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Hendon under threat

Hendon’s historic civic centre, the family-focused nature of its residential community, its 100-year heritage, and public access to the area’s iconic public buildings, are all under threat from the Hendon Hub — the largest scale development of Hendon for 50 years.

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What is the Hendon Hub?

The Hendon Hub is a major redevelopment project proposed by London Borough of Barnet, and part of its larger ‘Local Plan’. In a nutshell, it proposes:

  • To increase the number of students living in the Hendon area by over 1000
  • To construct new, oversized University buildings crammed in beside residential homes and historic buildings
  • To hand our iconic library building to Middlesex University for the next 40 years
  • To move vital community services into new and unsuitable locations
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A view looking south down the Burroughs past the Library and Ravensfield house
From this…
Architect's impression of the Hendon Hub development, looking toward Egerton Gardens from the Town Hall)
Architect's impression of the Hendon Hub development, showing 7 storey monolithic accommodation blocks
…to this. (Promotional images of the Hendon Hub project)

How it affects residents

Middlesex University

We fully support the University’s ambition to bring a first-class education to students who would otherwise not have access. And we acknowledge the University has made very positive contributions to the area. However, these new plans mean that Barnet residents will be excluded from every single civic building on The Burroughs for a minimum of 40 years.

The plans also fail to address the extreme change in demographic once over 1000 students become domiciled in one tiny area of Hendon, living in oversized new buildings squeezed into residential and historic areas rather than on the university’s own spacious footprint.

Heritage

The Burroughs and Church End comprise the historic heart of Hendon, full of listed buildings and iconic structures. Most residents are not opposed to the re-development of buildings which make no aesthetic contribution to the area.

Unfortunately, the overwhelming size and scale of the proposed developments will not only destroy the character of The Burroughs and Church End, but also put heritage at risk. The plans do not follow advice given by Historic England, the 20th Century Society and Save England’s Heritage.

Residents from all over Barnet, not only Hendon, feel very strongly about the preservation of the civic centre.

Community Organisations and the library

Community organisations will be re-housed in wholly inadequate spaces on the ground floor of a new university building. The Library is to be re-housed in another purpose built unit, far smaller than the footprint of the original Library and also located on the ground floor of ‘social’ housing. Residents will lose access to the beautiful heritage building that currently houses the Library for which it was built. Middlesex University will turn it into a Business School. The lease would be for 40 years.

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The modern architecture of Middlesex University
The University’s large private library
Middlesex Uni already has a large library of its own, but it wants to turn ours into a business school

Just Hendon, then?

No. The Hendon Hub is just one part of a much larger ‘Local Plan’ of Barnet-wide development. What happens to Hendon today could easily be imposed upon other Barnet communities tomorrow. If you are a Barnet resident living outside the Hendon area, our fight is your fight, too.

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What have residents done up to now?

Residents made every effort to work with Barnet Council and Middlesex University in devising a positive, constructive plan. They participated in multiple consultations and meetings, filled in feedback forms and online surveys. Residents attempted to engage with Councillors through telephone calls, emails, and letters, even making short films expressing their anxieties. Finally, having little response from any decision makers, residents organised two well-attended demos and collected thousands of signatures for petitions. All to no avail.

Barnet Council did not listen.

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Local teenagers protesting outside the Hendon Town Hall with placards at a Save Hendon demo

And now?

We believe they have acted unlawfully and so we have made the decision to take them to law. Please take a look at the Fighting Back page for a summary of our legal challenge.

Going to law is expensive and we rely on your generosity to take the fight as far as we can.

Please give what you can to help the cause — either by direct donation, or by purchasing one of our exclusive range of Save Hendon tee shirts.

PLEASE DONATEand help us to save Hendon