The Strategic Planning Committee met to discuss the redevelopment of the Lodge Lane Car Park in North Finchley. Councillors voted to approve the planning permission for the site, despite concerns raised about the lack of affordable housing, the impact on heritage, and daylight and sunlight for nearby residents. The committee also elected Councillor Richard Barnes as the vice chair.

Election of Vice Chair

Councillor Nigel Young, Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, proposed Councillor Richard Barnes as the vice chair of the committee. Councillor Richard Cornelius seconded the motion, which passed unanimously.

Lodge Lane Car Park Redevelopment

The main item on the agenda was the application for the redevelopment of Lodge Lane Car Park, Lodge Lane, London N12 (reference 24/4940/FUL). The proposal involves the erection of new buildings up to six storeys in height, comprising 98 residential units, a cinema, a bowling alley, and retail floorspace, along with a new public realm and public square.

Officer Presentation

The planning officer presented the report, highlighting that the application site is within the northern quarter of the North Finchley town centre boundary. The proposal includes four buildings: two residential buildings (A and B) fronting Lodge Lane, a mixed-use building with parking, a bowling alley, and a cinema, and a residential building (C) with a retail element. The development aims to reduce the existing parking provision to 80 publicly accessible spaces, including blue badge spaces. The officer stated that the key considerations included the principle of development, heritage, affordable housing, neighbouring amenity, and highways and parking. The report concluded that the benefits of the development outweigh the identified harms, recommending approval subject to a Section 106 agreement¹ and conditions.

Speakers

• Councillor Anne Hutton, Ward Councillor for Woodhouse Ward, spoke about the capacity of the proposed bowling alley, raising concerns that it may not cater to the number of people who currently use the bowling alley on the Great North Leisure site, which is slated for demolition. She suggested that engagement with local residents could be improved.

• Daniela Boyce, chair of the Lodge Lane and 12 Residents Association, strongly objected to the application, arguing that it disregards the needs of residents and businesses. She raised concerns about the scale of the development, the location of the bowling alley and cinema, safety issues, and the reduction of parking spaces.

• Tim Stevenson, representing the Finchley Society and the North Finchley Partnership Board, stated that the application is fundamentally flawed and does not align with the adopted North Finchley SPD[^2]. He argued that the proposed facilities are too small and lack active frontage to the high road. He also raised concerns about the excessive reduction of parking spaces. [^2]: Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) provide further guidance on the implementation of policies in the Local Plan.

• Philip Murphy, a planning consultant speaking on behalf of the applicant, highlighted the benefits of the proposal, including new homes, a vibrant public square, modern commercial premises, and job creation. He stated that the design responds to the site and its context and is appropriate for the town centre.

Committee Discussion

Councillors raised a number of questions and concerns during the discussion:

• Councillor Claire Farrier questioned the impact of the development on Lodge Lane, particularly the daylight and sunlight reaching the locally listed houses. She also asked about the possibility of increasing the number of car club spaces.

• Councillor Philip Cohen asked about research done to assess how people would access the bowling alley and cinema without needing a car. He also questioned whether the current car park site needs to be regenerated.

• Councillor Richard Cornelius expressed concerns about the commercial viability of the bowling alley and cinema and the potential for a future application to replace them with further housing.

• Councillor Josh Mastin-Lee questioned the lack of affordable housing in the application, given that the site is public sector land.

• Councillor Shuey Gordon asked whether the applicant would be happy with the proposal if they lived in one of the cottages on Lodge Lane.

• Councillor Humayune Khalick asked about electric charging points and whether there were plans to instigate other charging points in the local area to mitigate for the total loss in numbers.

Additional Conditions and Informative

Councillor Young proposed a motion to add further details to Condition 24 regarding the landscape, to identify that there would be a scheme with soft landscaping for the new public square and from an enclosed entrance to the site, add an additional point to Condition 5 to seek details of the protective measures in relation to the Northside Primary School for noise and dust information, and to add an informative that protection should be made for Lodge Lane residents parking spaces that they should remain as such, as part of the S106 agreement. Councillor Khalick seconded the motion, and the Committee unanimously agreed to the additional conditions and informative.

Committee Decision

The Committee moved to a vote on the officer's recommendations, as amended. Five councillors voted in favour of the recommendations, and three voted against. Therefore, planning permission was granted subject to the completion of the S106 agreement and the additional conditions and informative.