A 197-home development on a site next to an area of green belt land has been approved by councillors.

Plans by developer Ziser London for IBSA House and former printworks, in The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, were given the green light at a meeting of the strategic planning committee on Tuesday.

The scheme involves converting existing offices into 61 flats and building five new blocks of between three and six storeys to create a further 136 homes.

Barnet Council received 97 objections to the plans from members of the public warning of overstretched infrastructure, the impact on the green belt and other concerns.

Gerry Temple, chairman of Hillview Road Residents’ Association, told the meeting the area was “already bursting at the seams with ever-growing residential developments – but without any concomitant development of local facilities, including public transport, traffic management, medical facilities, retail outlets and utilities”.

He said retaining the site as a light industrial estate would provide “employment and growth opportunities without any need to upgrade these facilities”.

“Increased housing will impact on negatively on the adjacent green belt areas, with consequential loss of wildlife,” Mr Temple added.

But Mark Sheerman, the developer’s agent, said the site “lends itself very well to residential use, given its location in a residential area adjacent to Millbrook Park and close to open green space”.

He claimed the affordable housing level – 20 per cent – had been increased from a lower level that viability assessors had said would not generate any developer profit.

Times Series: A computer-generated image of the development (Image: Line Creative)A computer-generated image of the development (Image: Line Creative)

“Regarding facilities for the development, your (the council’s) officers are happy with the scheme and that everything in terms of infrastructure supports the development, and this scheme is a relatively modest development,” Mr Sheerman added.

Committee member Cllr Nagus Narenthira (Labour, Colindale) criticised the affordable housing level and claimed the area was “overdeveloped”, making it “very dense, without much infrastructure”. A new primary school nearby was “oversubscribed”, she added.

Cllr Claire Farrier (Labour, East Finchley) said the scheme looked “out of keeping” with the area and would affect views from the green belt.

Responding to their concerns, council planning officer Hardeep Ryatt said the affordable housing level had been independently viability tested by the council and the Greater London Authority and was deemed acceptable.

“The views and the impact of the development have been carefully considered by various officers and it is considered that it is acceptable,” he added.

Mr Ryatt said the developer would pay for infrastructure improvements, adding that there was existing primary school provision in the area and no need for a new secondary school.

At the end of the debate, the four Labour committee members, along with Liberal Democrat councillor Jess Brayne and Tory councillor Golnar Bokaei, voted against the plans. The remaining six Conservative members voted in favour.

With the vote tied, committee chairman Cllr Melvin Cohen used his casting vote to approve the scheme.

The application will now be referred to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, who can approve the scheme, reject it or call for it to be amended.