Local residents being canvassed on ideas for refurbishing abandoned sports building off Tudor Road

Barnet Vale residents are being consulted about possibilities for restoring long-abandoned changing rooms used by New Barnet Football Club and finding ways to bring the building back into community use.

Unless refurbished, the boarded-up single-storey structure – already badly vandalised – might end up being deemed unsafe and the opportunity for re-use could be lost.

It is situated just off Tudor Road at the corner of what was once a football field but is now a wild meadow that forms part of the King George’s Field green space between Hadley Wood and Barnet.

Options for the future use of the near derelict building, which is owned by Barnet Council, are being canvassed by two nearby residents, Tanya Adams (left) and Julie Cosgrove who believe it could support a range of outdoor activities to encourage fitness and wellbeing.

They have already established a friends’ group for residents who want to join them, and they have established a website  https://www.greenwellnesspod.com/ to promote their vision of how the building could be transformed to support various outdoor exercise and fitness regimes.

The changing rooms have not been used for the last 15 or 20 years and as they are owned by the council – and as the wild meadow is held in trust for public use – they believe there is every possibility of attracting financial support given the importance of sustaining green spaces and encouraging health and well-being.

Tanya, a holistic counsellor and reiki therapist, said that she and Julie, who is a cancer care therapist, are convinced there is a massive pent-up demand for well-being activities and with a wild meadow alongside a new community hub, they think it would have tremendous potential.

If the former changing rooms could be brought back into use, they could provide toilet facilities, lockers, refreshments and a small room for community meetings and therapy sessions.

“Ideally, instead of being an eyesore, it could be a showcase for sustainable design and energy efficiency, to help raise awareness of sustainable options to help with climate change.”

After consulting nearby residents, they will assess the level of support for the project and initiate consultations with the council on possible funding for restoring and refurbishing the building.

Robin Bishop, who leads for the Barnet Society on planning and environment, said the society would be keen to offer support.

“By re-using a redundant building to encourage the enjoyment of the lovely fields and woods between High Barnet and Barnet Vale, it is exactly the kind of project that the society would support, especially if the conversion could be of a high environmental standard.”