A PLANNING application has been handed to Barnet Council for a new religious boundary which would “make life more enjoyable” for observant Jews.

In December members of Mill Hill synagogue announced plans for an eruv, a wire strung on poles around an area within which Jewish people are allowed to push and carry objects on the Sabbath.

Now plans for the eruv, which would link existing ones in Finchley, Hendon, Edgware and Borehamwood, have been handed into Barnet Council for scrutiny.

Gill Gallick, the chairman of the Mill Hill eruv committee, told the Times Series: “We have been told the planning committee should hear the application in July.

“If it is passed we could have the eruv up and running by the end of the year, which would be fantastic, but we have to get the money together first.

“I think we've raised about £15,000 of the £50-60,000 we will need to bring this into existence so far. There is still more work to do.”

Previous applications for eruvs in some areas have raised concerns with residents about obtrusive poles being stuck in front of their homes.

However, Mrs Gallick said: “We have been speaking extensively to the Mill Hill conservation society and we have sent letters to people living near possible sites for poles to explain what is happening.

“People have been very receptive to what we are trying to do and certainly no-one has been hostile to us or this idea. Some people were worried we were going to fence them in, but that's not what it's like.”

She added: “Some people look at it as a way of getting around religious stricture, but the Sabbath is supposed to be a day of enjoyment and it will have a very positive impact on people's lives.

“This will be the last piece of the jigsaw and enable people to walk from Edgware to Hendon if they want to, and bring things to people's homes if they go for dinner for example.

“It will also be hugely beneficial to parents and disabled people who at the moment are not supposed to push their children or themselves around.”