1 Christ Church Lane,, London, EN5 4PL

the change of use from vacant office space to residential property, replacement windows, and all associated works – all at ground floor level

Authority: Barnet
Appeal type: Planning
Procedure: Written
Development: residential
Postcode: EN5 4PL

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the loss of employment floorspace is justified, in line with development plan policies

What decided it

The appellant failed to provide the evidence required by Policy ECY01 to demonstrate that the site is no longer suitable and viable for employment use, including evidence of 12 months active marketing and consideration of alternative business uses.

Plan policies cited: Policy ECY01 of the Barnet Local Plan (2025), Policy E6 of the London Plan (2021)

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

The main issues and the deciding factor are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.

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What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.
- Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
- Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
- Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
- Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.
Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.
Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.
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