People have been given more time to have their say on a large-scale housing development.

Barnet Council has extended the consultation deadline for the Victoria Quarter scheme in New Barnet until Wednesday, June 17.

It means people have an extra four weeks to comment on the plans submitted by Fairview New Homes and One Housing.

The proposed scheme, at the site of the former British Gas Works in Albert Road, would provide 652 homes in 14 blocks up to ten storeys high, with 35 per cent classed as affordable “by habitable room”.

This is more than double the number of homes in the original plans for the site, which were approved by Barnet Council’s planning committee in 2017.

MP for Chipping Barnet Theresa Villiers, who had asked for the consultation period to be extended, welcomed the council’s decision.

Ms Villiers said: “I asked the council for an extension because I felt that rushing ahead with controversial applications like this one could lead to people being frozen out of the planning and consultation process because of the Covid lockdown.

“This would mean developments with a big local impact not getting proper public scrutiny, and constituents left feeling disenfranchised and deprived of their full right to take part in local planning decisions.”

The Chipping Barnet MP is opposed to the current Victoria Quarter plans, which she branded a “massive overdevelopment”.

Developer One Housing said the revised scheme would provide more affordable homes, while the height of the tallest blocks would be reduced compared to earlier plans.

A Barnet Council spokesman said: “To ensure everyone has the opportunity to have their say, we have increased the consultation period for major applications from 28 days to 42 days.

“Other aspects of the consultation are operating as normal, with hard copies of consultation letters being sent to people’s homes, site notices put on display and planning reports and information being published online.”

To have your say on the development, visit the council’s planning portal and enter reference: 20/1719/FUL

The planning portal is available here: https://www.barnet.gov.uk/planning-and-building/planning/find-and-comment-planning-applications