The latest development given the green light at Brent Cross Town will not only provide electricity for the new town – it will offer a splash of art too.

Barnet Council has granted planning permission for the Brent Cross Primary Substation.

It will be based at the north-western most tip of Brent Cross Town, next to the A406 flyover and Junction 1 of the M1, part of the Brent Cross Cricklewood regeneration programme, and will distribute electricity across the new development.

Demonstrating Brent Cross Town’s constant efforts to innovate, the sub-station will feature an architectural ‘wrap’, transforming a typical substation enclosure into a large-scale piece of public art.

The artist Lakwena, who is best known for her mural work, is working closely on the artwork with architects IF_DO, including the colour and integration of messaging. She is known locally for her creation, Queen Of The Air on Platform 1 of Cricklewood train station, which pays tribute to Amy Johnson who was the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia in 1930. She has also had installations at the Tate Britain, Somerset House, a juvenile detention centre in Arkansas, a monastery in Vienna, and New York City’s Bowery Wall.

The electricity distributed from the substation is critical to realising Brent Cross Town’s ambition to be carbon-neutral by 2030. This includes the electrical supply to the low carbon heating in the Energy Centre and to the network of electrical vehicle charging that will be installed.

Councillor Daniel Thomas, Leader of Barnet Council, said: “The primary substation is key to ensuring Brent Cross Town achieves its pledge to be carbon neutral by 2030, while collaborating with a local artist on the design will also add to the vibrancy of Barnet’s new park town.”

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