LDF Update

Having read the minutes of the last Cabinet meeting it seems that naming Cat Hill as an area suitable for more flats was a step too far. The Council have now agreed that they will not mention Cat Hill specifically in the LDF but East Barnet Road doesn't escape. Also they have still left in the map which shows Cat Hill as an area suitable for flats so there remains a threat.

Talk to your local councillor and ask them if they think New Barnet should be subjected to new supermarkets and blocks of flats and see what they say.

Local Development Framework

I'm new to this blogging game so please forgive me if I don't always follow blog etiquette. I have been driven to setting up this blog by what Barnet Council intends to allow in New Barnet. In the latest Cabinet papers published on Barnet Council's Website there is the latest version of the Local Development Framework. What is a Local Development Framework or LDF? Basically from what I can understand it is a document which helps to set out planning policy in the Borough for years to come. It replaces what used to be called the Unitary Development Plan. People in New Barnet have been sayng for the last 12 months or more that we don't want more supermarkets but the latest version of the LDF says New Barnet, amongst others, "will be the focus for commercial development and residential
growth as part of mixed use development". It also says that New Barnet has "a character more appropriate to higher density mixed use development". That means developers being given a green light to build blocks of flats. Even worse, the LDF specifically names Cat Hill as a location suitable for higher density residential development. There is a short consulation period coming up which is our only chance to stop this crazy policy.

Lack of Sports Facilities in New Barnet

I don't believe Barnet Council takes sport seriously and we have very poor facilities. The Council have been promising to undertake a sports facility strategy for more than year but it still hasn't materialised. Without that strategy it gives them a reason not to invest in new facilities. There seems to be an awful lot of talking about sport but not much doing. There is an organisation called CSPAN (Community Sport and Physical Activity Network) which meets regularly. Their last meeting was in September at which 27 people attended. The problem is they don't seem to have got a lot done. Come on Barnet Council, take sport seriously and provide some decent facilities for New Barnet Residents, especially for our teenagers.