Saracens hope to be in Copthall for January (From Times Series)

Saracens is unlikely to be in Copthall in 2012 unless they are able to cater for the thousands of required car parking spaces, given the inadequate public transport structure in Mill Hill. On TfL's transport accessibility scale, Copthall scores zero (bottom) for accessability! So fans may give public transport a trial run once, but are highly unlikely to use it again. It will take most of them an hour at least to travel up one stop as it currently exists.

Parking facilities need a radical rethink.

Anthony - Nimby patrol here again and I see you're not sticking to the facts yet again! "It will take most of them an hour at least to travel up one stop" where on Earth do you get this from? I'm afraid it is this kind of desperate raving that gives you no credibility. Please stick to the facts for everyone's sake.

OK. This is how it works: you just miss, as is common in life, the 15 min. shuttle at Finchley Central (or it is too full to get on the first one), and wait for the next one - so you arrive at arrive at Mill Hill East about 20 mins later. It is a 25 minute walk to Copthall main entrance (not the path in Pursley Rd.) for the average height person, but quicker for those who are tall or speed walk. That is 45 minutes. Even if you wait 15 minutes for the bus at Mill Hill East instead, you will probably find standing room only by the time it comes and you get on. Now assume you just missed the first shuttle and cannot get on the next one, say, on an event day - you can add another 20 minutes on to your travel time. Now that makes 65 minutes!

A 2012 start for Saracens is a pipe dream. This plan will be stopped soon and we all know it (hopefully by the GLA) and then Saracens can concentrate back at Vicarage Road and negotiating a new lease.....

Barnet FC was stopped twice and this will be stopped by a public enquiry if it goes that far.

The picture you post of the proposed stadium is grossly misleading! It would be much more intrusive and dominating on this Green Belt site. It's disgraceful! As to Councillor Daniel Thomas and his claim the stadium is "crumbling",how does he explain the £280,000 of Toytown money spent recently to repair and upgrade it? Has it all been spent on sixpenny teas at Mrs Goose's ? He ought to be ashamed of himself! Did he get his BA (Hons) in Effrontery? Eh?

The existing West stand can't possibly be 'crumbling', 'derelict' etc. The Saracens' plans are for 'minor external alterations ....and internal refurbishment to provide new changing facilities and accommodation for officials, medical staff, media'. So there's nothing basically wrong with it, after all we've been told!

The picture isn't misleading actually firstly because thats actually how it is going to look as submitted in the planning application and secondly because according to pages 58 to 64 the stadium is actually obscured by the treeline at ground level especially when viewed from the golf course, Champions way and Greenlands lane. Go to copthall-application
.co.uk and check out the Design and Access statement. Its all in there.
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What is actually misleading is your statement that Saracens are going to be building another Wembley stadium on greenbelt land when actually the land used will be exclusively reused from the existing site.
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Also in regards to the West Stand. Look, we've seen the photos and its clear that the West Stand is in dire need of a face lift. You're trying to make it sound like its in mint condition when the photos of mouldy decayed benches and faded peeling paint suggest anything but.
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And lets not forget here that these plans are supported by the Shaftsbury-Barnet Harriers who use the stadium for athletics. Are they wrong? Nope. Have they been misled? Doubt it. Are they misleading the good people of Barnet? Absolutely not.
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And finally so far the number of people in favour of the application so far stands at 73 compared with 39 against. The plan has good cross-community support within Barnet and has had backing from athletics clubs in Barnet and now one of the Schools nearby who will be providing parking. What the planning board and GLA won't buy however is the rampant hysteria and scaremongering tactics designed to keep Copthall empty and derelict so as to ensure that a couple of NIMBYs get some peace & quiet at the expense of the good people of Barnet.