Plans for flats up to 24 storeys high at the site of a car dealership have been submitted to Barnet Council.

Parkside Investments wants to demolish the Crown Honda showroom in Hyde Estate Road, Colindale, and build 470 homes at the site.

The development – known as The Rockery – would provide 35 per cent affordable housing, indoor community space, a café, retail opportunities, workspaces, and storage.

London Assembly Member for Barnet and Camden Andrew Dismore has written to the council to object to the development, branding it “another unacceptable planning application for an overly dense and tall development on the A5, next to three other huge developments”.

Mr Dismore said: “Three skyscrapers of 20 to 24 storeys is far too high, and in conjunction with other proposed tall buildings in the area will lead to a tunnelling effect along the A5, a straight road dating back to Roman times. It creates an overbearing appearance for the street scene.”

The Labour politician claimed the scheme would be too dense and put “tremendous pressure” on local services. He claimed the 135 proposed parking car parking spaces would not be enough.

“The mix of units is also unacceptable,” Mr Dismore added. “The borough has a great need for family-sized homes, which are not provided here. There is also insufficient affordable housing, falling well below the 50 per cent target for which the borough should be aiming.”

But a spokesperson for the developer defended the plans and said they had been drawn up “with the local area in mind”.

The spokesperson added: “Our landscape-led approach will deliver a raft of benefits to the local area in order to complement existing and future residents in Colindale as well as neighbouring developments.

“The existing hardstanding site will be replaced by an entire public garden at podium-level for the enjoyment of the whole community, complemented by new indoor community space, café, retail opportunities, workspaces, and storage. This will deliver a 60 per cent uplift in new jobs.

“We take the standard of sustainable living very seriously and are targeting a carbon reduction of at least 35 per cent beyond building regulations. The development will provide a mix of studio to four-bedroom homes, including 165 much-needed affordable homes. All of these residents – regardless of tenure – will enjoy ample amenities, including private outdoor space, storage, a creche, gym, and library, in homes that are all dual aspect, with excellent views and daylight.

“We will be providing a policy-compliant number of parking spaces in the development as agreed by Barnet Council. We have robustly assessed and demonstrated that Edgware Road benefits from sufficient capacity to accommodate both this and neighbouring developments. If we were to receive planning permission for The Rockery at the Hyde, a substantial financial contribution will be made to Barnet Council to help improve the infrastructure of the local area.

“If residents should like to know more about the plans, we would be delighted to hear from them through our project website https://rockery-at-the-hyde.community/.”

To have your say on the plans before they are considered by a planning committee, visit the council’s planning portal and enter reference: 20/3906/FUL.

The planning portal is available here.