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Barratt London has released 59 new flats at Hendon Waterside in West Hendon, Barnet. The Magnolia Apartments, priced from £350,000, are the last with direct views of the Welsh Harp Reservoir. The scheme includes affordable housing, a school, and a community centre.
A wildfire on Beddington Lane in Mitcham forced the closure of the B272 and diverted traffic on 15 August 2024. London Fire Brigade attended the scene near the industrial estate, with no injuries reported. Residents faced delays as emergency services managed the blaze.
Around 90 Barnet Council depot workers are owed twelve years of holiday pay after Capita failed to include overtime in calculations. The council has offered six months’ backpay, which workers rejected. A strike ballot closes on 18 August 2026, with further action expected.
Barnet Council will take over Barnet Hill Academy in West Hendon as a voluntary-aided Islamic faith school from September 2026, removing fees and doubling projected pupil numbers by the early 2030s. All respondents backed the proposal during a statutory consultation.
Satellite images reveal London’s parks have turned brown after record-breaking heatwaves, with Barnet’s green spaces at risk of wildfires. The Mayor of London has urged residents to create fire breaks in gardens, while the London Fire Brigade warns dry grass can spread flames to nearby homes within minutes.
Barnet will see its first rainfall in weeks on 17 August, with light showers forecast for the afternoon, BBC Weather reports. A yellow heat health alert remains in place for London until 19 August, as temperatures stay above 20°C even during rain.
Barnet Council is one of nine London boroughs already using cemeteries outside its boundaries due to limited space, a City Hall audit reveals. With 17 councils predicted to run out of burial capacity by 2040, residents may face longer journeys to visit graves or delays in local burials.
Simon Levy, 40, was found guilty of murdering Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo, 53, in Southwark and Sheryl Wilkins, 39, in Tottenham. Police and prosecutors admitted systemic failures allowed him to remain free despite multiple sex attacks and a prior conviction.
Barnet Labour has called on Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch to drop Joshua Bonehill-Paine as an adviser after his selection as a council candidate in Somerset. Barnet Tories refused to condemn the decision, citing rehabilitation. Bonehill-Paine was jailed for antisemitic offences, including plans to burn the Talmud in Golders Green.
Retailers in Barnet can now submit CCTV footage and witness statements directly to police within hours of a shoplifting incident. The platform, already used in six London boroughs, has increased case resolutions from 7.3% to 29.4%. Smaller shops say cost remains a barrier.
Sales of new homes in London fell to 5,606 in the first half of 2026, a 37% drop on 2025. 4,629 completed units remain unsold, valued at £3.5bn, while 56 developments totalling 3,913 homes have been paused across the capital.
Londoners face the UK’s highest funeral costs, with basic services averaging £4,897 and burial plots £4,863. Yet England lacks statutory regulation, leaving families without recourse if services fail. The government has pledged action, but no new laws are in force.
A Barnet couple in their late 70s have missed hospital appointments and been stranded outside their home after the lift in their Peabody-managed block broke down repeatedly. The landlord has apologised and is considering a ground-floor rehousing request.
Catalyst Care Ltd and its directors were fined £92,400 for operating three unregistered children’s homes in Kent between October 2022 and April 2025. The company received over £1.8m from local authorities while providing accommodation for nine children without Ofsted registration.
Barnet Council has approved revised plans for a Waitrose supermarket on Cricklewood Broadway, reducing retail space to make room for staff facilities. The store, part of the Eden NW2 development, is scheduled to open in autumn 2024 following a public consultation on signage.
SPEAR, Richmond’s leading homelessness charity, has signed a joint letter to Prime Minister Andy Burnham demanding nationwide adoption of the housing first model. The charity, which has housed over 100 rough sleepers locally, argues the approach could transform homelessness support across the UK.
Residents in Barnet and across London face longer waits for social housing after Clarion Housing Group revealed planning approvals take over two years in the capital, compared with 11 months in Manchester. The delays risk making projects unviable, the group’s CEO said.
c2c has announced engineering works causing train diversions and replacement buses on the Basildon and Rainham lines from 3 to 9 August. Services will skip key stations, with tickets valid on alternative TfL routes at no extra cost.
Barnet is set to experience its sixth heatwave of the year, with temperatures hitting 30°C from 11 to 13 August. Thames Water reports a 15% drop in storage, urging residents to conserve water despite assurances taps will not run dry.
Barnet children under 16 will be banned from TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram next year. Mayor Sadiq Khan has announced £1.5 million for summer activities, including football sessions with 11 London clubs, to reduce youth crime during the holidays.
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