We celebrated an important milestone on Tuesday 30 November with the opening of The Visitor Pavilion.

300 local residents attended a community open event on Tuesday evening for a look at the first completed building at Barnet’s new park town, Brent Cross Town.

The Visitor Pavilion incorporates a new café, alongside an exhibition space showcasing the vision for Brent Cross Town, its homes, workspaces, leisure and community spaces.

The Visitor Pavilion, a striking timber framed building incorporates a new locally run public café, Spruce & Larch, which also has plants for sale.

The space is also designed as a gallery for exhibitions and will be home to a permanent exhibition about the Brent Cross Town development and a large-scale neighbourhood model.

Upstairs are meeting rooms, additional display spaces and an open-air viewing terrace, with views across the whole of the development. Visitors will also be able to experience the future homes of Brent Cross Town in two show apartments on the upper floors.

The Visitor Pavilion embodies Brent Cross Town’s pledge to be net zero by 2030. It is designed with low impact materials, including Glulam beams and Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) prefabricated panels, chosen for their lowered embodied carbon footprint, and faster build time which generates less construction waste. Off-site manufacture and energy-efficient operating systems were chosen, and all materials have been considered for reusability or recycling once the structure is dismantled.

Councillor Daniel Thomas, Leader of Barnet Council, said: “With the first indoor community space, and a host of new shops about to open on Claremont Way, it’s an exciting time for Barnet’s biggest ever regeneration programme. With a focus on supporting independent businesses and local recruitment, it’s good to see community at the heart of the Brent Cross Town development. I hope the new Visitor Pavilion will encourage people to come and find out more about the future plans for the area.”

The Visitor Pavilion, which is open 9am-6pm Wednesday-Sunday and 9am-8pm every Thursday, is also hosting a series of workshops including:

• Arts and Craft workshop hosted by The Amazing Art Cart on Wednesday 1,8,15 December at 12.30 pm and 5pm
• Local history workshops on Thursday 2,9,16 December at 12.30pm or 5pm covering RAF Hendon’s role in both World Wars and Hendon and District Archaeological Society’s digs at Clitterhouse Farm
• Cookery workshop on Friday 3,10,17 December at 12.30pm or 5pm
• Storytelling sessions held on Saturday 4,11,18 and Sunday 5,12, 19 December at 12.30 pm and 5pm.

The workshops are open to all and visitors are also able to book tours of The Pavilion.

Further information about events and plans for Brent Cross Town are available at brentcrosstown.co.uk

Winter lights outside The Visitor Pavilion, Brent Cross Town