Oppose the new Barnet FC development on Barnet Playing Fields

Barnet FC has submitted plans to build a 7,000-seater stadium, training pitches and a car park on Barnet Playing Fields. This proposal comes at an unacceptable cost to local residents and the community.
 
While we acknowledge the desire to "bring Barnet back" to Underhill, the club is not proposing a return to its old site. Underhill Stadium, used by the club until 2013, has since been replaced by Ark Pioneer Academy, a busy secondary school and sixth-form with 1,200 students.
 
The new development would sacrifice Barnet Playing Fields, a green space vital to the health and wellbeing of local residents, for an oversized project that local infrastructure simply cannot support.
 
Why This Stadium is Not in the Public Interest

Severe Traffic and Safety Risks
The stadium's access routes—Barnet Lane, Fairfield Way, and Westcombe Drive—are narrow residential streets that already suffer from standstill congestion during rush hours due to Ark Pioneer Academy. Adding stadium traffic would escalate this to unmanageable levels, increasing pollution, frustration, and safety risks. Emergency services would face significant delays reaching homes in the area.

Inadequate Parking and Transit Options
The planned development offers insufficient parking for fans, worsening congestion in surrounding neighbourhoods. Moreover, the planned closure of High Barnet Underground station’s car park, a key facility for Barnet FC supporters in the past, further limits parking availability.

Loss of Valuable Green Space
Barnet Playing Fields is an irreplaceable community asset, providing recreation, exercise, and green space for local residents. Scientific research consistently shows that access to green spaces is essential for mental health and physical wellbeing. Sacrificing this open area for a private stadium would deprive the community of these benefits and reduce quality of life.

Unsuitable Location
Barnet Playing Fields is not equipped to host both a 7,000-seat stadium and Ark Pioneer Academy. Unlike their former Underhill Stadium, this plan imposes a large-scale development on a community that cannot sustain it.
 
Our Request
We urge local planners to refuse permission for this development. Barnet Playing Fields is a space for everyone, not a commercial project. It is vital to oppose this proposal, to protect the safety, environment, and wellbeing of the local community.

PLEASE SEND YOUR OBJECTIONS VIA EMAIL ASAP

Email address: planning.consultation@barnet.gov.uk

Subject Field: 
OBJECTION - 24/5650/OUT, Barnet Playing Fields, Barnet Lane, Barnet. 

For your objection to count:
Make sure you include the above in your subject field, plus your full name, full address, postcode & your valid objection.

REMEMBER - each adult in your household can object separately - so make your voice count!

HERE ARE SOME VALID REASONS FOR OBJECTING:

• Contrary to national planning policies regarding building on green belt land & strategic planning policies to build on parkland in urban areas  
• Permanent & irreplaceable loss of green belt land to major development
• Inadequacy of parking & loading/turning for deliveries, & inadequacy of road access on Barnet Lane
• Increased traffic congestion and parking pressure on local roads
• Highway safety concerns for residents & children from local schools
• Loss of much-loved public open, playing fields & recreational space for Barnet residents
• Damage to the character of the local area & the amenities of local residents
• Potential disturbance & destruction of local wildlife & loss of mature trees
• Increased risk of local flooding through increased rapid run off from hard surfacing
• Increased demand & pressure on local drainage & sewerage infrastructure
• Excess noise/light & disturbance from use of the stadium & other adjoining facilities 

Thank you for your support & please spread the word to help us #SaveBarnetPlayingFields. 

www.SaveBarnetPlayingFields.com

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