The Overview and Scrutiny Committee met and discussed the future of the Barnet Council's North London Business Park (NLBP) project in light of rising construction costs, and the possible use of Community Infrastructure Levy ¹ receipts to support the project. The Committee also considered a report on the recent decision to sell land at Pinkham Way, and asked officers to provide a further report exploring possibilities for affordable workspace provision on the site.

North London Business Park

The meeting began with a discussion of the North London Business Park, a proposed industrial development in the north of the borough. Councillors noted that construction cost inflation had eroded the expected return on investment, with a report suggesting that the project may now return just £1.5m to the council over its lifetime. The meeting was reminded that the original business case for the development, agreed in 2022, assumed a profit of at least £6m. Despite this, Councillors agreed to proceed with the project, subject to a new financial model being agreed.

The original business case looked very positive, but the world has changed a lot since then

• Officer from the council's Regeneration and Development Team

During the discussion of the project, Councillors debated whether the scheme should benefit from funding from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). Several Councillors argued in favour of allocating CIL funding to the project. Councillor Roberts argued that This project will deliver huge benefits to our borough, including much-needed jobs and that It is vital that we use all the tools at our disposal to make it a success .

Other Councillors expressed reservations, pointing out that the project had not previously been considered for CIL funding, and that other projects in the borough were also in need of funding. One Councillor pointed out that the council's own policy on the use of CIL funding stated that it should be used to support the delivery of infrastructure that is needed to support the development of the borough, but which cannot be funded by other means . She went on to argue that the NLBP clearly does not meet this criteria . Despite these reservations, the committee voted to formally assess the project for CIL funding.

Pinkham Way

Later in the meeting, the committee discussed the recent decision by the council's cabinet to sell land at Pinkham Way to logistics firm Segro PLC. The decision proved controversial locally, with a 4,000 signature petition calling on the council to change course in order to prevent the loss of a Metropolitan Open Space.

Several members of the committee expressed disappointment that the sale had been agreed without the matter being referred to them for scrutiny. In response, officers stated that the decision had been taken by the Cabinet, and that it was not appropriate for the committee to second guess their decision. They pointed out that the sale was in line with the council's adopted Local Plan, which designated the land for employment uses.

However, several Councillors expressed concerns about the lack of affordable workspace included in the scheme. In response to questions from the committee, officers confirmed that the current plans did not include any provision for this type of space. In response, the Committee asked officers to prepare a further report on the sale, looking in more detail at the possibility of including affordable workspace on the site.