Edgware Under Attack

25 Tower Blocks, as high as 29 storeys changing the suburban character of Edgware

Read Ballymore's plan

The development will include 25 tower blocks; over half will be 20 storeys or more – the tallest being 29 storeys.  There will be 3,828 dwellings which will result in around 10,000 people living in a space smaller than Wembley Stadium.  This will be one of the highest density developments in the whole of the UK.  The population of Edgware Ward, a substantially low-rise suburban area, will increase by around 50%.  

Ballymore's Tower Blocks: The Looming Blight Over Edgware

The North London skyline will be transformed and the surrounding residential areas overwhelmed, with overshadowing in neighbouring roads, such as Banstock Road, Brook Avenue, Fairfield Crescent and Parkfield Close.

Overwhelming local infrastructure

Power & drainage

Edgware has recently suffered power cuts, flooding and drainage problems. The construction of 25 tower blocks plus the addition of around 10,000 residents will have an, as yet, unquantifiable impact.

Healthcare

  • Local GP services are already under overwhelming pressure and while the developers have said they will include space for a potential GP surgery within the development, local surgeries are even now struggling to recruit.
  • Similarly, there is a shortage of NHS dentists in the area.
  • There will be extra pressure on hospital services which are struggling locally.
  • A mental health centre is being demolished to make way for the development; no details have been provided regarding its future.
  • The accommodation is ultra-high density, and loss of light and overshadowing may well impact on people’s wellbeing.

Schools

Many local schools are oversubscribed and while Barnet may have a surplus of places,
many undersubscribed schools would not be easily accessible to people living in a
development where car use is restricted to Blue Badge holders.

Closure of our enclosed bus station

The existing staffed covered bus station, with seating for 68 people, will be demolished. We had originally been told that it would be replaced by a series of bus stops – some at a bus stand in front of the station and some along Station Road which would be a retrograde step for mobility impaired people. The developers have since told us that there would be a new bus station which would be an improvement on the current one – however they have refused to provide details of what it would look like or where the bus stops would be.
Nevertheless, we cannot see how there could be an improved facility in the limited space available. It is very concerning that the public has not been provided with full information as part of the consultation.

Increased access points for buses causing more congestion on Station Road

Again, full details have not been provided by the developers.

  • There is presently one access point for buses for accessing either the bus station or bus garage.
  • There will be an access from Station Road for whatever replaces the bus station and another access point for the underground bus garage.
  • The developers originally said there would be an entrance for buses arriving at the bus stand in front of the tube station with another exit point for those leaving. They also said there would be more bus stops on Station Road. As the developers have refused to provide details of the ‘improved’ bus station we do not know whether this remains the
    plan. However either way, more bus access points will slow an already congested road.

Losing Broadwalk Shopping Centre, our communal hub

The proposed Ballymore development threatens to dismantle the vibrant heart of Edgware, the Broadwalk Shopping Centre, which has served as a vital communal hub for over three decades.

Beyond its economic significance, with shops bustling and residents congregating, it holds sentimental value as a gathering place, particularly for the elderly.

Demolishing this centre to erect high-rise towers disregards the community’s needs and desires, opting for profit over preservation.

Underground EV bus garage increases fire risk

Underground electric bus garage, a risk too far?

The underground bus garage will accommodate electric buses – the first garage of its type in the country.  There is no protocol for its fire safe design; in other words, Edgware will be a guinea pig.  Most of the tower blocks will be built above the bus garage. If the buses in the underground garage were to catch fire, it could endanger thousands of people in the tower blocks above and perhaps beyond.

Incidents, like the one near Tashkent Airport in September 2023, with a mushroom cloud fireball hundreds of feet high and felt 20 miles away, underscore risks of EV battery fires.  The Potters Bar Bus Garage fire in May 2022 shows how quickly a fire in an EV bus envelops nearby parked buses. The smoke could be seen 11 miles away; if this had been one of 190 buses in an underground garage below flats it could have led to a major tragedy. 

Density of building risks rapid fire spreading

Buildings will be close together and therefore in the event of a serious fire there would be a risk of the fire spreading.

Accessibility issues for emergency services

The tallest fire ladder in the area is 32m; the tallest in London is 64m, of which there are only three. The 29-storey building will be about 100m. 

While the bus garage has two access points to/from Station Road, they will merge behind the shops into a single point for the garage. Emergency services could have difficulty accessing the site. 

Deans Brook Nature Park – impact on wildlife and residents

The development creates a pedestrian and cycle path through unused land.  While in the first instance this appears to be attractive, it does give rise to concerns:

  • The land is part of a Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation. Protected species such as bats and slowworms will be put at risk.
  • The pathway may well be a magnet for anti-social behaviour -especially as it will be on the doorstep of c10,000 people living in high density accommodation.
  • The pathway will back onto Banstock Road creating concerns about security and fly tipping into gardens.
  • The creation of the cycle path appears to contravene a commitment that the road behind Banstock Road, currently only used by TFL, may not be used by the public.

While the developers have included the Nature Park in their population density figures the footprint of the tower blocks is separate from the Nature Park.  In our view there will be insufficient green space within the development.

10 years of construction misery

Construction will take at least 10 years.  There will be two access points, both on Station Road, which already struggles and has over 3,000 bus movements daily.

Blighting of local businesses

Shops in the Broadwalk (apart from Sainsbury’s) will disappear for 4 to 5 years

The Broadwalk, apart from Sainsbury’s, will be demolished in the first year of the development.  Replacement shops will appear in the fifth year. While the new Sainsbury’s will have a bigger footprint, the space allocated for other shops is reduced. 

The impact 

  • The Broadwalk is a local destination for people living in neighbouring towns and suburbs as well as people living in Edgware.  The absence of shops like TK Maxx, Boots, WHSmith, JD Sports and Choice for four to five years will encourage people to shop in other towns or suburbs.  
  • When the shops eventually return there will be insufficient parking, and people will be in the habit of shopping elsewhere.  The case for retail chains setting up in Edgware will be far less persuasive than at present.
  • With fewer big-name shops as a pull and less parking, it is questionable as to how many shops in Station Road will survive.

Overcrowding of tube and buses

Edgware is at end of the Tube line 

Edgware has been designated as a transport hub to justify the development. Whilst it does have a good tube link going into central London, it is on the fringes of the London suburbs and only has bus connections going north, east and west. This is completely incomparable to inner London where similar developments have tube and rail links going in more than one direction.

Crowding of tube and buses

There is no provision for increasing capacity on buses or the tube. The Northern Line is under increasing pressure from new developments in Colindale and Brent Cross. There are also proposals for homes for around 1,000 people at the Burnt Oak Station car park.

70% reduction in parking and lost of commuter car park

  • 70% reduction in parking space for shoppers, commuters and shop workers. 
    • There are currently 1,235 parking spaces at the Broadwalk for shoppers, commuters and people working in the Broadwalk.  Once the development is completed there will be 769 parking spaces, of which 425 will be for residents.  250 of the remainder will be specifically for Sainsbury’s customers, leaving around 94 not specified.
  • More bus stops in Station Road would reduce parking in Station Road.
  • Reduced access to shops and increased parking on local streets
    • It will be more difficult for people to access Edgware by car, to go to the shops or banks.
    • Except for the 425 spaces allocated to Blue Badge holders living in the development, the residents will in theory not be allowed to own a car.  The reality is that some will attempt to use on street parking or rent spaces in local driveways.  Expect to see extensions of local CPZ times, with added inconvenience for visitors and residents as well as added costs.
  • Reduced parking will also impact on people attending nearby churches and mosques as well as parents collecting from Edgware Primary School.