will new economic framework stem High Barnet’s loss of local jobs as housing schemes replace commercial premises?
What should be the future priorities for High Barnet? The creation of local employment and a successful town centre or the continued loss of jobs through the demolition of business premises to make way for additional housing?
So great is the pressure for new residential development that High Barnet has recently lost several of its largest industrial and commercial sites and more are due to be replaced or are under threat.
New flats and houses at the recently completed Lightfield development – see above – were built just off the High Street on the site of Brake Shear House after the closure and demolition of a well-established group of workshops and small businesses.
A residents’ survey seeking views on possibilities for skills training, job creation and town centre employment is being conducted by Barnet Council as it prepares a new economic development framework for the borough.
The new framework will assess Barnet’s current economic strengths and weaknesses and aims to shape the borough’s future economy.
Discussions have already been held with representatives of residents and business and community groups. The deadline for responses to an online questionnaire has been extended to Sunday 18 August.
For more information about Barnet Economic Development Framework, visit
https://www.engage.barnet.gov.uk/ and to take part in the survey visit
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/barnet-economy
Feedback from the consultation and questionnaire will be assessed in October and the aim will be to create a set of guiding principles for future action.
The focus will be on job creation, training and skills opportunities for residents; support for local businesses and entrepreneurs; physical and policy changes to town centres and employment spaces; and allocation of economic funding and resources.
Whatever the future development framework might propose, the loss of more of High Barnet’s workshops, warehouses and commercial premises now seems certain with several housing projects having been given the go ahead and others at an advanced planning stage.
Three of the largest proposed schemes are in Moxon Street, again just off the High Street.
An application has been made to replace offices and warehouses at Intec House with a seven-storey redevelopment to provide 98 homes.
This project is now the subject of a planning appeal following the withdrawal of an earlier plan which was approved; an unresolved dispute with Barnet Council over a lack of affordable housing; and objections from neighbouring residents who consider a seven-storey block of flats would be out of character with the area.
Planning approval has already been granted for a five-storey block to provide 41 homes to replace the adjoining Moxon Street premises of Howdens Joinery.
Another Moxon Street scheme which also has planning permission is a scheme to deliver 21 new homes on the site of commercial and warehouse buildings fronting both Moxon Street and Tapster Street.
Other new residential developments involving the loss of commercial premises include plans for new housing on part of the Queens Road industrial estate, off Wood Street, and part of the Meadow Works off the Great North Road where around 20 small companies are based.
Perhaps the largest of all the proposed redevelopments is a plan – currently in abeyance – to build five blocks of flats to provide 280 homes on the site of The Spires shopping centre and the adjoining and recently re-opened Chipping Close car park.
The long-term future of The Spires – and the continuing loss of High Street shops – is the overriding concern of one of the organisations urging residents and community groups to take part in Barnet Council’s consultation on future economic development within the borough.
Love Barnet founder Gail Laser welcomed the council’s initiative to develop a future framework and hoped that it would result in more attention being paid to the needs of High Barnet and more investment.
For too long the council had concentrated its efforts on regenerating the west of the borough and the result locally had been a lack of interest in reviving High Barnet town centre and a reluctance to change.
Ms Laser regretted the lack of master plan for the town centre which had led to the loss of shops and secure employment. Instead, the High Street offered a plethora of burger bars, cafes, cake shops, barbers and nail bars.
One complaint was the failure to control the blight caused by the uncontrolled parking of scooters and motor bikes being used by fast-food delivery riders.
Ms Laser said the nuisance to pedestrians caused by riders waiting for orders – especially outside McDonald’s – had made it more difficult to find tenants for nearby empty shops.
Her hope is that the framework engagement will address the reasons why there has been so little investment in High Barnet and a lack of enforcement to restrain ugly shop fronts which were a blot on the conservation area status that was intended to protect much of the High Street.
7 thoughts on “Will new economic framework stem High Barnet’s loss of local jobs as housing schemes replace commercial premises?”
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I haven’t seen many/any e-bike delivery drivers in High Barnet. It seems mostly mopeds – which at least have number plates on them.
In terms of parking, I was wondering if the full width of outside McDonalds should be for “solo motorcycles” (with the kerb made sharper near the tree(?)), with 98-100 (old foxtons and the disused building next door) being loading only, and no motor cycles. The first car space in Moxon St could then be turned into a “solo motorcycles” space too.
I think delivery drivers are here to stay, and they are generally good for the High St. Maybe a policy change that when they’re parked they should remove their helmets? Discrete signage might help this?
Our local safer neighbourhood policing team have regular meet up events, though there appear to be none scheduled at the moment – if you want to share any enforcement concerns with them.
https://www.met.police.uk/area/your-area/met/barnet/high-barnet/meetings-and-events/our-priorities
They can be emailed at: highbarnet.snt@met.police.uk
@Paul I think you misunderstand my point. I’m not saying we ban deliveries but we need to do something about the type of transport the predominantly zero-hour contract delivery drivers are able to use.
E-bikes, for example, are dangerous (even the legal, low-powered ones) because they’re practically silent, and the riders will mount pavements to avoid traffic or traffic lights (which they don’t always obey either). I’ve noticed some around Barnet that are clearly going faster than the 250 watt/15 MPH limit, so those are already illegal but nothing’s being done about them. Overall they pose a significant threat to pedestrians just because somebody somewhere is too lazy to cook their own food.
Some other types of “e” bikes, scooters and mopeds are already being banned because they use poor quality batteries that have a habit of spontaneously combusting.
As for mopeds, that’s been a grey area for a while regarding whether or not you need a full driver’s license, provisional license, or to have completed compulsory basic training (CBT) based on the power of the bike. And now these electric mopeds have muddied the waters in terms of what power is acceptable (and with what license and/or level of training). And judging by how some of the drivers ride, I suspect not all are fully licensed or have completed CBT.
And we do need to do something about where they’re allowed to park while waiting for deliveries so that their presence on the streets is less intimidating.
@JP: Costa/McDonald’s/KFC (& Subway and I expect the proposed Starbucks) – these are franchises with local owners. They are not unknown people.
@AB: A lot of people do use the take away apps providing the demand. Maybe shops only survive because there is this demand? How do we think differently about these delivery drivers? When there was a car crash in North Finchley they were the first on the scene helping out. They won’t get banned, so how can we support their presence on the High Street? Also it’s not just about take-aways, they also deliver from Boots, WH Smith, Waitrose, Iceland – so important for those that need essentials.
@Mark: there’s about 230 shops in High Barnet. 12.5% are currently vacant. 3% we know are under offer. 3-4% is needed for the free market to “work”. We are probably 5% over, some of these can be accounted for (planning permission, unsupportive owners, etc). If anyone wants to help the town team with this then get in touch, and you can help us communicate with owners, and other High Street projects. I would steer away from converting shops to residential – see how these shops are now accountants, legal, offices which we used to have above shops and now want to be at ground level, opening up residential above.
If anyone wants to find out more then get in touch with us via Barnet Society.
Paul (Volunteer on the Town Team – predominently on empty property).
Great comments above, agree with them all. The high street struggles because nearly every shop is chain owned by companies nearly always based abroad (mainly the USA). Costa/McDonald’s/KFC/Gail’s/cafe Nero/Boots/Five Guys etc.. They are run to extract profit for their head office. They have little interest in the wellbeing of the local area. We desperately need more locally owned shops/cafes etc..of which we do have a few. Rents are clearly too high for local shops to thrive and complete. One idea I would love to see would the council buying parts of the high street and offering cheaper rents to businesses based in the area?
High Barnet is never going to be a destination shopping place. It will only cater for local needs. There is oversupply of retail premises, and would be even more if some of the low footfall shops closed.
Recognising that and having more homes seems the best option to me.
Agreed. Although we don’t “all do takeaways” 😉 I don’t because I can’t endorse the exploitation of these delivery drivers. Also no smartphone, so I don’t have access to the necessary apps.
It is frustrating/annoying, however, that a tech bro somewhere has an idea for a food delivery app/service, and now everyone in the real world has to put up with the consequences in the form of high streets being full of mopeds vying for the same delivery; e-bikes zooming dangerously around town to make deliveries as quickly as possible, to avoid missing out on the next pick up; and suspicious looking cars idling in suburban streets waiting for a notification on their smartphone for yet another food delivery or uber customer.
As usual they were blinded by their quest for profits and didn’t think of the inevitable negative impacts it would have. So now the streets are an unpleasant and chaotic place to be, especially late at night. Hopefully a ban is in order after this public consultation, although I doubt that will happen for the exact reasons you’ve mentioned.
I agree that the High Street isn’t great and the balance between new housing and small businesses isn’t right but that’s what happens when you blindly follow the free market – which the UK electorate has consistently done for decades.
McDonald’s is there because it makes money.
The moped drivers are there because that’s the only work they can find (low paid, zero hours contracts) and we all want takeaways.
Shops don’t survive because rents are sky high.
We can all waves fists at the problem and yearn for times past but if a UK politician proposed any form of intervention in the relentless pursuit of profit he/she would be denounced as anti-business / a socialist lunatic etc.
We’re reaping what we’ve sowed.