Planters that sparked a political row in Golders Green have finally been removed after months of wrangling.
Following local petitions, criticism from Conservative councillors, and investigations from council officers, wooden planters at the junction of Golders Green Crescent and Golders Green Road have now been removed by Barnet Council, while others are also set to be dismantled.
The planters, collectively dubbed ‘parklets’, were installed in key locations to create temporary public amenity spaces that could host community events. Seating areas were also provided.
However, the Conservatives have continued to accuse the Labour administration of making “no effort” to address residents’ concerns with the scheme.
Councillor Dean Cohen and Peter Zinkin said in a joint statement: “These installations have caused significant issues, including the loss of valuable parking spaces, which negatively impacted local businesses.
“Additionally, the parklets attracted anti-social behaviour and litter, despite being installed against the advice of community safety experts.”
In response Alan Schneiderman, Labour’s cabinet member for environment and climate change, pointed out that the idea for parklets in Golders Green was originally conceived by the previous Conservative administration in 2020.
He said: “The parklets in Golders Green were installed by the previous Conservative administration, of which councillors Dean Cohen and Peter Zinkin were chair and vice-chair of the relevant committee.
“The council has now reviewed the parklets scheme, including in Golders Green, and is removing them where they are not well used or are causing problems.”
Following criticism the council agreed to the removal of planters at the junction of Golders Green Crescent and Golders Green Road last October, but didn’t go ahead with it until this month.
Other parklets in the area are also being removed.
The Conservative group hasn’t denied the planters were their idea, having previously said they had wanted the town centre to receive some “care and attention” but disagreed with the way this had been executed.
But the councillors did not hold back on their comments, adding that Cllr Schneiderman had “repeatedly failed” to arrange the removal, and this was an example of the Labour group disregarding “the needs and voices of the Golders Green community”.
Local Democracy Reporter Grace Howarth covers the London boroughs of Barnet, Enfield and Haringey as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), reporting on local government, housing, planning and community issues.
