Sustainability
Sustainability is at the heart of the Brent Cross Cricklewood regeneration programme. From how we are designing the programme, to how we build it and the materials being used, to how we envision the park town evolving in the future, we want to leave a sustainable legacy.
Here’s how we’re doing our bit to create a sustainable borough, fit for the future.
BRENT CROSS TOWN
Brent Cross Town, the new park town at the heart of the Brent Cross Cricklewood regeneration scheme, is carefully designed to enable our community to walk from home to school, work, public transport, shops and places of leisure within 15 minutes, reducing the carbon footprint of the new community.
Brent Cross Town is meeting sustainability standards is through enhanced green space – the town will have 50 acres of parks and playing fields when complete, including seven new and improved parks, plus eight public squares. Over 700 new, mature trees will be planted across Brent Cross Town. The town is also carefully designed to enable the community to walk from home to school, work, public transport, shops and places of leisure within 15 minutes, reducing the carbon footprint of the new community.
Brent Cross Town will be supplied by an electric energy system which is being designed in collaboration with Vattenfall, the largest operator of heat networks in Western Europe. This will be powered by one of the largest installations of air source heat pumps in Europe. Additionally, Brent Cross Town will source all electricity supplies within its control from 100% renewables sources.
To reduce carbon emissions during construction, Brent Cross Town are utilising advanced methods. For example, by incorporating structural timber within commercial offices, using modern methods of construction on residential buildings, and using re-used steel within the primary substation, any carbon emissions produced are kept at a minimum.
Another example of lower-carbon construction at Brent Cross Town is the award-winning Visitor Pavilion, which was constructed using cross-laminated timber (CLT), which cuts carbon emissions as it is made of renewable wood, produces low waste, and provides excellent insulation. The building is also designed to be disassembled at the end of use and recently won a RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) award, with the judges specifically praising the building’s sustainability and evidence of environmental responsibility.
In addition, by keeping the soil on-site, rather than disposing and importing new material, it is estimated that this method reduced the number of lorry journeys to the site by 15,000 to date. Brent Cross Town will also use sustainable urban drainage systems to reduce rainwater runoff, while tree and plant species will be selected for their robustness and benefit for wildlife.
These examples are in line with Brent Cross Town’s wider goal of designing buildings for longevity, adaptability, and flexibility, as defined under the principles of a ‘circular economy’.
Brent Cross West
Did you know that in its first six month of opening, the station has seen over 225,000 journeys take place?
Brent Cross West plays a vital role in unlocking wider regeneration in the area and is the gateway to Brent Cross Town, a new £8bn net-zero park town. The station provides a more environmentally friendly way to connect across the borough and beyond and has brought back to life a piece of ex-industrial land.
When delivering the station, all parties worked collaboratively to support Barnet Council’s sustainability goals to become a Net Zero council by 2042, and Brent Cross West’s targeted achievement of BREEAM ‘very good’. For example, the station’s eastern entrance has been built using sustainable timber (known as glulam), with 40% less embodied carbon and uses a tenth of the energy required for steel.
The eastern entrance’s design meets the vision of the net zero development, with construction features like extensive planting such as vines connected to ground floor planters by a wire trellis system and ornamental trees. A timber roof and glass canopy maximise natural light and heat, reducing energy consumption. Maintenance costs are also reduced through choice of long-lasting, easily maintainable materials, e.g. aluminium external cladding.
Trains connect Brent Cross to central London in as little as 12 minutes, with up to eight trains an hour at peak times and connections to Luton Airport and Elizabeth Line services.
For residents, the station provides better local connectivity with a public overbridge that provides 24-hour access across this part of the Midland Main Line for the first time in 150 years; linking communities on both sides of the station and making it much easier to get around. The station also includes plenty of bike storage, improved bus services and cycle links to the surrounding area. Passive provision for the proposed West London Orbital has been incorporated, meaning that once operational, it would take vehicles off some of the country’s busiest roads including the North Circular – the UK’s most congested highway.
Across the wider Brent Cross Cricklewood regeneration area, there will be new pathways, an improved network of walking and cycling routes, and improved bus services. New roads are designed to slow traffic and prioritise pedestrians. And provision is being made not just for electric charging but for other technologies as they emerge to create the infrastructure for people to take up more sustainable forms of transport.
BarNET ZERO
Barnet Council is committed to achieving net zero carbon as a council by 2030
As a community in Barnet, we all have a responsibility to protect our planet and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come. BarNET ZERO is a campaign focused on reducing our carbon footprint and lessening the impacts of climate change.
Barnet Council is committed to achieving net zero carbon as a council by 2030 and as a borough by 2042.
The Brent Cross Cricklewood regeneration programme is supporting the council’s BarNET ZERO campaign and by working together, we can make a difference to reduce the negative impacts of climate change on our environment, and for future generations to come.
Find out more how Barnet Council is taking steps to protect our planet at: Our journey to becoming net zero carbon | Engage Barnet