Barnet: 26-storey tower with 844 student rooms can be built at Stapes Corner Retail Park, Brent Cross

The Stapes Corner Retail Park scheme will provide 844 student rooms, of which 35% will be affordable, and was waived through by Barnet Council’s strategic planning committee on Wednesday (November 13). 

The development site is located at Unit 7, Geron Way, adjacent to the new Brent Cross West Station, and is currently occupied by the Flip Out Trampolining Centre, which will be demolished.

Percy Mullany, a land director for applicant Astir, told Wednesday’s meeting: “We believe this is the right application, in the right place, at the right time, and it is a landmark student scheme with outstanding design.”

He added: “This is an application that will provide accommodation to students who will attend the Sheffield Hallam campus, including 35% [295] affordable rooms. The development will also help release existing homes used by students, directly contributing to Barnet’s housing targets.”

Work is set to start on site in the “second half of 2025”.

No objectors disputed the scheme and no comments were made negativing the application online. 

Percy added that the scheme was extensively reviewed by the council and Transport for London and was supported by the Greater London Authority. He said following a “thorough” public engagement strategy “no public objections” were raised against the scheme.

Committee member Nagus Narenthira asked about the private rent levels and whether they would be accessible.

Percy said the private rentals would be set at a “market facing rent”. He said: “We’ll be working with Homes for Students or some of our other student advisors to set that level at a market facing rent.

“There’s no point in us driving affordability to the point in which we can’t fill the building, it doesn’t make any sense for us financially. It is a difficult balance to strike and we want to make it a competitive product in the market to ensure the building is full.”

Committee member Rishikesh Chakraborty said there were some “details” forthcoming on the fire strategy part of the application including “materials to be used and product types”. 

Percy confirmed the building material for the outside was “non-combustable” but said, subject to planning approval, there was “a lot more work to do”.

He said: “Before we start on site we have to design the scheme to a level of detail that is almost fully designed for building regulation approval. In essence we have to submit full details prior to starting on site for every last piece of what the facade make-up is, to demonstrate its non-combustable.”

He added: “Ultimately we’ll have to demonstrate to the funders that want to partner with us that it is robustly designed to deal with all building regulations and constraints including fire safety so this is a live issue for us.”

Following the discussion the chair Nigel Young took a vote and the committee voted unanimously in favour of the scheme.