A spat has erupted between Barnet Council and the man in charge of regenerating Cricklewood over the possibility of a neighbouring scheme impinging on the original plans.

Jonathan Joseph, development manager of Cricklewood Redevelopment Ltd (CRL), wrote a letter to councillors and officers, which was distributed at a cabinet scrutiny meeting on Monday (March 29), expressing his concern about the council's decision to ask another company to develop plans close by.

Australian developers Multiplex, which is dealing with the construction of Wembley Stadium, has been given permission by the council to come up with alternative ideas for a site which had been designated for a new 5,500-seater stadium for the basketball team London Towers. Its precise location is off Claremont Road, near Whitefield School and the Tesco supermarket.

Mr Joseph, whose company was also behind the redevelopment of Fulham Broadway Tube station, said: "We cannot begin to understand the processes that would have led to such a decision at this delicate stage of progressing our joint working towards the regeneration of Cricklewood."

CRL have already invested £1million investment in putting together plans for the area.

And Mr Joseph pointed out that any development on the London Towers site would need to be worked out in tandem with CRL's schemes. He asked why he had not been consulted.

Mr Joseph wrote: "We are entitled to common courtesy and common sense and we are deeply disturbed to have to question whether we are getting the benefit of either."

Councillor Kanti Patel, cabinet member for planning, said the letter was disappointing.

He said: "We haven't consulted anyone on this because it is only an exploratory scheme. London Borough of Barnet and the public and myself as the responsible cabinet member have every right to explore and see if there is any viable project which will be dove-tailed into the masterplan.

"This is only a first stage. Multiplex is looking at the area, which CRL have never asked to do. But it would be wrong for the people of Barnet if we gave anyone an exclusive zone in Barnet and I am entitled to explore other viable schemes."