The Planning Policy Advisory Panel of Harrow Council met on Monday 16 February 2026 to discuss proposals for new Local Areas of Special Character and updates to the list of Locally Listed Buildings. The panel resolved to recommend that Cabinet approve public consultation on three proposed Local Areas of Special Character and to endorse the addition of 13 buildings to the Council's Local List.

Proposed Local Areas of Special Character

The panel considered three areas for designation as Local Areas of Special Character (LASC): Harrow Garden Village in Pinner, an area encompassing Belmont Lane and Old Church Lane in Stanmore, and an area in Hatch End including parts of Wellington Road, Woodridings Avenue, and Wellington Avenue. These areas were assessed against criteria for heritage significance, cohesive townscape and architectural quality, and distinctive landscape.

Officers explained that Harrow Garden Village, a 1930s Metro-land development, retained its original layout, architectural detailing, and garden suburb landscape, demonstrating a high level of intactness. The Stanmore area was noted for its cohesive grouping of Victorian and Edwardian buildings, marking the transition from rural to suburban Stanmore, with Arts and Crafts influences and surviving greenery. The Hatch End area was identified for its origins as part of the Victorian Woodridings Estate, the survival of locally listed villas, and its cohesive Edwardian streetscape with Arts and Crafts style houses.

The panel resolved to recommend to Cabinet that these areas be approved for a minimum six-week public consultation. Following consultation, delegated authority would be granted to the Chief Planning Officer, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regeneration, to make final designation decisions.

Locally Listed Buildings Update

The panel also reviewed a report proposing the addition of 13 buildings to Harrow's Local List of buildings of architectural or historic interest. These buildings were assessed against criteria including architectural interest, townscape/group value, historic interest, and historical associations.

The proposed additions include:

• Hall Lodge, Uxbridge Road, Pinner: A Victorian Gothic-style building on former common land.
• 34 and 36 Rickmansworth Road, Pinner: Houses believed to have been designed by Elspeth McClelland, a Pinner suffragette and early female architect.
• Belmont Community Hall, Kenton Lane, Harrow Weald: A rare surviving purpose-built British Restaurant from 1940, reflecting wartime origins.
• Glebe Primary School (now Kenton Learning Centre), Glebe Avenue: A striking 1930s Modernist school with Art Deco detailing, noted for its intactness.
• Kenmore Park Junior School, Moorhouse Road: A 1930s Modernist school with Art Deco influences, also noted for its wartime use of underground bunkers.
• Park High School, Thistlecroft Gardens, Stanmore: A 1930s Metro-land school with Modernist and Art Deco influences, notable for its distinctive tower and wartime use of shelters.
• BT Telephone Exchange, 356 Uxbridge Road, Hatch End: A circa 1927 neo-classical building designed by Sir Richard Allison, architect of the Science Museum, and significant for the development of early telephone services.
• Bentley Priory Obelisk, Stanmore: A red brick obelisk shown on historic maps, relating to the design of Bentley Priory's gardens.
• 7 Holland Close, Stanmore: A 1930s Modernist house similar in design to others in the Kerry Avenue Conservation Area.
• 41 Elm Park, Stanmore: A house believed to have been built in 1917 using salvaged materials from a demolished Victorian villa.
• BT Telephone Exchange, 9-15 Kenton Park Parade, Kenton Road: An early 20th-century neo-classical telephone exchange by T.F. Nash, contributing to the character of the Kenton Park Parade Local Area of Special Character.
• Lane End, Hillside Road, Pinner: A 1920s Arts and Crafts cottage-style house with historic associations with film critic Caroline Lejeune and her notable visitors.
• Grave of Baptist Willoughby, rear garden of 44 Old Church Lane, Stanmore: A 17th-century grave, the only surviving remnant of Stanmore's medieval parish church.

The panel resolved to recommend these buildings for consultation as locally listed buildings and for inclusion in the Supplementary Planning Document. Delegated authority was also recommended to the Chief Planning Officer to make final decisions following consultation.

Draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)

The panel also received a verbal update on the Government's draft revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and proposed National Decision-Making Policies (NDMPs). Officers explained that the draft NPPF represented a significant rewrite, introducing a clearer hierarchy where NDMPs would apply directly to decision-making, potentially giving local plan policies limited weight. The draft aimed to support growth, accelerate plan-making, and provide greater certainty through more rules-based policies. Key changes highlighted included a strengthened presumption in favour of sustainable development and a more permissive approach to development within settlements, particularly around railway stations. The consultation period for the draft NPPF was noted as running until 10 March 2026. The panel noted the update.