Planning win for 139 homes on site of Volvo car showroom
Barnet council has approved plans by Peter Barber Architects to replace a Volvo car showroom in north London with 139 homes.
The proposals will see two main blocks up to nine storeys in height built on the 0.46ha site on Edgware road, close to Colindale town centre.
The plans, designed for Casa Bella Developments Ltd, had been recommended for approval by Barnet’s planning officers ahead of last week’s planning committee meeting.
The application had received 15 letters of support from locals and 13 letters of objection, with concerns focusing on the design of the scheme and overshadowing while others welcomed the demolition of the car showroom and improved street scene.
Locals also praised the inclusion of a large communal garden on the site which would be open to the public and a 50sq m community space on the ground floor of the main housing block.
The officers’ report concluded the scheme’s design had a “strong visual interest” which responded well to the surrounding built environment while “creating its own identity.”
It also praised the proposed use of high quality, energy efficient materials and the simple colour palette of earthy reds and browns.
The homes, 10% of which will be affordable, have been designed to prioritise energy efficiency and will be heated by a combination of solar panels and communal heat pumps.
The scheme is Barber’s latest in borough following the firm’s completion of the 97-home Edgewood Mews scheme last year and last December’s approval for two affordable housing schemes on Moxon Street and Whitings Road for Opendoor Homes.
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