Brent Cross statesman meets Secretary of State

The Barnet Bugle blog shows tea being taken last Thursday.

Left to right are Barnet Councillor Kate Salinger, heroine of the Allowances scandal, Eric Pickles, who refused to call a Brent Cross public inquiry, and Councillor Brian Salinger, who as Barnet Council Leader (before being overthrown by Mike Freer) said of the Brent Cross Cricklewood scheme:

To bring [regeneration] about, the Council and the Greater London Authority adopted a unique partnership approach with the key stakeholders to devise this Development Framework.

The heart of this urban area will be a new town centre, with major new shopping and leisure developments. Up to 10,000 new homes will provide high quality accommodation for the future population. A commercial district set within the public realm will provide places of employment. The area will be accessible, and will benefit from community initiatives, including new schools and primary health care facilities.

Significant improvements to transport infrastructure are proposed, including a new [Thameslink] station, a new bridge over the A406 North Circular Road, and better connections to Brent Cross Underground station.

Maybe he was unaware of the very high density, the waste incinerator, the huge road congestion, the destruction of stable communities, the loss of local parkland, the dubious housing specification and quantity, the inability of the Council to manage the planning application, and, especially, the overwhelming arrogance of the developers.