Government blocks £4.5bn Brent Cross scheme days after approval from mayor
Published: 16 March, 2010
Communities secretary John Denham has issues a stop notice against the controversial £4.5bn Brent Cross Cricklewood scheme.
The London Borough of Barnet can no longer grant planning permission for the scheme without specific authorisation. The decision comes days after London mayor Boris Johnson approved the plans.
The Cricklewood project, delivered by The Brent Cross Cricklewood Partners – a JV between Multiplex, Hammerson and Standard Life Investments – plans to deliver 14m sq ft of retail, residential, schools and parks. Barnet Council granted outline planning permission in November, which enraged member of the Coalition against the scheme.
Coordinator of the coalition, Lia Colacicco is delighted with this latest decision. "Hopefully the Secretary of State's next move is to call a public inquiry immediately so that these disastrous plans can undergo full public scrutiny.
"We were hoping that John Denham would stop this dinosaur of a development. He has much broader powers than the Mayor: it could be called in on several criteria, but in particular because its effects go far beyond the immediate area, local people don't want it in this form, and because it is completely unsustainable in terms of traffic, housing, and the environment."
Meanwhile, the developer says it understands the need for the government to take sufficient time to consider the application which is one of the largest and most complex in the UK. Jonathan Joseph from the Brent Cross Cricklewood Development Partners said: "A huge amount of careful work has been undertaken to create a truly exemplary scheme that will achieve the lasting regeneration of the Brent Cross Cricklewood area. We await the government's decision in due course.
