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An agreement has been reached to ensure a post office is moved to a site in the same street if plans for its demolition are approved, a charity has confirmed.
Charity Jewish Futures has applied to Barnet Council to build a four-storey community centre on the site of Hendon Post Office in Brent Street.
The project, called Our Story, is designed to provide a home for ten Jewish educational charities that currently have separate premises across Hendon, and it would be open to the whole community.
Several residents have posted on Barnet’s planning portal to oppose the scheme because they fear losing the local post office. One described it as “invaluable to my business”.
Rabbi Naftali Schiff, founder and chief executive of Jewish Futures, said: “The Our Story project will be a dynamic and accessible space, which will be an asset for the whole community.
“At its heart, this will be a cutting-edge educational centre, giving young people of all backgrounds the opportunity to engage with Jewish life, practices, culture and community in an immersive and meaningful way.
“The building will also include outstanding facilities for the community, including spaces for co-working and meetings, as well as relaxing and socialising.
“We are fully taking into account the wishes and needs of all local residents, and that is why an agreement is in place to ensure the post office is relocated in Brent Street before any development starts.”
A spokesperson for the Post Office commented: “We are fully aware of the plans to redevelop the site. Hendon Post and Royal Mail used to share the site, and Royal Mail has already moved out.
“The charity that has plans to redevelop the site for a community centre have been fully liaising with our postmaster. They have agreed that, subject to planning permission being granted, Hendon post office can remain at the current site for a further year. They will fund a new post office. We will help our long-serving postmaster to find suitable alternative premises.”
The application to redevelop the site was submitted to the council in October. If it is approved, the charity claims the facilities on offer will also include a creche and fitness and wellbeing studio spaces.
It will also provide two disabled parking bays with cycle storage on the ground floor, while a loading bay designed to minimise the impact on local traffic will also be made available for use by local businesses, Jewish Futures added.
The charity stated that great effort had been made to minimise the risk of overlooking neighbouring properties, while a survey revealed parking pressures will be reduced.
Residents can view and comment on the proposals before they are considered by one of Barnet Council’s planning committees.
They can do so by visiting the planning portal and entering reference: 20/5081/FUL
The planning portal is available here: https://www.barnet.gov.uk/planning-and-building/planning/find-and-comment-planning-applications
