The Saturday list #139 - The ten biggest eyesores in The London Borough of Barnet

Sometimes I just have to laugh. There is a press release on the Barnet Council website, stating that they are taking action against residents with untidy 'eyesore' gardens. To quote "Three garden eyesores have been cleared by Barnet Council after the owners ignored repeated planning enforcement requests to take action.Teams cleared overgrown vegetation and rubbish from the gardens of three properties in the borough after the owners failed to heed official notices requiring them to clear their land."

It made me think about our locality. If the council are clearing untidy gardens and 'eyesores', where should they start? Here are my top ten eyesores in the Borough. What are yours? I was going to attach pictures, but it really was too depressing, so we've only featured our winner!

Brent Cross Shopping Centre viewed from the North Circular

1.  Brent Cross shopping centre. Inside it is a palace of retailing, but the view of it from the North Circular is one of the most ugly and depressing sights I can possily think of.

2. Mill Hill car park in Flower Lane. This never seems to have any rubbish cleared and Mill Hill

Neighbourhood forum had to organise a litter clearance. This car park earns the council more money than any other in the Borough, but unlike residents gardens, they have no interest in tidying it up.

3. The railway land at Cricklewood. A complete eyesore, with huge piles of rubbish and builders waste. This will soon be replaced by an aggregates depot, which I am sure will have all of the aesthetic charm of an aggregates depot. Here's a video of what greets commuters on a daily basis!

4. Fiveways Corner. A few years ago some money was spent tarting it up and some impressive sculptures of leopards were installed. It has since been untouched and is overgrown and depressing.

5. Burnt Oak Market. I believe a clearance is being done there, but last time I went it was a sorry sight.

6. Mill Hill Bus Station. If your idea of fun is breathing pollution in a concrete void under the Motorway, this is the spot for you! 

7. The Concourse at Grahame Park. Would you believe that an architect won an award for the Grahame Park Estate? The concourse is ugly and unwelcoming and sums up the attitude of the people who built it to the working classes who they built it for.

8. The sculpture outside Hendon Town Hall. Famously described by local punk poet Pete Conway as "ten tons of scrap metal on a pile of broken stone".  The Tory Council leader who was responsible for its erection stated that in years to come residents will come to love it. That was 37 years ago, and we all still hate it.

9. The pond at Church Farmhouse Museum. This used to be magical and beautiful. The Philistines who run the council and shut the museum have allowed it to go to rack and ruin. It is heartbreaking to see.

10.  Pentavia Retail Park. Mostly abandoned and desolate. A depressing sight to see. If the developers get their way, it will become twelve storey high tower blocks and become an even bigger eyesore.

I wonder what Barnet Council's Eyesore squad will do about these? What's your favourite eyesore in the London Borough of Barnet.