Barnet Council's £18.8m plans for West Hendon Playing Fields at the Welsh Harp

Barnet Council have approved a scheme to go to Planning Committee in 2022 for the transformation of the West Hendon Playing Fields at the Barnet end of the Welsh Harp. 

 

Satellite image of the area as it is at present

The Welsh Harp is within the boundaries of both Barnet and Brent Councils and is jointly managed by them and the Canal and Rivers Trust.

In a Press Release LINK  Barnet Council said:

New facilities will include tennis courts, 3G artificial turf pitches, a high ropes course, bowling green, multi-use games area, outdoor gym, play area, skate park and more. There will be a Hub building with a café, indoor climbing, activity studio, nursery, soft play, community rooms, changing rooms and toilets.

Councillor Dean Cohen, Chair of the Environment Committee, said: 

It’s great to see Barnet reaping the benefits of growth in our borough. This has included vast improvements to our parks and green spaces. This latest investment comes on top of the £5million regeneration of Silkstream Park and Montrose Playing Fields, and £1.1million put into the ongoing refurbishment of Colindale Park. This will benefit the borough’s residents, businesses and visitors, and I look forward to seeing our vision become a reality.

Work on the sports hub project will continue after an outline business case for its development was approved at a recent meeting of Barnet Council’s Policy & Resources Committee. Funding for the project will come from a range of sources including the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). The Community Infrastructure Levy is money collected from new development which is used to fund infrastructure to support development. Part of the CIL funding from the scheme will be generated from the West Hendon estate, providing 2,194 properties – including 1,553 new homes including 543 affordable homes.

The development follows a £5million investment in the regeneration of Silkstream Park and Montrose Playing Fields, between Colindale and Burnt Oak, which was completed last year. It will follow a £1.1million regeneration of Colindale Park, which is currently in progress.

Construction of the new facilities in West Hendon is expected to begin after an outline planning application has been submitted in 2022.