The North Area Committee agreed to provide funding for three projects and deferred one application to the next financial year.

Stonyfields Park Gym

The committee approved a request for £64,303.57 from Councillor Sarah Wardle for gym equipment to be installed in Stonyfields Park. The gym will be accessible to people of all ages and abilities. Mr Sabini, Head of the Friends of Stonyfields Park, outlined the arguments in favour of the gym:

Stonyfield Park... has a substantial man-made lake with a path around it and a spectacular waterfall that feeds it... Within the area there are a varied community of people from all nations and religions who have nothing in common but the love of their park... We're all aware that exercise in any form is good for us. That is why so many people can be seen throughout the day jogging, walking, with or without a dog around the lake.

The gym was proposed by the Friends of Stonyfields Park and will be delivered by the council's Greenspaces Team. A public consultation found that there was unanimous support for the gym.

Mill Hill Town Square Christmas Tree and Seating Area

Councillor Val Duschinsky requested £38,961.84 for improvements to Mill Hill Town Square, including new seating and planters, the planting of a mature fir tree, and the extension of the power supply to the square to allow it to be illuminated.

The committee approved the request, with the conditions that agreements are made with local shops to pay for the power supply, and that a revenue plan is in place by 4 October. The Square is currently maintained by the Northwest 7 Hub, a Business Improvement District for the area.

Underhill Children's Centre Toilets

Councillor Zahra Beg, on behalf of Councillor Tim Roberts, requested £44,000 to refurbish the toilets at the Underhill School Children's Centre. Councillor Beg argued that the refurbishment is essential because:

The expanding population of the ward and use of the CE puts greater pressure on the facilities and the current toilets are not suitable for today’s needs never mind for the future population.

The committee approved the request, with the condition that the new toilets will be fully accessible for people with disabilities.

Mill Hill Park Toddlers Play Area

Councillor Val Duschinsky, on behalf of Councillor Simberg, requested £82,299.95 for a new toddlers' play area in Mill Hill Park near the existing café, and for the refurbishment of the park's toilets to make them more suitable for toddlers and accessible to people with disabilities. Councillor Duschinsky explained that:

The area near the playground & pavilion which was previously used for mini golf has been empty & unused for a number of years... Following discussions with friends of Mill Hill park committee members & meting with parents & carers of toddlers, there was very real support for creating this safe play space.

The request was deferred to the next financial year (2025-2026) due to concerns from some committee members that its approval would leave insufficient funds to approve applications at future meetings. This is because:

the application form that we as councillors have to fill out does ask that there's no ongoing revenue cost. Obviously this park as a whole, this would be another revenue cost for that park.

This refers to a requirement of the council's application form that projects do not require the council to spend money on their ongoing maintenance. In this case, the fact that the council had recently approved a separate application for funding for the park, for £34,700 to improve the park's play area, meant that some councillors felt unable to approve a further request for the same park.