What has gone wrong with planning in Barnet?

Ten years ago, I put in a planning application for a loft conversion. This was turned down due to the fact that t "the scale of the design would affect the street scene". The council said they had a responsibility to protect the character of the road. As I ponder the developments springing up all over Barnet, I wonder why it is that the little guy always seems to get clobbered when he wants to do some minor change, whilst millionaire developers can knock down churches, pubs, garages, schools,  gaden centres etc.

In Mill Hill Broadway, we've recently lost a church hall. This is being replaced with a four storey concrete monolith, towering over and dominating two adjacent churches. What has happened to the street scene rules?

Just asking