Housing secretary Robert Jenrick has hailed the new Brent Cross development as a model he would like to see rolled out across the country.
The top Tory said he was “delighted” after visiting the Brent Cross West station and Brent Cross Town developments last Thursday (September 2) with Finchley and Golders Green MP Mike Freer.
Due to open in December 2022, Brent Cross West will be the first major new mainline station in London in more than a decade.
The station and town are part of the Brent Cross Cricklewood regeneration programme, which Barnet Council said covers 370 acres and will deliver a “new vibrant town centre”, 7,500 homes, up to 27,000 jobs and 455,000 square metres of commercial space.
Mr Jenrick told the Ham&High: “This is a development I've been involved with for several years, and I'm delighted to see it coming to fruition.
“It's going to play a major role in meeting the housing needs of this part of London.”
He said it was important to the government that new developments brought “real benefits for the local community”, including new infrastructure, playgrounds and public realm.
“And what I've seen today shows all of those things are coming together on the site,” he added.
The housing minister praised the effort being made to ensure the development is environmentally-friendly and sustainable.
He added: "This is going to be one of the first major net zero communities in the country, so all of the buildings being constructed in the years ahead will either be net zero or net zero-ready, meaning that nothing will ever need to be extensively retrofitted.
“And that's a model for what we'd like to see on other sites across the country.”
Asked about the ongoing cladding crisis, Mr Jenrick said all buildings with unsafe cladding will be remediated by the end of the year, bar a few "exception" cases.
He explained: "We're providing five billion pounds of funding to help leaseholders to meet the costs of that work and any other remediation that might need to be done.
"If substantial bills are falling on the doorsteps of these holders, I urge them to push back and to see whether these are truly necessary, because we are seeing extreme risk aversion and that needs to be tackled," he added.
Mr Freer said it was a "great opportunity" to invite the secretary of state to Brent Cross Town.
The MP said: “This is a significant and exceptional development that will be transformative for the area and local community."
“Over the next 15 years, Brent Cross Town will become an entirely new community hub in the north of London," he added.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here