How to search Barnet planning applications on the council's Public Access portal, read the weekly list, comment or object, and what counts as a planning reason.

Every one of the Barnet planning applications submitted in the borough goes onto a single public register, free to search, no account needed to look. If a neighbour is extending, a shop is being converted, or a block of flats is proposed at the end of your road, the drawings, the reports and the deadline for comments are all sitting online right now. Most people only find out once the hoardings go up. This guide covers where the register is, how to read the weekly list, how long you get to have your say, and the difference between an objection that counts and one that gets set aside.

Where Barnet planning applications live

Barnet Council runs its register on Public Access, the Idox system used by most English councils:

You do not need to sign in to search or read anything. Type an address, a postcode or a reference number and you get the application form, the drawings, the supporting reports, the case officer, the dates and any comments already submitted. The council’s own route in is its view, search and comment on planning applications online page.

The council’s own instruction is to search by address, postcode or date, and the portal also takes a reference number if you have one from a letter or a site notice. If you only know roughly where the site is, keep the search loose and narrow it from the results list.

The weekly list: everything registered in the last seven days

If you would rather not run the same search over and over, Barnet publishes a weekly list of applications:

Each list covers a week beginning on a Monday, and the dropdown goes back well over a year. You choose whether you want applications validated or decided in that week, and you can filter to a single ward: Barnet Vale, Brunswick Park, Burnt Oak, Childs Hill, Colindale North and the rest of the borough’s wards are all listed separately. It is the fastest way to see what has just landed near you, and it is the habit worth building if you care about a particular street, because a neighbour notification letter does not always arrive.

Email alerts: let the portal watch the street for you

Better still, make the council’s system do the checking. Register for a Public Access account, which is free, then save a search, usually a postcode, a street or your ward, and switch on notifications. Barnet’s own guidance confirms an account lets you get alerts for planning applications and appeals in your area, track applications you are interested in, see how many comments have been made, and find past applications.

One thing that trips people up: the Public Access login is not the same as your Barnet MyAccount login. The council says so explicitly. You need a separate registration for the planning portal.

How to comment or object

Comments have to go in writing, and the simplest route is straight through the portal. The council sets out four steps: go to Barnet Planning Applications, search by address, postcode or date, register or log in, then add your details and your comment in the comments section.

Two things about publication are worth knowing before you type. Barnet states that all comments submitted are made available online, and your name and address are published with your comment. Phone numbers and email addresses are redacted. The council also says it cannot enter into correspondence or discussion with objectors about the points they raise, so a comment is a submission, not the start of a conversation.

On timing, the deadline that matters is the one shown on the individual application’s page on the portal, and it is also given in the neighbour letter or on the site notice. The national standard is a 21 day consultation period from the point the consultation starts, the statutory minimum across England (Planning Aid guidance on commenting). Check the portal rather than counting from the date you first heard about a scheme, because the clock starts when the council starts the consultation, not when you notice the scaffolding.

What actually counts, and what does not

This is where most objections are lost. A planning decision can only turn on material planning considerations. Barnet applies its Local Plan, government guidance and other material considerations, and says it will weigh comments according to seriousness and relative importance.

The council’s own published list of what counts:

  • loss of light or overshadowing
  • overlooking and loss of privacy
  • visual amenity, but not loss of a private view
  • adequacy of parking, loading and turning
  • traffic generation, highway safety and parking
  • noise and disturbance from the use
  • loss of trees
  • effect on a listed building or conservation area
  • layout and density of building
  • design, including height, bulk, position, appearance and materials, and the effect on the surrounding area
  • landscaping and road access
  • local, strategic, regional and national planning policies
  • previous planning decisions, including appeal decisions
  • nature conservation

And what the council states it cannot take into account:

  • the perceived loss of property value
  • private disputes between neighbours
  • the loss of a view
  • the impact of construction work, or competition between firms
  • matters covered by other legislation, including restrictive covenants on land
  • ownership disputes over rights of way
  • the applicant’s motives, character or personal circumstances

What it means for you: the same worry can be worth a lot or nothing depending on how it is framed. “This will make my house harder to sell” carries no weight. “The three-storey rear extension will overshadow my kitchen window and remove afternoon light from the garden” is a material consideration the case officer has to address. Write it in the council’s language, be specific about which window, which room and which hour of the day, and cite the Local Plan policy if you can find it.

Barnet consults on applications in line with its Statement of Community Involvement, agreed by the council’s Cabinet in September 2025, which sets out who gets told about what.

Before you apply: permission, advice and enforcement

If you are the one building rather than the one objecting, three council pages do most of the work. Do I need planning permission? is the first stop, because a lot of domestic work is permitted development. Planning permission: making an application covers Barnet’s validation requirements and fees, and there is pre-application advice for anything substantial plus a paid Fast Track service that speeds up administration and review.

Trees are the trap. It is a criminal offence to work on a protected tree without consent, and the council explains how to check and apply on its protected trees page. Larger schemes may also owe the Community Infrastructure Levy.

If work is happening that you think has no permission, or breaches a condition, that is enforcement rather than a comment on a live application, and it goes through the council’s report a planning breach form.

The bigger picture: the Local Plan and the big sites

Individual applications are judged against the Barnet Local Plan 2021 to 2036, which sets the council’s vision for growth over a fifteen year period and is the document that decides where development can go in the first place. It is under review, and the council also maintains a brownfield land register of previously developed sites.

Two borough-scale schemes sit outside the ordinary run of applications. Brent Cross Cricklewood is Barnet’s largest regeneration area, covering Cricklewood, Brent Cross and West Hendon. And North London Business Park in Brunswick Park went to a planning public inquiry under appeal reference APP/N5090/W/23/3330577, with the council publishing the core documents in full. Anyone wanting to understand how a contested Barnet scheme is argued will find the whole evidence base there.

Barnet has also made an Article 4 Direction on small houses in multiple occupation, which removes permitted development rights for converting a house into a small HMO, so those conversions now need a full application and appear on the register like anything else.

Frequently asked questions

How do I find planning applications in Barnet?

Search the council’s Public Access portal at publicaccess.barnet.gov.uk/online-applications by address, postcode or reference number. No account is needed to view. The weekly list shows everything registered or decided in a given week.

What is the Barnet planning portal?

It is the council’s online planning register, branded Public Access and run on the Idox system. Residents sometimes call it the Barnet planning portal; it is the same free system at publicaccess.barnet.gov.uk, and it holds the drawings, reports, case officer and comment deadline for every application.

How long do I have to comment on a Barnet planning application?

The deadline is shown on the application’s own page on the portal, and in the neighbour letter or site notice. The national standard consultation period is 21 days from when the consultation starts.

Are comments on Barnet planning applications made public?

Yes. Barnet states that all comments are made available online and that your name and address are published with your comment. Phone numbers and email addresses are redacted.

Do I need a separate login to comment on Barnet planning applications?

Yes. The Public Access account is a different login from Barnet MyAccount. Register once on the planning portal and you can also save searches, get email alerts for new applications in your area, and track individual cases.

What reasons will Barnet actually consider in an objection?

Loss of light, overlooking and loss of privacy, parking and highway safety, noise, loss of trees, effect on listed buildings and conservation areas, design, density, landscaping and conflict with planning policy. Property values, private disputes, loss of a view and the applicant’s character are all excluded.

Sources

Checked against Barnet Council’s planning pages and the Public Access portal on 4 August 2026. Deadlines and statuses change daily, so confirm on the portal before relying on a date. Related: parking in Barnet, Barnet council tax bands and Barnet bin collection days.