Brent Cross Shopping Centre, Prince Charles Drive, London NW4 - geograph

Brent Cross Cricklewood is a new town centre development under construction in

Hendon Hendon is an urban area in the Borough of Barnet, North-West London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has been part of Great ...

and

Cricklewood Cricklewood is an area of London, England, which spans the boundaries of three London boroughs: Barnet to the east, Brent to the west and Camden to the south-east. The Crown pub, now the Clayton Crown Hotel, is a local landmark and lies north- ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. The development is planned to cost around £4.5 billion to construct and will include 6,700 homes, workspace for 25,000 people, four parks, transport improvements and a extension of

Brent Cross Shopping Centre Brent Cross Shopping Centre is a large shopping centre in Hendon, north London, owned by Hammerson and Abrdn. Located by the Brent Cross interchange, it opened in 1976 as the UK's first out-of-town shopping centre. Brent Cross attracted 15–1 ...

. The developers of the scheme are

Hammerson Hammerson plc is a major British property development and investment company. The firm switched to real estate investment trust (REIT) status when they were introduced in the United Kingdom in January 2007. It is listed on the London Stock Excha ...

and

Standard Life Standard Life is a life assurance, pensions and long-terms savings company in the UK which is owned by Phoenix Group. History 1825–2010 The Standard Life Assurance Company was established in 1825 and was reincorporated as a mutual assurance ...

. Construction was planned to start in 2018 and be completed in 2021–22, but in March 2018 a delay was announced to January 2019. In July 2018 it was reported that the shopping centre would be delayed indefinitely. In March 2019, the government granted over £300 million to Brent Council to deliver the new station and other infrastructure necessary for the development. In November 2019, the developers and the council agreed a new timetable in which the shopping centre expansion would come later in the development. Construction began in 2020, with the first residential buildings planned to complete in 2024.

History

In 2003, planning permission for a 27,000 sq m extension to the shopping centre alone was rejected by the

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific duti ...

, because of its over reliance on car transport, and because sentiment had moved away from "out-of-town" shopping centres – which Brent Cross was considered to be. Brent Cross has been designated by the

Mayor of London The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the 1998 Greater London Authority referendum, Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first Directly elected may ...

in his

London Plan The London Plan is the statutory spatial development strategy for the Greater London area in the United Kingdom that is written by the Mayor of London and published by the Greater London Authority. The regional planning document was first pu ...

as a 'proposed opportunity area'. In a renewed effort to improve the area, the

London Borough of Barnet The London Borough of Barnet () is a suburban London boroughs, London borough in North London. The borough was formed in 1965 from parts of the ceremonial counties of Middlesex and Hertfordshire. It forms part of Outer London and is the largest ...

approved a "Brent Cross, Cricklewood and West Hendon Development Framework" plan in 2004. This was to redevelop the whole Brent Cross district on both sides of the North Circular Road, not just the shopping centre. There would be more shops (retaining the old shopping centre), but also extensive new housing and offices, and attempts would also be made to regenerate

West Hendon West Hendon is a district of Hendon in North London, in the London Borough of Barnet. It is the NW9 part of Hendon, located around the A5 Edgware Road and the Welsh Harp (Brent Reservoir). The area is known for the West Hendon Estate which is un ...

and

. The document stated that, The local planning authority's estimate of "29,100 additional vehicles" (for a 12-hour weekday period) has been a mobilising issue for local environmental, transport and residential groups, in their opposition to the planned redevelopment. The plans were jointly promoted by the

Greater London Authority The Greater London Authority (GLA), colloquially known by the metonym "City Hall", is the devolved regional governance body of Greater London. It consists of two political branches: the executive Mayoralty (currently led by Sadiq Khan) and the ...

, the major land owners, developers and the local authority, and became Supplementary Planning Guidance, and incorporated into Barnet's

Unitary Development Plan In United Kingdom planning law, a unitary development plan (UDP) is a development plan prepared by a metropolitan district, London Borough or some unitary local authorities. Background UDPs contains policies equivalent to those in both a struct ...

. Since then, redevelopment of the West Hendon housing area, further north on the

A5 road A5 Road may refer to: ;Africa *A5 highway (Nigeria), a road connecting Lagos and Ibadan * A5 road (Zimbabwe), a road connecting Harare and Francistown ;Americas * Quebec Autoroute 5, a road in Quebec, Canada * County Route A5 (California) or Bowm ...

, has been dealt with separately. The Brent Cross developers are the owners of Brent Cross shopping centre (

and Standard Life Investments. Barnet Council owns the freehold of the shopping centre, and much of the land to the south of the North Circular Road.

Planning application 2008–2009

In March 2008 the developers presented and published a new planning application, partly in outline and without the required transport assessment which was to follow shortly. When that appeared in November 2008 Barnet Council extended the deadline for comments and objections. (A planning application of this size requires the approval of the local borough and the Mayor of London, and can also be reviewed by the Secretary of State for the Environment). The

's report included criticisms and challenges from Transport for London. The London boroughs of Brent and Camden, whose roads border the development area, formally objected. Although the planning application stresses the importance of walking, cycling and public transport, specialist organisations such as the

London Cycling Campaign The London Cycling Campaign (LCC) is an independent membership charity lobbying for better conditions for cycling in London. Its vision is to make London "a world-class cycling city". It is one of the largest urban cycling organisations in th ...

and the Campaign for Better Transport also objected. Local residents and

Friends of the Earth Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) is an international network of environmental organizations in 73 countries. The organization was founded in 1969 in San Francisco by David Brower, Donald Aitken and Gary Soucie after Brower's split with ...

objected to the proposals for a new waste facility on the edge of the development and a coalition of objectors

Coalition for a Sustainable Brent Cross Cricklewood The Coalition for a Sustainable Brent Cross Cricklewood was formed following the submission in March 2008 of a planning application to the London Borough of Barnet by developers of the Brent Cross Cricklewood scheme in the Brent Cross area of north ...

was formed. Consequently, the developers added supplementary documents to the application; Barnet Council again extended the deadline for objections and twice postponed the committee meeting to consider the application. The council officers formally recommended approval of the applicationBarnet Local Planning Authority: recommendation regarding planning application
and the planning committee approved it on 19 November 2009. The Council issued planning consent on 26 October 2010. The developers first made their plans for the development public in October 2006. Planning proposals for the development were submitted to

Barnet London Borough Council Barnet London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Barnet in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 within London. Barnet is divided into 21 wards, each electing three councillors. The counc ...

on 25 March 2008. In March 2009

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...

signalled his support in principle to the development, subject to certain concerns regarding the design, social housing and transport links being addressed. The scheme received outline planning permission from Barnet London Borough Council on 20 November 2009. On 16 March 2010 the then

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government The secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, also referred to as the levelling up secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the overall leadership and strategic direction o ...

John Denham John Denham may refer to: * John Denham (died 1556 or later), English MP for Shaftesbury * John Denham (judge), (1559–1639), father of the poet below, and one of the Ship Money judges * John Denham (poet) (1615–1669), English poet * John Denham ...

issued a 'stop notice' directing Barnet London Borough Council not to grant planning permission to Brent Cross Cricklewood without specific authorisation. In June 2010 it was announced that the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

Eric Pickles Eric Jack Pickles, Baron Pickles, (born 20 April 1952) is a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician who served as Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Brentwood and Ongar (UK Parliament co ...

would not be recommending the holding of a

public inquiry A tribunal of inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body. In many common law countries, such as the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, Australia and Canada, such a public inquiry differs from a royal ...

for the development.

Construction

Preparatory works, such as demolition of the old industrial estate, water supply and drainage, began in 2020. The Exploratory Park, a new public park, opened in August 2020. In October 2020, the developers Argent Related released their plans for the new town, including facilities for sport and play, pedestrian-friendly routes and being a net zero carbon town by 2030. The first residential buildings are planning to finish construction in 2024.

Transport

An investment of around £500 million in transport infrastructure is planned as part of the development, including: *A new bridge over the A406 *The redevelopment of

Brent Cross bus station Brent Cross Shopping Centre is a large shopping centre in Hendon, north London, owned by Hammerson and Abrdn. Located by the Brent Cross interchange, it opened in 1976 as the UK's first Out-of-town shopping centres in the United Kingdom, out-of-t ...

*The redevelopment of Brent Cross Underground Station *The redevelopment of

Cricklewood railway station Cricklewood railway station is on the Midland Main Line in England, serving the town of Cricklewood in the London Borough of Barnet, north London. It is down the line from and is situated between to the south and to the north. Its three-lett ...

*A new

Brent Cross West railway station Brent Cross West (formerly Brent Cross South / Thameslink / Parkway) is a railway station under construction on the Thameslink route on the Midland Main Line. It will serve Brent Cross and the northern parts of Cricklewood and Dollis Hill area ...

*Redevelopment of the Staples Corner junction *A new junction with the A5 and a new link bridge over the road *A new junction with the A41 *The construction of five new pedestrian bridges

References

External links