Harrow Council is expected to rubber-stamp plans for Barnet FC to play their home games in the borough at a meeting tonight.

The council’s cabinet will decide whether the proposal by the club to play its matches at The Hive Football Centre in Prince Edwards Playing Fields from August next year should be approved, with council officers recommending the plan.

If given the go-ahead, the club – which has played at its Underhill Stadium in Barnet for 105 years – would redevelop part of the training centre to build new stands around a newly-laid pitch.

The Harrow Times was given exclusive access by the club to its centre, which is in the final stages of a £4million redevelopment with a new gym, bar, changing facilities and offices set for completion next week.

The gym and pitches – both natural grass and artificial – will be open to the community to use alongside the team’s players and staff.

The council’s report says the economic benefits of bringing the club to the borough are wide-ranging – from giving the community access to the facilities to bringing match-day income to local businesses from fans who attend games.

But homeowners in the area have complained that the agreement would cause parking chaos on match days, with a controlled parking zone (CPZ) being introduced, while there are also concerns over noise and litter.

And earlier this week, Canons Park Residents’ Association labelled the council’s consultation on the move “a total farce”, with homes not receiving leaflets and drop-in sessions not providing enough information.

Council officers have recommended that the club is given initial approval to play matches in the playing fields for ten years, until the end of the 2022/23 season, although there is a 125-year agreement between the council and club already in place to use the land for training purposes.