Frustration at the delay in the plan to restore the New Barnet Park Pavilion

Up to £800,000 is needed to refurbish the Tudor Park building, but the local Friends group is waiting for a lease to be released by the council before submitting a bid for lottery funding, reports Grace Howarth, reporter for local democracy.

A group of friends from New Barnet have expressed their frustrations with Barnet Council over delays in the lease process for a ‘fleeced’ cricket pavilion they are keen to restore.

Since 2020, when the Friends of the Park and Tudor Pavilion (FOTPP) group was established, work has been ongoing to try to bring the 104-year-old pavilion back into public use.

Around £500,000 to £800,000 is needed to refurbish the building and with £200,000 allocated from the council and an expression of interest submitted to the National Lottery Community Fund, prospects were looking good.

However, a formal application still needs to be submitted for the group to carry out renovation work and to do so they need to secure a lease on the building, a process which has been delayed.

The council says the delays are “beyond our control” but is prioritizing the issue and aims to have the draft tenancies finalized in the “coming weeks”.

Simon Kaufman, a committee member with the Friends group and also a local architect whose firm Simon Kaufman Architects is involved in the restoration work, said: “We were told in January that we were the preferred partner for the refurbishment of the pavilion and the council promised in March. to send us draft terms for a rental agreement. Four months passed without receiving the documents.

“We have a team of volunteers who are desperate to start work on the project, but it’s hard to keep up the enthusiasm when all we get are promises, promises and no action from the council.”

A council spokesman said: “We are delighted to congratulate the Friends of the Park (and) Tudor Pavilion for winning the tender and being selected as the preferred tenant for the pavilion.

“Despite our best efforts to progress the matter quickly, it has been subject to delays beyond our control.

“It is important to note that this is not a conventional lease and various aspects are considered in detail before the terms can be finalised, including financing, terms of redevelopment, a detailed statement of works and other matters.

“We are treating this project as a priority and are working to finalize the draft lease terms in the coming weeks. We would like to thank the community and FOTPP for their patience throughout this process and look forward to supporting them in the successful completion of this project.”

For more information on the planned improvements to the pavilion:
Visit Tudor Park and Barnet Pavillion (simonkaufmanarchitects.com)

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