Barnet Times: "BBC documentary explores Colindale restoration project"

Link to Barnet Times

"The restoration of two buildings in Colindale belonging to the Royal Air Force will feature in a television documentary.

"The Grahame-White Factory and Watch Office, in Colindale, both built in 1915, were dismantled brick by brick from their original site in Aerodrome Road, Colindale, and rebuilt at the RAF Museum in Grahame Park Way."

Barnet Times: "Exhibition of sport in the RAF opens in Colindale"

Link to Barnet Times

"Colindale’s Royal Air Force Museum will open its latest exhibition tomorrow.

"From 22 March until 20 September, the museum will display a free exhibition on sports in the RAF."

Barnet Times: "Three hundred new homes for Barnet"

Link to web site

"The borough’s Beaufort Park development [has been] announced as one of the successful bidders assessed by the Homes and Communities Agency.

"The news follows an announcement earlier this year that £5million has been allocated for a massive 3,000 home regeneration project in Grahame Park, Colindale."

Out-Law: "Barnet Council consults on proposed single flat rate Community Infrastructure Levy"

Link to web site

"Barnet Council has published its preliminary draft Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) charging schedule for consultation.

"The preliminary draft states that 'the council has ensured that it is a rate affordable for all viable development proposals brought forwards' whilst recognising that this will secure, overall, a lower rate than under section 106 legal agreements, 'but sees this as its contribution towards ensuring growth in new housing can continue in Barnet'.

Barnet Times: "Outrage as housing association fells trees"

Link to web site

"The systematic destruction of ancient oak trees by Genesis Housing Association has outraged a Colindale woman.

"As part of the Grahame Park Redevelopment Scheme, Genesis has spent the last few days removing trees from Grahame Park Way. Sandhya Rahi, a freelance film-maker from nearby Beaufort Park, is distraught by the loss of these ancient landmarks."

The Independent: "5% deposits bid to aid homebuyers "

Link to The Independent

"The NewBuy scheme is forecast to help as many as 100,000 people locked out of the property market by heralding the return of 5% deposits rather than the 20% typically demanded by lenders since the credit crunch.

"But Jonathan Samuels, chief executive of Dragonfly Property Finance, said the scheme 'smacks of desperation', adding:

"The property market will come back when it is ready to come back, and schemes like this are mere tinkering around the edges. If the Government thinks this scheme will kickstart the property market, then it is in Cloud Cuckoo Land."

Evening Standard: "City house prices 'rise six-fold'"

Link to Evening Standard

"House prices in Truro, Westminster, Edinburgh and Brighton have seen at least a six-fold rise in the last 25 years, a study of the UK's top-performing cities has found. 

"House prices in cities have typically risen from £35,209 in 1986 to £169,707 in 2011 according to the survey, which used Halifax's housing statistics database, still putting them slightly below the UK average house price of £172,427 last year."

Flats available next to station

Link to whathouse.co.uk

"Pulse is a mixed tenure site located in Colindale, north-west London. A mixed tenure site located in Colindale [sic], the first phase at Pulse will give people living and working in Barnet the opportunity to buy a contemporary home at an affordable price."

Barnet Investment Plan (from way back in March 2010)

Barnet Borough Investment Plan 22 June 2010

24Dash.com: "Stalled site cash earmarked for London borough's largest housing estate"

Link to web site

"The regeneration of a London borough's largest housing estate has been earmarked for a slice of the Government's £420m stalled sites fund.

"The project to transform the Grahame Park estate in Colindale, Barnet is one of 18 schemes to potentially receive funding from the Homes and Communities Agency's (HCA) £420m 'Get Britain Building' programme."

Government restarts 127 Colindale homes

Link to web site

Project: Grahame Park P0E & P1bi

Developer: Genesis (GenInvest Ltd)

Total homes: 127

From "Get Britain Building":

"The Homes and Communities Agency has been inundated with more 170 applications for its £420m Get Britain Building programme to kick-start stalled housing jobs.

"As a result the agency has fast-tracked 18 schemes [including at Colindale] to unlock £46m to start construction of 1,300 new homes.

"The remainder of the bids will now be assessed with a shortlist of schemes to be taken forward released in mid-March.

"Launched less than two months ago, this multi million pound cash injection is expected to unlock up to 16,000 homes on sites that are currently stalled, and help create up to 30,000 jobs in construction and related industries."

Evening Standard: "After the Games, all this will belong to guinea pigs"

Link to Evening Standard

"Forget Poundbury. A tramp round the monumental Olympic village on Monday in chill sunshine allowed time to reflect that here, covering 67 acres, stands a 3.2-million-square-foot laboratory the size of St James's Park. A place where 6000 humans will fill 2800 homes by late 2014, to begin the biggest experiment in mixed-community living ever conducted in Britain.

"... Could the East Village become a mixed-use template to build mixed communities where the property owner rents rather than sells, just as is normal with office blocks? Sceptics say not. The £825 million the taxpayer has received for 2800 homes and land is at least £200 million less than it cost to build the village and all its infrastructure.

Genesis Greener Properties on sale

"Genesis has unveiled a collection of new homes at New Hendon Village in Barnet, which tick all the right boxes when it comes to living in a ‘greener’ home. A recent survey by the Energy Saving Trust states ‘carbon appeal’ is attracting homebuyers to properties with 53% of householders willing to pay up to an extra £3,350 for a home with greener features.

"In today’s economic climate, making energy saving improvements to your home will eventually reduce the bills, but by buying a new ‘EcoHome’ rated home at New Hendon Village, all those features and more are already included.*

"Even more of a plus for homebuyers, New Hendon Village is green on the outside too, with apartments overlooking Heybourne Park, which opened earlier this year. The swathe of green open space sits at the heart of the development providing an ideal place to relax and unwind, all year round. Fryent Country Park [in Brent] is also on the doorstep, comprising 250 acres of undulating countryside, conserved woodland, hay meadows, and ponds.

"The apartments themselves are set within an attractive array of buildings featuring private galvanised and painted metal balconies with thermowood timber decking or a terrace and views of the newly reformed parkland.

"All the apartments boast the same high-spec finish with sleek modern kitchens featuring solid granite worktops, ‘Roman Cherry’ units complete with stainless steel oven, hob and integrated extractor fan. Bathrooms and ensuites have chrome fittings, heated towel rails and recessed downlighters. For peace of mind, each apartment has an audio/video entry system.

"New Hendon Village is part of Barnet’s ongoing regeneration, with excellent retail, social and transport facilities helping to make this part of north London the place to live in the capital. New cafes, restaurants and bars are creating a lively, cosmopolitan atmosphere.

"Colindale and Hendon have a good selection of eateries and shops, ideal for everyday needs, while Brent Cross [and its] Shopping Centre is the perfect place to go for that something extra, with a large Fenwicks and John Lewis, and fashion stores such as Banana Republic, Levi, Topshop, LK Bennett and Hobbs.

"New Hendon Village is near Colindale Underground Station, which offers Northern Line services to Brent Cross in five minutes, Hampstead in 12 minutes, Camden Town in 19 minutes and London Bridge in a little over half an hour.

"Prices for apartments start from £190,000. For further information, visit genesishomes.org.uk.

* EcoHomes is an authoritative credential for new home developments. Genesis is pleased to announce their homes have been awarded ‘Very Good’. [Very good.]

The Guardian: "First-time buyers may be the losers in shared equity scheme"

Link to The Guardian

"The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) claims that government interventions in the housing market 'make another lost decade of market stagnation more likely'.

"But the IPPR says the biggest beneficiaries have been large housebuilders, which have used the scheme to sell an oversupply of properties, particularly one- and two-bedroom city centre apartments, at a time when house prices have been falling. The result is that the government has in effect propped up weak housebuilders."

Barnet Eye web site: Shoppers 'forced' from high streets to Brent Cross

Link to 'Barnet Eye'

"Councillor Brian Coleman, Conservative candidate for the GLA, chose the run-up to Christmas to abolish 'Pay and Display' parking."

"One local trader who I know yesterday described Coleman as 'The grinch who stole Christmas'. In the coming year, I predict many small shops will cease trading. The boarded-up shops will be a testament to Coleman and his incompetence."

RAF Museum: "Barnet's Finest - RAF Museum London Event"

Link to RAF Museum

7 July 2012 - 8 July 2012  ("More details to follow.")

"A weekend of events dedicated the best that the London Borough of Barnet has to offer the local community in terms of businesses, advice and entertainment. 

"Details are currently being finalised, but activities will include concerts, family fun plus seminars for business owners or members of the local community looking to set up their own businesses."

The Guardian: "The housing crisis is not yet solved"

Link to The Guardian

"David Cameron has woken up to England's housing crisis. A Tory party once wedded to a "home-owning democracy" now finds itself presiding over a significant fall in home ownership, hence a new housing strategy unveiled this week.

"David Orr, chief executive of the NHF, summed up the dilemma when he said the system is working for the top 10% of earners at one extreme and the 15% in social housing at the other – 'And, to be frank, unless you're already housed it doesn't really work for anyone else.' 

"The challenge now facing providers is to develop properties for rent at part-subsidised and full market rates to fill the gap in the market left by the uncertainty. That is the new reality."

Evening Standard: "'Be on your guard or lose playing fields' "

Link to Evening Standard

"Londoners are urged today to 'be vigilant' to their local playing fields being lost amid fears that new planning laws could make it easier to build on them.

"Charity London Playing Fields Foundation has launched a register of at-risk fields warning: 'Once lost, a playing field isn't coming back'."

Barnet Times: "Arrogance of this leadership"

Link to web site

"It is clear from the letters you publish every week that the residents of Barnet have the worst, most inefficient, uncaring local authority in London, perhaps the country.

"The letters illuminate a culture of arrogance and bullying of both individuals and organisations trying to represent the views of residents."

Barnet Press: "Residents fight to save their car park"

Link to Barnet Press

"RESIDENTS from the Grahame Park Estate turned out yesterday morning to protest against the scrapping of a car park, which they say will leave disabled and elderly drivers 'prisoners in their own homes'.

"Choices For Grahame Park, a housing company currently working alongside Barnet Council to regenerate the estate, plan to permanently close the car park on the north side of Lower Strand. The work will also see the bungalows next to the car park replaced with multi-level social housing."