As many of you know, as part of the Brent Cross Town project, the development of Clitterhouse Playing Fields has been being discussed for years now and we are at the stage of last public consultation, when we can make a last last noise. The consultations so far did not go as well as residents hoped, our concerns were not taken into consideration.

We work very hard to keep and make Golders Green Estates a lovely, residential neighbourhood where we all are part of a community that cares about its residents, of its surrounding environment, but still a modern buzzing place to live. 

Our main concerns regarding the Clitterhouse Playing Fields development plans are the following:

1) Location and usage of sport fields - 4 massive Pay&Play sport pitches will be located just behind the houses of Grampian Gardens and Cotswold Gardens all the way down to the Farmhouse. The all-weather (can be used all year around) sport pitches will be open till 10pm every day that comes with lighting. I.e.: Just behind the houses on Grampian Gardens they plan to have two(!) football / hockey fields right next to each other. If there is a loud sport....!

Inevitably noise - and light pollution will be affecting the mental health of the residents. Events will be held mostly on the weekends when most of us try to rest after a long week, relax and spend time in our gardens with our families and friends that until now were a private place to enjoy. This will change dramatically with this plan going ahead. 

On their website the developer states Clitterhouse Playing Field is about the same size as 22 football fields. We are sure they can find another location for these 4 sport pitches. 18 different locations to choose from....

At the moment Clitterhouse Playing Field is free to the public. With the planned changes accessibility to most of the sport facilities will be limited.

We ask Related Argent to reconsider the location and opening hours of the sport pitches by taking local residents' mental health and privacy into consideration. Also provide free access to the sport fields or at least offer 50% discount to local residents at booking.

2) Parking - Based on the current plans only few blue badge holders parking spots will be allocated, which we find unbelievable with a development of such volume. Based on our earlier conversations, Brent Cross Town Team believes that people will use TFL and bicycles to visit the Fields. In reality we all know - as ideal as it sounds - it is impossible. People will arrive by cars and if there will not be designated parking space visitors will park where they can - on our streets. Blocking our drives, creating traffic, noise, pollution in our quiet residential area. Arguments, fights will follow as residents will not be able to leave their homes or find parking space for their own cars.

An already existing example shows reality very well: since Claremont Park was opened this May, cars are parked all over Tilling Road, Claremont Way and the neighbouring streets all weekend, making residents' life miserable as well as building up traffic on a two-lane road, which was not meant to deal with such volume of traffic.

We ask Related Argent to reconsider and propose plans of designated parking lot for Clitterhouse Playing Fields before the final plans are approved. If this is not achieved before the plans are approved, we ask Barnet Council to protect its residents by a Controlled Parking Zone throughout Golders Green Estates that provides us convenient parking and protects us from future inconveniences.