London Fire Brigade has warned it has “fundamental concerns” about plans to build an electric bus garage under new tower blocks in Edgware.

Developer Ballymore wants to demolish Broadwalk Shopping Centre and car park, as well as Edgware bus station, to make way for new housing.

Under current plans, the area will be split into 27 blocks, the majority of which will be taller than five storeys high, including a 29-storey tower.

In total, more than 3,000 homes would be created, as well as 460 student rooms, with shops and commercial units at the ground and first floors in some areas.

The initial proposals also suggest building a new electric bus garage beneath the development.

But London Fire Brigade has said it is concerned that the current application does not have detailed designs for the new garage.

This is because the garage’s structural integrity in the event of a fire is relevant to the safety of the blocks above, the Brigade said.

Its response to the plans adds that the “potential for so many EV buses poses risks that are not fully understood”, and that the current fire strategy is “insufficient”.

Concerns include whether the proposal to install fire barriers between rows of buses would be as effective as traditional fire resistant walls.

These measures also have the potential to trap vapour cloud from an electric bus fire and cause an explosion, the Brigade warned.

A spokesperson for the development said: “We welcome the London Fire Brigade’s response, as an essential part of the development’s ongoing consultation process. 

 “As with any outline application, further information including on the detail of the bus garage, will be developed as part of the planning process and we remain in ongoing dialogue with London Fire Brigade. 

“The transition to electric vehicles is an important pillar of central government’s plan to reach net zero, and the electrification of London’s bus fleet by 2030 is a key ambition for the Mayor of London and TfL.

 “The garage will not be operational until 2030 at the earliest and we remain clear that no electric vehicles will be permitted unless and until the design has been approved by the London Fire Brigade, Barnet Council, the Health and Safety Executive, and Building Control.”

Full details of the plans can be found on Barnet Council’s planning portal under reference 24/2686/OUT.