Manor Park Road development plans
Received: 31 March 2025
Under the Freedom of Information Act, I would like to request the following information: Correspondence including letters and emails, sent or received within dates from 1 January 2023 to the 31 March 2025, from or between any Barnet Council staff or officers and from Barnet Council staff or officers to any officers or employees of Places for Barnet, the Kuropatwa Group, Daniel and Oliver Kuropatwa and London Placemaking, related to the development of 72 - 76 Manor Park Road or any other development plans in Manor Park Road, N2Internal Review response dated 28.05.2025. We are able to release some further information held, with personal data removed under R13 (personal data) to comply with GDPR/ data protection legislation in relation to:Manor Park Road (MPR) Q&A following resident meeting held on 17 April 2025 Response to resident request for information dated 21 March 2025Cllr Mittra and the Rt Hon Sara Sackman MP communications on behalf of residents about the schemeLaunch of the pre-application website - Manor Park Road | Places for BarnetPublic consultation flyer for MPRI have asked the Planning and Building Control team to review the information held. They confirma Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) was signed between P4B on 25 November 2024. This is a voluntary agreement between an applicant and the local planning authority that outlines the process for considering a major development proposal. The main purposes of a PPA include:Framework: It provides a structured framework for how the pre-application and planning application will be handled and the timescales that will apply.Pre-application Advice: Engaging in a PPA can facilitate pre-application planning advice.Focus: It serves as a useful focus for both the applicant and the planning authority, ensuring clarity and efficiency in the planning process.Seven meetings have been held with P4B under pre-application process where this site has been discussed, these have occurred between October 2024 to April 2025.Under the first limb of regulation 12(4)(d), we have made redactions to withhold information that will be published for public consultation in the coming months. Returning to information covered by the second limb of the exception, some of the information was clearly identified as being a 'draft' version and is therefore unfinished. This information once finalised will be published for public consultation in the coming monthsI am mindful that a formal planning application for the scheme is due to be submitted shortly (in the next couple of months) and this will be the formal opportunity for the finalised scheme to undergo the public consultation process. The regeneration team advise that to release the information at this stage would likely to be counterproductive and undermine the planning process. The Council will consider releasing pre-application advice after a planning application is received in the interests of transparency but at this point in time considers it has released sufficient information about the scheme and engaged with community appropriately. I can also see that Legal Services were engaged and gave the client advice on discharging their legal responsibilities. Therefore an additional EIR exception applies, provided for under 12(5)(b) which relates to 'the course of justice'. This and can be invoked where a public authority can demonstrate that the disclosure of specific information would adversely affect the course of justice. This is widely accepted to include information which is covered by legal professional privilege on client advice. In terms of disposal of land, there is a formal process by which the Council under section 122 and section 123 of the Local Government Act 1972 which would need to be followed.