Finchley SquareWoodland Bosques


KLA have been leading a multidisciplinary team to deliver a revitalised town centre in Finchley Central. The project concept is a series of Bosques that reinforce Finchley's green character on the edge of the city and on the green belt. The scheme builds on the healthy streets approach and proposes a complete overhaul of the existing high street, relocating parking and narrowing the carriageway to make more space for pedestrians and trees. Increased crossings and a median strip will create a much more accessible town centre, that prioritises walking and cycling.
A new square will provide a flexible space for the community with its own programme of markets and events. Forest scale tree planting references the site’s past as a wooded ridge and reinforces Finchley’s natural signature. Furniture within the town centre will be playful and use natural elements such as logs, encouraging social interaction and community cohesion through play. Overall, the proposal will activate the high street, making a more vibrant and inclusive town centre that celebrates diversity and supports a healthier way of life. Our work has also involved the production of a new Public Realm Design Framework for Finchley Central which identifies 4 principles that guide the future development of Finchley Central. These principles are fundamental in creating a place-based, coordinated identity for the town centre. The principles are underpinned by a number of deliverable elements and the framework provides detail on how they should be implemented in the public realm. • Creating community destinations - Destinations within the town centre (such as Victoria Park) do not currently integrate well with their surroundings and the public realm on the high street does not provide sufficient space for activities to happen. Social spaces within the Town Centre should have places to dwell and be inclusive and accessible, catering for multiple age ranges, disabilities and cultures. Stengthening Local Identity - Materials are important tools in order to establish an identity and legibility for FCTC. Due to the site’s rich historic past and in order to improve the connection between different areas, the following principles are based on enhancing the existing material palette. Materials are important tools in order to establish an identity and legibility for Finchley. Using standard materials in adaptable ways is the guidance for the public realm. In urban bosques, pedestrians crossing the road in an intuitive way will be a priority over any cycle segregation. • Greening Finchley Central - This principle aims to make the geographical and landscape context of Finchley strongly legible again. The principle proposes re-establishing the ancient woodland quality within the public realm by bringing a tree bosque into the high street and reinforcing its proximity to the green belt and green spaces in the area. • Creating an Accessible Town centre - Supporting active travel is a key objective in the Barnet Transport plan, Barnet’s Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy and also forms one of the Public Realm Design Framework’s 4 Visions. Ensuring the public realm prioritises walking and cycling will encourage more people to travel to the high street by foot or by bike and support a healthier town centre, reducing pollution and vehicle dominance.

2019–2021
london borough of barnet

Client

london borough of barnet

Community Engagement Consultant

Studio S&M

Cost Consultant

Appleyard & Trew

Engineer

Alan Baxter

Lighting Consultant

Studio Dekka



Finchley Square
KLA have been leading a multidisciplinary team to deliver a revitalised town centre in Finchley Central. The project concept is a series of Bosques that reinforce Finchley's green character on the edge of the city and on the green belt. The scheme builds on the healthy streets approach and proposes a complete overhaul of the existing high street, relocating parking and narrowing the carriageway to make more space for pedestrians and trees. Increased crossings and a median strip will create a much more accessible town centre, that prioritises walking and cycling.
Kinnear Landscape Architects
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