June 26 2001: A planning application for one of the largest regeneration projects in London was submitted to Barnet Council last Friday (June 22).

The scheme aims to transform the Cricklewood area into a new urban centre including shopping, housing and leisure facilities.

The multi-billion pound project is expected to create thousands of jobs.

The developers, Cricklewood Redevelopment Ltd, have put forward proposals including:

*three hotels

*2500 new homes

*new shops

*new leisure and sports facilities, including enhanced green spaces

*improved transport links, including a new railway station and a rapid transport system linking with surrounding areas.

Cllr Monroe Palmer, Barnet's Cabinet Member for Development and Regeneration, said:

"This application is an important step forward in achieving our long-standing ambitions for the Cricklewood area. It is a massive and complex application and we will have to scrutinise all the details.

"We expect that it will meet many of our aspirations for Cricklewood and we are committed to working with Railtrack, their partners and with other major landowning interests in the area, including Hammerson, the owners of Brent Cross, in order to realise our vision. This may, in due course, mean that some details of the application need to change.

"We want to see a new centre at Cricklewood that will boost Barnet and the rest of North London, while making a contribution to the vitality of London as a whole. Ours is an ambitious vision, and we will continue to work with the Greater London Authority and other partners to make it a reality.”

In April, Barnet Council published its regeneration blueprint for the Cricklewood/West Hendon area. This outlines ways of encouraging employment, improving leisure facilities and providing the opportunity for a better quality of life for local residents. This framework will be used to evaluate the application.

Today's outline planning application marks the start of a lengthy planning process in which local residents and businesses will be given the opportunity to express their views. Both Barnet Council and the developers will be carrying out extensive consultation.

Cricklewood Redevelopment Ltd is a joint venture between Railtrack Property and Pillar Property plc.

The planning application submitted today is an outline application, which deals with the principles of the scheme. Should this application be approved by the council, the developers will have to submit a further detailed application for consideration.

The council expects any new development to integrate with existing residential areas in Cricklewood and West Hendon. The council's objectives for the regeneration of the area are set out in the summary document of the regeneration blueprint under six themes. These build on the council's existing policy for the area outlined in the Unitary Development Plan 2001, which is currently the subject of a separate extensive public consultation exercise.

The six themes are:

*Economic regeneration: encouraging inward investment, local job opportunities and investment in skills.

*Improving quality of life in the area: through, for example, linked open spaces and parks, leisure, social provision and improvements to the Cricklewood and West Hendon Broadways.

*Transport: improving transport links, including better pedestrian and cycle routes and making better use of the railway.

*Housing: the provision of housing, including affordable and keyworker housing and some home working units.

*Masterplanning to link Brent Cross to the Cricklewood area using innovative design to support an urban renaissance of the area.

*Involving the community in an active way.