Barnet Planning Consultant
Suburbs, Green Belt and Brent Cross
Barnet adopted a new Local Plan in March 2025, the first full rewrite of its policies since 2012. It plans for 35,460 homes by 2036 while protecting Green Belt around Totteridge and Mill Hill and some of London's best-known garden suburbs. Proposals now need to be framed against the new policy codes, not the old DM references.
Cedar Planning's Chartered Town Planners handle applications, conversions and prior approvals across Finchley, Hendon, Golders Green, Edgware, Colindale and Chipping Barnet.
- RTPI Chartered
- Fixed-fee quotations
- Direct advice from a Chartered Planner
Barnet's new Local Plan and what it changed
Full Council adopted the Barnet Local Plan 2021 to 2036 on 4 March 2025, following Cabinet on 5 February. It contains 51 policies grouped by theme: GSS for growth and spatial strategy, HOU for housing, CDH for character, design and heritage, TOW for town centres, ECC for environment and climate change and TRC for transport. Applications still citing the 2012 DM policies are now out of date.
The growth strategy directs most new homes to five locations: Brent Cross, Brent Cross West around Staples Corner, Cricklewood, Edgware and Colindale. District town centres and Mill Hill East take further growth. Policy GSS11 supports intensification along major thoroughfares, and GSS12 deals with redevelopment of car parks, including the allocation at High Barnet station.
Most of the borough, however, is established suburban housing. For those streets the tests are about character, amenity and quality rather than numbers. Policy CDH01 on high-quality design, CDH07 on amenity space and landscaping and CDH08 on heritage do most of the work, read with the Residential Design Guidance SPD of 2016.
London Plan policies apply alongside. H1 and H2 support additional homes and small sites, D3 requires a design-led approach to capacity, D6 sets internal space standards and HC1 protects heritage. In the north of the borough, G2 on Green Belt and G3 on Metropolitan Open Land frequently decide whether a scheme can go ahead at all.
Tall buildings are more tightly defined
Policy CDH04 now treats buildings of eight storeys or more as tall and directs them to specific locations. The adopted plan dropped the separate very tall category of fifteen storeys and above, and stresses that tall buildings are not the only way to reach higher densities.
What shapes planning decisions in Barnet
Brent Cross West station opened on the Thameslink line on 10 December 2023, supporting Brent Cross Town, which plans around 6,700 homes. Nearby sites are assessed against that emerging townscape.
Article 4 Directions apply in conservation areas including Hampstead Garden Suburb, Finchley Garden Village, Mill Hill, Monken Hadley, Totteridge and Wood Street, removing some householder permitted development rights.
An Article 4 Direction on small houses in multiple occupation has applied since 29 May 2016, so turning a family house into a C4 HMO requires a full planning application.
Open land around Totteridge, Arkley, Mill Hill and Monken Hadley is Green Belt or Metropolitan Open Land, where extensions and replacement buildings face strict proportionality tests.
Planning support across the London Borough of Barnet
We agree the scope and provide a fixed-fee quotation before any work starts.
Householder Applications
Rear and side extensions, dormers and outbuildings in Finchley, Hendon and Edgware, drawn to the Residential Design Guidance SPD and CDH01 so that common refusal points are designed out.
View serviceHeritage Statements
Assessments for Hampstead Garden Suburb, Totteridge, Mill Hill and other conservation areas, applying CDH08 and London Plan HC1 to the particular significance of each place.
View serviceConverting Houses to Flats
Conversions of large Edwardian and interwar houses, tested against HOU02 housing mix, amenity space under CDH07 and London Plan D6 space standards.
View serviceHMO Planning
Applications for small and large HMOs where the Article 4 Direction applies, addressing amenity, room sizes and parking management under TRC03.
View serviceLawful Development Certificates
Certificates confirming that works or uses are lawful, useful where conservation area Article 4s leave homeowners unsure what permitted development remains.
View serviceGreen Belt Advice
Appraisals and applications for homes in the Barnet Green Belt, covering proportionality, replacement dwellings and whether any land meets the grey belt definition.
View serviceBarnet policies worth knowing before you apply
Affordable housing is secured under HOU01, with the mix of home sizes under HOU02. Barnet adopted a new Planning Obligations SPD in March 2025 to sit alongside the plan. Mayoral CIL under the 2019 charging schedule applies to most new floorspace, and the borough also collects its own levy.
Environmental policies have more reach than before. ECC01 addresses climate change mitigation, ECC02 environmental considerations such as noise and air quality, ECC05 Barnet's parks and open spaces and ECC07 biodiversity. The Sustainable Design and Construction SPD (2016) and Green Infrastructure SPD (2017) remain material.
For extensions in the Green Belt, our guide on extending in the Green Belt explains the national tests that apply alongside the London Plan and the Local Plan.
Key policy areas we navigate
CDH01 and CDH02 on high-quality, sustainable and inclusive design, plus CDH03 on public realm for larger schemes.
CDH08 for listed buildings, locally listed buildings and Barnet's conservation areas.
TRC01 to TRC03, which increasingly favour car-light schemes near stations.
GSS01 and the site allocations that define where higher density is expected.
A Consultancy That Works With You, For You
Barnet combines a new plan, very sensitive suburbs and some of London's largest regeneration schemes. Professional input pays off where a proposal touches a conservation area, the Green Belt or a change of use, and in any case where the officer's first view will depend on the new policy wording.
Cedar Planning is a Norfolk-based practice working across England, including north London. We deal regularly with London boroughs and the Planning Inspectorate and visit Barnet sites whenever a project calls for it.
RTPI Chartered
Led by a Chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute with more than ten years of public and private-sector planning experience.
Honest Prospects
A realistic view of the planning risks and options before you commit time or money.
Fixed, Transparent Fees
Fixed-fee quotations agreed before work starts, so you know the cost from the outset.
Direct Access
You deal with the Chartered Planner doing the work, not an account manager.
Planning Consultants Across London
We cover every council area in London. See our main London planning consultants page. If your application has been refused, see our Barnet planning appeal page.
Barnet Planning FAQs
Are Barnet's 2012 planning policies still used?
No. The Core Strategy and Development Management Policies documents were replaced in full when the Barnet Local Plan 2021 to 2036 was adopted on 4 March 2025. Applications should refer to the new codes such as CDH01 and HOU01.
Can I extend my house in Hampstead Garden Suburb?
Often yes, but controls are tight. It is a conservation area covered by an Article 4 Direction, so works that would be permitted development elsewhere may need consent, and heritage significance must be explained in a heritage statement.
What counts as a tall building in Barnet?
Under Policy CDH04 a tall building is one of eight storeys or more. Such buildings are directed to identified locations, mainly within the growth areas, and must still justify their townscape impact under London Plan policy D9.
Is there an HMO Article 4 in Barnet?
Yes. A direction removing permitted development rights for small HMOs has been in force since 29 May 2016. A change from a family house to a C4 HMO therefore needs a planning application, alongside any licensing requirements.
What if Barnet refuses my application?
You can revise and resubmit or appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. Householder appeals must be made within 12 weeks of the decision. Our Barnet planning appeals page covers the refusal reasons we see most often.
Can I build a new home in Barnet's Green Belt?
New buildings in the Green Belt are normally inappropriate unless an exception applies, such as limited infilling or redevelopment of previously developed land. Some sites may qualify as grey belt. Each case turns on its own context.
Get a Free Quote
Tell us what you are trying to achieve and where the property or site is. We will give you an initial view and a fixed-fee quote.
Or email us at info@cedarplanning.co.uk with the relevant information.
Send us details of your Barnet project, book a free 15-minute call, or read about our heritage and appeal work.