An MP and campaigners have vowed to fight a “disgraceful” bid to add more than 1,000 extra homes to an approved scheme.

Developer Comer Homes wants to increase the number of flats on the North London Business Park site in Brunswick Park from 1,350 to around 2,500.

Its previous plans were refused by Barnet Council in 2017 – but an appeal by the developer was upheld by a planning inspector, whose decision was backed by Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick in January last year.

READ MORE: Green light for 1,350-home development on business park

Now Comer wants to expand the scheme, boosting the height of the tallest blocks from nine to 13 storeys.

Martin Berliner, who opposed the previous plans as part of Weirdale Ashbourne Residents’ group, said campaigners were “despondent” but would continue to fight against the new scheme.

“I don’t think anyone expected them to come back with more homes,” he said. “It is quite frightening developers have this sort of power to change the landscape in this way.

“The landscape will change forever, and it will cause a huge amount of issues for local residents in terms of going about their daily business.

“The way the property looks is out of keeping with 1930s terraced homes. It would set a precedent for other developers in the area.”

Chipping Barnet MP Theresa Villiers branded the plans “disgraceful” and said she would be “fighting strongly” against them.

“The surrounding suburban area is largely made up of homes of just one or two storeys,” Ms Villiers added. “Thirteen-storey tower blocks should have no place in Barnet’s low-rise suburban neighbourhoods. I will do whatever I can to try to stop this from going ahead.”

Comer Homes has launched a consultation on the new proposals, which will run until Tuesday, May 11. It is available here: https://nlbpconsultation.co.uk/

There will be a webinar on the plans at 1pm on Wednesday, May 5.

Comer Homes said in a statement: “Comer Homes is committed to delivering high-quality and much-needed homes in Barnet. We submitted a planning application for the North London Business Park back in 2015. This application was approved by the Secretary of State in 2020.

“The report by the Secretary of State is the primary reason behind the decision to revise our proposals. The report suggests that the 2015 proposals will only have a minimal impact on the surrounding area. Comer Homes’ own analysis mirrors this and shows that increasing the density does not jeopardise these findings.

“Maintaining the existing footprint of the buildings was a priority when seeking to increase the number of homes. This meant that where additional height is required, the impact on surrounding residents is minimised by following principles:

  • No additional height near existing homes
  • Increased height will not overshadow public open spaces
  • Additional height will not alter the town scape

“The revised plans have also adapted the internal layout of each building so that the spaces are used more efficiently, allowing more homes to be delivered.”

Comer Homes encouraged people to respond to the consultation and said feedback will be “carefully considered” by the project team.