THE CHAIRMAN of a rescheduled planning meeting over the controversial Cat Hill housing development has rejected calls from a Barnet MP to find a bigger venue.

Chipping Barnet MP Theresa Villiers (Con) joined three East Barnet councillors today in calling on Enfield Council to move the meeting on November 1 from the 292-capacity Gladys Child Theatre in Southgate College to a larger venue after her constituents raised concerns.

Last week's meeting at De Bohun School in Green Road descended into farce when more than 100 people were left outside the 140-capacity second-floor school hall for a debate over the plan by housing association L&Q to build 272 flats and houses on the site of the former Middlesex University site in Cat Hill.

Ms Villiers – who did not attend the abandoned meeting – said: “It is vitally important that all my residents are able to get into this meeting.

“There could be up to 500 people turning up and it will be a tragedy if people are turned away.”

But the panel's chairman, fellow Conservative Councillor Martin Prescott, said he had not received any correspondence from Ms Villiers, and after visiting the new venue was satisfied with the arrangements, adding that the meeting would go ahead as the council needed to move forward the application.

He said: “It is not always possible to entertain every single person that may wish to have their voice heard, but I'm also mindful of the likelihood that many of the objectors will simply be re-stating the same points of concern.

“It is for this reason that I advised all interested parties to submit written questions and comments wherever possible, and why I asked officers to make it clear that all such correspondence will be considered before the matter is eventually presented to the Planning Committee for determination.

“This Planning Panel is just part of the information-gathering process, and has no decision-making capacity whatsoever.”

Around 250 people in total turned up to last week's abandoned meeting, meaning it would take a big increase in numbers for the venue at Southgate College not to be big enough.

The council had already sent a letter out to those wanting to attend warning them that entry to the rescheduled meeting would be on a first come, first served basis and would go ahead regardless of turnout.

Campaigners are angry that the housing development would involve trees being cut down and increased traffic, but L&Q say the tree-line around the site will remain and they want to restore ponds in the leafy ex-campus into a nature reserve.