The consultation supported the council in its negotiations with the developer and resulted in plans for a larger Finchley Lido Leisure centre, with more indoor facilities for the community alongside an outdoor swimming pool.
The London Borough of Barnet first consulted residents on plans for the re-provision of Finchley Lido Leisure Centre as a part of a larger, master planning exercise being conducted by Regal London for the Great North Leisure Park (GNLP) between late 2022 and early 2023 to ascertain users’ views on its potential refurbishment, redevelopment or relocation.
The Project
In response to the feedback, the council decided that the leisure centre would be re-provided on the GNLP site. However, the council required an additional phase of community consultation to help shape the mix of facilities that residents would prioritise in the provision of a new leisure centre and Mobilise was commissioned to undertake an engagement and consultation with residents and stakeholders.
Our Approach
The consultation was designed to inform decisions on a facility mix for a new leisure centre that would reflect the priorities of its local residents. Mobilise delivered and gathered views across three community engagement activities: community conversation workshops, drop-in sessions, and an online survey. The methods provided a mixture of quantitative and qualitative data. The workshops and drop-in sessions enabled the project to explore the proposals and questions in more depth and collect valuable context around resident views. We analysed and presented the findings and recommendations in a comprehensive final report.
Impact
Building upon the engagement results from both rounds of consultation the council was able to assess a series of options and facility mix packages. The consultation supported the council in its negotiations with the developer and resulted in plans for a larger Finchley Lido Leisure Centre, with more indoor facilities for the community alongside an outdoor swimming pool. At the time of writing the plan for the whole GNLP site is due to go to planning.