Update on Great North Leisure Park

Sarah Sackman MP’s Letter

I am writing to the Strategic Planning Committee to voice the reservations that many local residents and I have about the current proposal for Great North Leisure Park. Let me be clear, we need more housing and I welcome a version of this development on this site. But as it stands, the proposal isn’t satisfactory.

Throughout this process, I have engaged closely with residents, the local authority, Regal Arada, Transport for London and the London Assembly. As the local MP, my priority is ensuring that any development of the GNLP site provides the best possible outcome for Finchley and Golders Green. Building the new housing we need is essential – but it must meet the needs of the community and have the accompanying infrastructure and public services to support it.

To this end, I set out three tests that any development at GNLP would need to satisfy in order to have my support. They are as follows: 1) More genuinely affordable housing on the site, 2) Upgraded public transport and services capable of meeting the anticipated demand, 3) A new lido and leisure centre without loss of provision.

When I first communicated this in October, I said that – as the plans stood – I could not support this iteration of the development and would urge my council colleagues to oppose it. Unfortunately, I do not consider that my three tests have been met.

Test 1: More genuinely affordable housing on the site

In order to justify a development of this scale and density, there needs to be sufficient affordable housing, so that it can meet the needs of the community. As a local MP, I know all too well the housing pressures in our area, including waiting, temporary accommodation and the impossibility of young people getting on the housing ladder without affordable housing. While the proportion of affordable housing reserved for social rent is commendable, at 60%, the overall figure remains unsatisfactory. The recent increase from 23% to 25% affordability is a move in the right direction but it must increase further, particularly given the lack of any affordable housing on the developers’ sister site on Lodge Lane. I very much hope that any future proposals will consider this.

Test 2: Upgraded Public Transport and Services

Inherent in the success of any development on Great North Leisure Park is the provision of the necessary public transport and amenities to support new and existing residents. The existing site is mixed-use commercial, and access is largely predicated on car usage, often via the adjacent A406 (North Circular). However, the proposal to transform the site into nearly 1500 units of high-density housing (at 300 units per hectare) with limited parking spaces would require widespread modal shift towards public transport.

Yet as it stands, the site is not well connected. While it is served by three local bus routes, these are already overcrowded at peak times. It is also not situated near London Underground stations and would require improved frequency and capacity to North Finchley Bus Station to make full use of the existing transport network. Accordingly, the site’s Public Transport Accessibility Level (PTAL) score is only 2 out of a possible 6. Unless there is an ambitious and coherent plan to upgrade this service provision significantly, the proposals would put further strain on a public transport network that is already stretched and fail to provide adequate transport provision for the new residents. Without such provision, a development of this density and scale at the GNLP site will not succeed.

I have also engaged with local residents on the need for additional funding to provide additional GP places and policing – although I understand that this would need to be negotiated by the council as part of a Section 106 agreement, should the project be approved.

Test 3: A new lido and leisure centre without loss of provision

The Finchley Lido is a much loved leisure facility and ensuring its long-term success is vital. The Lido is currently nearing the end of its operational life, and the proposals do provide a welcome opportunity to secure additional funding to rebuild and renew the facility. However, I note that a number of residents with families and children are concerned about the loss of the leisure pool in the new plans. I acknowledge the proposed learner pool and outdoor splash pad, but these will not replace the existing leisure offer for children. I believe that, given the considerable resources being committed to the new facility, every effort must be made to preserve the specific leisure and entertainment offering which makes the current facility so attractive to families.

Conclusion

When I first became aware of this development, I said I would fight for residents to have the best possible development in North Finchley. A redevelopment of the Great North Leisure Park site has the potential to provide the housing the community needs, secure key local assets and fund a much needed upgrade to existing facilities. However, having considered these plans in detail, I have concluded that it does not provide the best deal for existing and new residents. I hope that an alternative proposal which better meets the needs of residents in Finchley and Golders Green, including providing more affordable housing, better public transport and leisure facilities for families will come forward. I therefore ask the Strategic Planning Committee to oppose these plans.