EIR - Stoney Wood Quarter Development [Oct 2026]

I a request information under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 regarding the Stoney Wood Quarter development, planning reference 25/2743/FUL, GLA reference GLA/2026/0196/S3, considered at the representation hearing on 9 October 2026.

I have identified apparent inconsistencies between the GLA’s published hearing documentation and Barnet Council’s earlier records concerning the legal identity of the applicant and its contractual interest in the development land.

1. Agreement for lease and the September 2026 long-stop

Barnet Council’s delegated-powers report dated 7 July 2023, concerning the Northway/Fairway development, states at paragraph 5.3 that the proposed agreement for lease was subject to conditions precedent, including satisfactory planning permission, development finance and other contractual arrangements.

The report expressly provides for a three-year long-stop to satisfy those conditions.

The GLA’s published draft Section 106 agreement, dated 30 September 2026, confirms that the agreement for lease was entered into on 29 September 2023.

A three-year period calculated from that date would end on 29 September 2026, ten days before the GLA representation hearing.

However, planning permission had not been granted by that date, and the Section 106 agreement remained in draft.

Notwithstanding this, the draft Section 106 agreement states that Stoney Wood Property Developments Limited holds a beneficial or equitable interest in the land pursuant to the September 2023 agreement for lease.

This raises an important question concerning the continuing contractual status of that agreement, whether its long-stop was extended or amended, and the basis upon which the developer’s interest in the land was verified.

2. Inconsistent applicant identity

Page 1 of the GLA’s Stage 3 Representation Hearing Report identifies the applicant as “Stoney Wood Quarter Ltd”.

However, the draft Section 106 agreement identifies the developer as “Stoney Wood Property Developments”, company number 13161720, which corresponds to Stoney Wood Property Developments Limited.

The GLA’s public consultation webpage also identifies Stoney Wood Property Developments Limited as the applicant.

I therefore request the following recorded information:
 

1. Copies of records held by the GLA establishing the status of the agreement for lease dated 29 September 2023 as at 29 September 2026 and 9 October 2026, including any recorded confirmation that the agreement remained effective.
2. Copies of any extensions, variations, supplemental agreements, waivers or correspondence held by the GLA concerning the three-year contractual long-stop, including any records identifying a revised long-stop date.
3. Copies of any records establishing whether the conditions precedent under the agreement for lease had been satisfied, waived, varied or remained outstanding as at the date of the hearing.
4. Copies of records relied upon by the GLA to establish that Stoney Wood Property Developments Limited held a sufficient legal or equitable interest in the site for the purposes of entering into the proposed Section 106 agreement, including relevant title checks, certificates, correspondence and confirmations from the applicant’s solicitors.
5. Copies of the original and any amended ownership certificates submitted with the planning application, together with any records of checks undertaken concerning their accuracy and the identification or notification of relevant landowners.
6. Copies of any correspondence, internal reports, briefing notes or records concerning the implications of the September 2026 contractual long-stop for the planning application, proposed development arrangements or enforceability of the Section 106 obligations.
7. Copies of any recorded correspondence or internal discussions concerning the identification of “Stoney Wood Quarter Ltd” as the applicant in the Stage 3 report, including records of verification, correction or notification to the Deputy Mayor.
8. Copies of any records identifying amendments or corrections required to the draft Section 106 agreement before execution, including confirmation of the developer’s legal identity, land interests and the consistency of the land title references.

Public interest in disclosure

The proposed development concerns 463 residential units, substantial planning obligations and publicly owned land.

The Council’s published contractual arrangements contemplated a three-year period for satisfying conditions precedent before the grant of a substantial leasehold interest.

The GLA’s subsequent planning documentation appears to proceed on the basis that the developer continues to hold an interest under the same agreement, notwithstanding the passage of the apparent long-stop date.

There may be a legitimate contractual explanation, including an extension or variation that is not presently apparent from the published documents.

However, given the importance of verifying the legal parties and land interests underpinning a major planning permission, I consider there to be a strong public interest in establishing what checks were undertaken and what evidence was available to the GLA.

The inconsistent identification of the applicant in the Stage 3 report adds to the importance of demonstrating that the relevant legal entities were correctly identified and verified.

I recognise that neither the passage of a contractual long-stop date nor a drafting discrepancy necessarily invalidates a planning application. The purpose of this request is to establish what recorded evidence was considered and whether the relevant contractual position had been clarified before the decision-making process.

I am seeking existing recorded information rather than requesting new legal advice or an investigation. An ownership certificate was submitted as part of the planning application. This is available on the Council’s website (see link below). No additional ownership certificates were submitted to the GLA.

No information is held within the scope of the request. The legal agreement published at the time of the Stage 3 hearing was a draft and will be finalised and completed before planning permission is issued.

As part of this process, and prior to execution of the agreement, checks are undertaken to verify the developer’s legal interest in the site for the purposes of entering into the Section 106 agreement.

Our response

An ownership certificate was submitted as part of the planning application. This is available on the Council’s website (see link below). No additional ownership certificates were submitted to the GLA.

No information is held within the scope of the request. The legal agreement published at the time of the Stage 3 hearing was a draft and will be finalised and completed before planning permission is issued.

As part of this process, and prior to execution of the agreement, checks are undertaken to verify the developer’s legal interest in the site for the purposes of entering into the Section 106 agreement.