Is former Hendon Conservative Deputy chairman planning to set up a refuge for travellers from Dale Farm in Totteridge Valley

I kid you not. Belmont Childrens Farm, Barnets best zoo, has been told by Barnet Council that it has to close, due to lack of planning permission. It is owned by local celebrity Mr Andrew Reid, racehorse owner and big time lawyer. Mr Reid was previously a deputy chairman of the Hendon Conservative Party, with a special role for membership and fundraising. Following the enforcement notice being upheld this week, Mr Reids Farm have issued this press release on their website.

You will surely note the fourth paragraph and it's reference to the residents of Dale Farm. Is the press release a rather unsubtle attempt to use the Dale Farm situation to get Barnet Council to drop their objections? Surely not?

You can check for planning applications here -
http://planningcases.barnet.gov.uk/planning-cases/acolnetcgi.exe

I put in the Belmont Centre's postcode and could not find the planning permission for residential use referred to below - NW7 1QT - so I'd be very interested to see where this is?

Anyway, we'd welcome a guest blog from Mr Reid or one of his staff explaining the background to the case and why Barnet Council have been so horrible to him, in making him close the zoo, purely because he didn't apply for planning permission.  As ever we'd print this with no editing or alterations (assuming it was legal and decent).

There's more about the zoo here - http://www.belmontfarm.co.uk/save.php

and here - http://www.belmontfarm.co.uk/

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Belmont Staff Press Release

 The appeal decision hearing held 21^st June 2011 by Diane Lewis an inspector appointed by the secretary of state for communities and local government has finally come back with a decision on 27^th September to decline our appeal.

We, the staff of Belmont Farm, feel so let-down by Barnet Council and the planning authority and feel we have been unjustly set upon. How is the council now going to provide 15 jobs for us in the present job desert? Especially when in this current financial depression a business focused toward community adhesion and education, providing apprenticeships and work experience, all fitting towards the BIG SOCIETY OBJECTIVES – sitting within an ever declining child friendly borough – is privately funded and is to be closed within 6 months.

We are a farm and have always have been a farm! It has been stated that in the conclusion Belmont Children’s Farm has become a primary use as opposed to an ancillary to the existing planning for agricultural or equestrian uses. Yes it has become a necessity as a main income generator for the agricultural and equestrian as farm diversification IS a necessity to survival within an ever changing business climate, we are still farming – our animals are mainly breeding stock for resale, we have no toys or gimmicks, just animals and education. And the farm has been loved by over 60’000 visitors.

We feel we should unite with Dale Farm as we understand their plight foe homes as being the same as ours for a job. If they close the farm maybe they could come here, after all we have residential planning

Does the council and neighbours prefer the car park, which has always been there, to go back to a farm storage area with hay and silage and Machinery parking? How is the closing of Belmont Children’s Farm helping the community use of the greenbelt?

We are desperate for Belmont Farm to stay open and, in reading the appeal decision; it is seen in our view that if we apply for new planning then this will be granted now the Inspector has corrected Barnet’s unreasonable conditions. The inspector Diane Lewis has weighted the decision in this way with a large number of the council’s objections getting a slap on the wrist. We the staff plan to ask the council that if an application is put in following the inspectors recommendation that it will be granted in eight weeks so as not to affect the closure of the farm and loss of jobs?

We still have so much to give to the community and London. The NFU is coming to Belmont Farm on 27^th and 28^th October to emphasize the need for farming and food production education.

 PLEASE HELP is all we can say!

Incidentally our London Mayor forgot in the London Plan to make mention of children’s farms in green belts. What is he going to do?

Shane Harrison

PH: 02073184420 Email: sharrison@belmontfarm.co.uk

Belmont Childrens Farm - Planning appeal decision - the appeal by the farm owner has been rejected

Many people in Mill Hill, the London Borough of Barnet and elsewhere will be interested to read the results of the appeal by Mr Andew Reid (former deputy chairman of the Hendon Conservative Party), owner of Belmont Childrens Farm against the London Borough of Barnet, who issued enforcement notices against the farm. This blog has closely followed this issue, given the issues at stake for the conservation area and Mill Hill.

I look forward to comments from various local Conservatives, who were very keen to give their views on the situation at Dale Farm, where a travellers camp has been erected without planning permission. They rather lamely claimed "they didn't have the details to comment". Well they do now, as the whole decision is published here.

Please read the judgement in full and form your own opinions. I have.

Belmont Childrens Farm

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.