Planned residential high-rise redevelopment of Cockfosters Car Park

Latest newsletter from CLARA (Cockfosters & Local Area Residents' Association)  September 2025

Summary:

This Newsletter focuses principally on developments on the TFL Plans for Redevelopment of Cockfosters Station Car Park. We expect TFL to reactivate those plans in the coming week in an amended application, to be submitted by its new partner Barratt.

Update on Cockfosters Station Car Park:

The plans by a joint-venture of TfL and Grainger were approved at Enfield Council’s Planning Committee in early 2023, receiving official validation in September 2023. Despite opposition from unparalleled numbers of Enfield and Barnet residents, as well as users of the car park from outside the immediate area, Enfield Planning Officers and the Planning Committee (on the Chair’s casting vote) chose to ignore wide-ranging grounds for objection. Our subsequent attempt to have the scheme called- in by the Secretary of State, Michael Gove, were refused despite it satisfying recognised tests that he should do. The plans were initially stalled as the Secretary of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, refused his required consent to the transfer of the site to the  joint-venture -  but that was reversed by his successor.

Subsequent to the project approval, new post-Grenfell design-codes (introduced 2024) meant that significant additional measures (such as dual-staircases) would need to be incorporated. The approval of safety designs for tall-buildings now resides with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), which is part of the HSE (Health & Safety Executive).

At CLARA's public meeting at Christ Church in September 2024, we explained to attendees that the existing design, and that of its sister project at Arnos Grove Station, produced only marginal returns. We suggested that revisions, to comply with new safety codes, would probably render the project unviable: So it has proved, with Grainger now withdrawing from both Cockfosters and Arnos Grove - the latter of which still sits derelict following closure.

In recent weeks, we have learned that TfL has now involved Barratt Homes to progress the development at Cockfosters, but not at Arnos Grove. On a broadly parallel time-line, Barratt is also progressing plans to redevelop the Station Car Park at High Barnet - where the plans for public consultation will close on 19 September.

Probable New Planning Application:

On 10 September, we had a constructive discussion with Barratt. We are told to expect public consultation on a new Planning Application starting during the coming week. This will be sent to Enfield and Barnet Local Councillors, MPs, AMs and various residents associations as well as  approximately 5K local residents.

We have yet to see the exact details of the new scheme. However, we are told that it is broadly comparable to the approved plans: it will be submitted as a so-called ‘Section 73’ variation of the extant scheme. We have yet to determine if that will be permissible.

The approval was previously for 351 residential units in 4 high-rise towers - 3 stepped towers on the main car-park and one on the Cockfosters Road adjacent to the station entrance. The revised scheme is broadly, but not exactly, comparable. It would involve some increase in mass of the 4 towers, but not the overall height, to provide for an additional 22 flats.

Again, only a limited number of blue-badge and drop-off parking spaces would be retained. However, LU Tube staff will still have reserved parking. 

The previous Grainger proposals were exclusively Build-to-Rent (BTR) but with supposedly 40 percent ‘affordable’ homes at a discount from market rent. The Barratt scheme will no longer be BTR but will be 60 percent for sale (with shared-ownership options) and with 40 percent for affordable or perhaps social rent.

Proposed Project Timeline:

• Submission of Planning Application - Around October 2025 

• Approval of New Detailed Plans by BSR - timing and process uncertain.

• Possible Closure of Car Park and Start of Construction - 2027/28.

Associated Concerns:

So we are faced with the near-total loss of the parking at the Northern terminus of the Piccadilly Line, and for that matter at end of  the Northern Line. TFL, The Mayor and Enfield Council place housing needs above the needs of the travelling public and to the disregard of the equalities needs of the aged, disabled and female travellers. Nevertheless, we can still expect drivers in cars to arrive.

As with the previous scheme, there would be a number of implications for local residents. Aside from increased pressure on local amenities and infrastructure, there will need be consultations on the probable implementation of Controlled Parking Zones in most roads in both the Enfield and Barnet parts of Cockfosters. Paid parking in Trent Park might also be contemplated. The attempted introduction of these kind of proposals at Arnos Grove has been controversial.

We will need to digest the details of the new Application and will be organising a public meeting for members and residents at the earliest opportunity.

We will keep you updated once we have additional information.

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