Barnet Council : Keeping things above board

I received an email from a rather concerned resident of Mill Hill drawing my attention to this article in the local press about the new Childrens Zoo on the Ridgeway in Mill Hill. The main concern of my correspondant was that such a major change could take place to the Greenbelt, in the conservation are, on a protected view (mentioned in the Barnet UDP). Given that you can't even double glaze your windows without planning permission, which will be denied if the appearance is changed, I was puzzled. I went to Barnet Coucils planning portal to see what conditions were placed on the planning approval for the new facility.

I was rather puzzled to find that there was no mention of the planning approval on the Council website. How could this be? It clearly states the following in the article :-

We've worked extremely closely with the council to make sure it comes up to scratch and we hope we have created a safe and enjoyable environment.

 Now the owner of the site, renowned racing horse owner Mr Andrew Reid, has clearly spent a small fortune on the site. It is rather impressive and a few locals have told me that the capuccinos and the waffles are rather good in his restaurant. Clearly he would not have considered doing any of this without ensuring it was all legal, ship-shape and above board. He would have sought assurances that the Council were happy with the setup prior to making such a huge inverstment. After all he is a promanent member of the local Conservative party, being elected to be the Deputy Chairman of the Hendon Conservative Association.

Which leads me to the question. The politician in charge of the Hendon Area planning Committee is Mill Hill Resident, Conservative Councillor Maureen Braun. One has to ask exactly what advice Councillor Braun has given Mr Reid. Ultimately she would chair any planning decision for such an application. There is also another local Conservative Councillor who belongs to the same association as Andrew Reid and presumably supported his election as Deputy Chairman. This is Councillor John Hart.

Whilst I cannot possibly see how a Childrens farm and zoo containing Wallabies, Owls and Alopacas and a Restaurant, along side a huge car park could appear on such a site without planning permission, especially when the owner is such an esteemed member of the local Conservative party, I am not an expert in planning law.

Mr Reid is a lawyer and as such, clearly will have followed the rulebook to the letter. As such I must assume that he contacted Barnet Council and explained his plans and was told "that will be fine, just go ahead". He clearly states this in his interview, so my question is this. Do Councillor Braun as head of the Planning Committee and Councillor Hart as the local Mill Hill Conservatives have the ability to advise officers that such a development is allowed as "permitted development" and can be done without planning permission? Where did the decision that planning permission was not required originate from? Was it a Council officer?

I've spent a few days checking the planning rules in Barnet and I cannot see how the Council agreed this move. I urge Councillor Braun as head of the Hendon Planning Committee to issue a public statement clarifying how this development could be agreed by the council, when every other resident of the "conservation area" is bound by such tight rules. I'd also like to see a public explanation from Councillor John Hart as to why ordinary residents in Barnet have such stringent regulations applied to them in the Conservation area,  when people who are senior members of the Hendon Conservative Association are not.

I have no doubt that Mr Andrew Reid has gone about his business in his usual dignified and law abiding manner. There is no reason why he shouldn't. I just worry that certain local Conservative Councillors are rather too keen to do their wealthy friends a favour. As both Councillor Braun and Hart are Mill Hill residents, experienced Councillors and experts on planning law, it is inconceivable that they were unaware of all of this. They have much explaining to do. It is vital that Barnet Council are seen to be above board in these matters.