The decision, made on behalf of the Mayor of London by his deputy, Jules Pipe, yesterday (27 May), overturns an overwhelming refusal issued by Barnet Council in December last year.

The local authority’s planning committee had gone against its own officers’ recommendations, voting eight votes to zero against the application, saying it would represent an overdevelopment of an area that lacked the infrastructure to support thousands of new residents.

The scheme, for developer Arada London, formally known as Regal, will replace an existing leisure park and its lido with 20 buildings rising to 25 storeys, including a new sports centre designed by Cambridge architects Saunders Boston.

The application amassed 264 objections. Residents and councillors criticised the size, height and density of the proposed scheme, which is set to house around 4,000 people.

Rejecting it last year, councillors said that they were ‘open to scaled-back proposals fitting our [development] plan’ for the site, which is surrounded by mainly two to eight-storey housing.

However, following the mayor’s call-in and a public hearing held by the Greater London Authority, Pipe has now given the go-ahead to the submitted plans. In his conclusions, Pipe argued that, while he had heard ‘numerous concerns regarding the density and massing of the scheme’ and that the plot was not specifically identified as an area appropriate for tall buildings, London needed to ‘optimise this and other brownfield locations’, otherwise development would be driven to alternative sites, including in the green belt.

He added: ‘I note the proposed height and massing strategy introduces a clear height hierarchy, with the tallest elements located on the eastern side of the site [with] building heights stepping down towards the more sensitive edges.

‘This is also away from the nearest residential properties and heritage assets. I also find that the architecture and use of quality materials used throughout are of the highest design and architectural quality.’

JTP’s plans for Great North Leisure Park in Finchley: Leisure North Entrance

Pipe said the proposed 25 per cent affordable housing by habitable room proposed was ‘strongly supported’.

He also noted that, although most of the distances between blocks was over 18m, there were a small number of block separations of around 15m. But he said: ‘This is fairly typical for higher-density developments and, given the design mitigation measures, such as building orientation and window placement, I find the scheme acceptable in this regard.’

Pipe concluded: ‘Finally, the proposed development will provide for an increased bus frequency and it has demonstrated that a good standard of sustainable design and construction would be achieved, minimising carbon dioxide emissions and maximising opportunities for urban greening.’

The existing leisure centre is to remain open until the new facility, offer swimming, fitness, rehabilitation and family-focused activities, is completed.

The team behind the scheme said the approval marked ‘a significant step towards transforming an outdated, car-led 11-acre site into a vibrant, modern destination for the community.’

The scheme also includes a new sports pavilion with fully accessible changing rooms next to Glebelands playing fields to replace a run-down structure.

Steve Harrington, planning director at Arada London, said: ‘London continues to fall significantly short of its housing targets. Schemes such as Great North Leisure Park are capable of contributing in a meaningful way to the capital’s housing needs.

‘Having submitted our proposals for the site more than a year ago, in January 2025, and experienced unnecessary and costly delays, we are pleased to be progressing the scheme with the support of the Greater London Authority on one of the borough’s largest underused sites.’

Work is expected to start on site next year.