Tower blocks up to 16 storeys high have been approved by councillors – despite concerns over parking problems and overdevelopment. 

Developer St George has been given the green light to build 343 homes at Beaufort Park in Aerodrome Road, Colindale. 

The flats will be built in blocks of seven, nine, 13 and 16 storeys, with 35 per cent classed as affordable by habitable room. There will also be 267 car parking spaces and commercial space. 

Councillors narrowly approved the plans at a meeting of the strategic planning committee on Monday, after hearing objections from residents, councillors and an MP. 

Deborah Peters, a neighbour, told the meeting: “Excessive development is already causing a great impact on the quality of life of the current residents. 

“We already suffer from huge, limiting parking issues, which are getting worse and worse. I have waited over a year for a parking space. I’m parking about 20 minutes to half an hour away by bus. 

“My apartment used to have a view, and now it has a block built in front of it.” 

The developer revised earlier plans for the site, lowering the highest tower block from 21 to 16 storeys and cutting the total number of homes from 393 to 343. 

During the consultation periods, Barnet Council received 220 objections to the original plans and 70 to the revised application. A total of three letters of support were received. 

But another opponent suggested the planning officer should have compared the current proposals to an existing permission for 237 homes in blocks up to 10 storeys, which was approved in 2015. 

She told the meeting existing residents would be “negatively affected with overcrowding across all our amenities – nurseries, GPs, primary schools and visitor parking”. 

Cllrs Roberto Weeden-Sanz (Conservative, Brunswick Park) and Gill Sergeant (Labour, Colindale) also raised objections to the scheme. 

MP for Hendon Dr Matthew Offord said: “A building of 16 storeys will completely alter the appearance, symmetry and attractiveness of Beaufort Park. It will dominate a development which is mid-rise, not high-rise.  

“This will put significant, additional pressure on local health, education and transport services – particularly in light of other developments taking place in neighbouring areas.” 

But Ed Noble, a director at St George, defended the scheme. He said the changes to the previous application – made in response to objections from residents – would result in “significant improvements” to daylight and sunlight levels.  

Mr Noble added: “The environmental, transport and social infrastructure capacity of the area have been carefully assessed, and these assessments have not identified any negative impact arising from the proposed development. 

“The proposals will deliver an additional 106 homes, an increase in the proportion of affordable housing, and an additional £3.4 million towards local infrastructure.” 

Under questioning from councillors, Mr Noble said the plans had been revised to respond to the latest context, including the publication of the Draft London Plan, which “encourages the optimisation of density”. 

Mr Noble claimed a parking survey showed there was “between 27 and 28 per cent spare capacity within the wider car parking”. He added that there would be “no impact on the number of spaces available to existing residents” because people living in the new buildings would not be allowed to park elsewhere in Beaufort Park. 

At the end of the debate, six members of the committee voted in favour of the scheme, with the remaining six voting against. Committee chairman Cllr Shimon Ryde (Conservative, Childs Hill) used his casting vote to approve the plans.  

As an application of strategic importance to London, it will be referred to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who can approve the scheme or overturn the committee’s decision.