Two planning applications that include parts of the Tally Ho triangle are now being considered by the Council. One is by Regal London and the other by the owners of Balfour House. The sites of the proposed developments overlap and this has created confusion.
Both developments are not in keeping with the North Finchley Strategy and should be refused by the council. The Balfour House application could sabotage the town centre’s regeneration. Below we explain what these applications are, how two developers can apply for the same piece of land, and what the implications of this may be.
What is the “Tally Ho triangle”?
The Tally Ho area is the informal name given to the southern part of North Finchley town centre. The “triangle” is bounded to the south by Kingsway, to the east by the High Road and to the west by Ballards Lane. It is thus an island site surrounded by busy roads.
What buildings are currently on the Triangle Site?
The site contains about seven buildings, some combined, from different periods:
- Close to the northern tip is the Tally Ho Pub.
- To the south of the pub is Balfour House, an office building constructed about 100 years ago.
- Next to Balfour House is a set of interconnected office buildings known as Rex House, dating from the 1930s.
- The Grand Arcade runs through the centre of the site. It was added to Barnet’s local Heritage List in 2022. While it has some potential, it is sadly run-down and under-occupied. It is very unlikely to survive any regeneration.
- At the south-western corner sits the bulk of the 16-storey 100 Kingsway House apartment block, built in 2004 (Aldi is beneath this block as is underground car parking).
- Next to Kingsway House is the artsdepot, opened in 2004, which is connected to an office building occupying the corner of the High Road and Kingsway.
- Beneath the Arts Depot building is the TfL bus depot.
Which parts of the triangle are singled out for redevelopment?
The part of the triangle marked for redevelopment is the central area, between the Tally Ho pub to the north and the artsdepot to the south.
Who owns the land on the Tally Ho triangle singled out for redevelopment?
There are six title deeds registered for the land earmarked for redevelopment. The two major landowners are:
- Sansprine Limited – Balfour House. This UK-registered company is a part of the Cavendish & Gloucester group, a privately-owned property development company which has undertaken projects in Finchley and elsewhere.
- Summercourt Holdings Limited – Rex House (including the Arcade). The company is registered in the British Virgin Islands, which means that its ownership, activity and finances are completely hidden from public eyes.
What do the North Finchley Strategy and Local Plan say about the Tally-Ho triangle?
This site was one of those identified for redevelopment in the 2018 “North Finchley Town Centre Framework Supplementary Planning Document” (North Finchley Strategy SPD). As “Key Opportunity Site 1” (KOS1) it was deemed the most important site and the first to be developed.
The SPD is the key document governing how the whole town centre can be redeveloped and Our North Finchley uses it as a framework to judge individual schemes.
In the SPD, the site was to be developed as follows:
- The artsdepot building, 100 Kingsway and the pub would remain,
- The rest of the site would contain residential and commercial buildings,
- Building heights would be from 3 storeys just behind the pub, up to 12 stories near the Artsdpot,
- There would be a public open space in front of the entrance to the artsdepot,
- Ballards Lane (along the triangle) would be closed to cars and reserved for buses, pedestrians and cyclists.
The Local Plan makes clear that the SPD must guide the development of the site (which is designated as Site 52 in the Plan). It gives an indicative capacity of 252 homes. The Plan incorporates the North Finchley SPD (Policy GSS08(C)(c)).
The SPD states that significant new developments should not be brought forward unless they are part of an overall masterplan with associated planning applications. This is to safeguard the integrity of the town centre’s regeneration. Uncoordinated individual schemes could result in a town centre with no coherence and lacking key essential elements (such as a public space, changes to traffic flow, amenities such as libraries and communal spaces, etc).
What are the two applications for the Tally Ho triangle?
The applications are:
- Regal Masterplan:
- The Masterplan includes four plots. The triangle is plot A1, and the other plots cover land around the triangle. The triangle (A1) would be the first to be developed, with the others coming forward later in phases.
- It is an “outline” application: it seeks permission for buildings of a certain size, in a particular layout, for certain uses, with various other provisions,
- What we see in the application is an “illustrative scheme” – the actual design of the buildings could be very different although the size and location will remain the same (the details will require a second planning application),
- Buildings will be massive, ranging from 8 to 21 storeys,
- There would be a small open space in front of the artsdepot (surrounded by tall buildings) and a passage of shops connecting Ballards Lane and the High Road,
- The number of flats may be up to 300 with commercial units on the ground floor (the proportion of affordable flats may be around 22%),
- There would be no parking, except for a few Blue-Badge places (for disabled people),
- There would be a small open space surrounded by tall buildings on three sides,
- Ballards Lane would closed to cars and restricted to buses, pedestrians and cyclists.
2. Sansprine Balfour House:
- Demolition of Balfour House and construction of a residential building, one part 7 storeys high and one 16 storeys,
- Shops on the ground floor and a narrow passage connecting Ballards Lane with the High Road,
- 106 flats of which 99 will be 1 and 2 bedrooms, and 35% will be “affordable”,
- Play space for children 0-4 on the roof on the seventh floor, and no play space for children 5-16 (which is required by planning policy),
- There is no parking, even Blue-Badge (which is required by planning policy),
- No other changes to the area (e.g. no change to use of Ballards Lane, no open space etc).
How do the Applications relate to the North Finchley Strategy SPD?
Neither application is consistent with the council’s Strategy for North Finchley town centre. Both are much taller and more massive than specified.
Regal’s application is consistent with the Strategy’s requirement that development of the town centre should be comprehensive: no major application should come forward which does not include a masterplan for the whole area.
Sansprine’s application covers only the site of Balfour House. If built, it could stand alone next to the declining Rex House. The only change to the town centre would thus be the addition of another massive16 storey building to complement the unattractive 100 Kingsway block.
Sansprine is clearly uninterested in regeneration of the town centre. It does not address the Strategy in its application. It presents a single absurd drawing showing its proposals next to fantasy buildings on the triangle (the fantasy buildings would be impossible to place next to Sansprine’s building!).
Because the North Finchley Strategy is incorporated into the Local Plan, Sansprine’s application must clearly be rejected by the council. It is a stand-alone development that could worsen rather than improve the town centre’s amenity, function and design.
How can both applications include the same plot of land (Balfour House)?
The applications have been made separately, with no apparent coordination. Regal made its application in March 2025 and Sansprine applied in August 2025.
Both applications include the land of Balfour House. In Regal’s case this is because it is within the whole Tally Ho Site (KOS 1). Under the planning system, it is possible to make an application to develop a plot of land even if one does not own it. Therefore, Regal can make applications for land owned by Sansprine.
The owner of a site, like Sansprine, can of course make an application for a development on their own land, even if another person has made and application to develop it.
Regal has a legal agreement with the council under which it will develop all of the sites shown in the North Finchley SPD, including the Tally Ho triangle. Regal would first make a planning application for a site. If the application is approved, either Regal would purchase the land itself, or the council would purchase the land from the owners under a “compulsory purchase order” and sell it to Regal. The land purchases and sales would at a “fair value” determined by an independent valuer.
If Sansprine’s application is approved, it would require Regal to completely redesign its Masterplan application, which would be difficult and ruin an coherence of the triangle:
- If Regal were to preserve its proposed tall buildings (15 and 21 storeys), then the triangle would have an incoherent cluster of three new very tall buildings. Together with the 16-storey Kingsway House they would form a gigantic mass completely dominating the town centre and the wider area.
- There would be two pedestrian lanes between Ballards Lane and the High Road, which is a waste of valuable land (only one is needed),
- The need for separation between Sansprine’s tall building and Regal’s would make it difficult to provide open space outside the artsdepot.
- There would be major problems with daylight and sunlight between the buildings,
- The existing wind problems, caused by a single tall building, could become intolerable with four such buildings.
What will happen next?
The council is considering both applications. However, Regal has said that it will “pause” its application until the middle of next year. We do not know whether the council will consider Sansprine’s application before Regal’s.
Under planning laws, the council must decide on Sansprine’s planning application within 13 weeks of validation (19 August 2025). Unless there is an agreement for a longer time period, the 13 weeks runs until 18 November 2025. However, major applications can take much longer to decide (9 months or even more), because important details need to be clarified. If the council continues hold up a decision without good reason, then Sansprine could appeal to have the decision taken by a Planning Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State for Housing.
The future of the regeneration of North Finchley may thus hang on the council’s decision about Sansprine’s redevelopment of Balfour House. If it is approved, the whole regeneration scheme may collapse and the town centre will be in an even worse position. The clock is ticking.