Information for Shopkeepers/Owners

Opening here or own a building?

We would love you to open your shop/business in Chipping Barnet, and we welcome new building owners. Here are a few things that might be helpful:

Sign up to our traders/owners email mailing list so we can keep you up to date with what’s happening in the town.

We can tell you about the traders Whatsapp group. A great way of communicating with fellow traders.

We are very proud of our town’s heritage, and buildings form a very important part of that. The Borough of Barnet has Design Guidance for how shopfronts should look (January 2011). As a town we have strong expectations that this is followed.

Take a look at our “Conservation Areas” that cover 2 large areas of the town. Both areas are larger than the names suggest, and if your building/shop can be seen from a conservation area then the planning groups will take greater interest in your changes. Monken Hadley (Map) and Wood Street (Map). Before you make any changes in a conservation area check as you might need planning permission. Barnet Council’s Planning Department are very knowledgeable and helpful.

When leasing or buying a building, your solicitor will usually tell you if the building is Heritage Listed or not (Heritage listings with the postcode EN5). Barnet Council also keeps a list of Locally Listed Buildings.

Many of the towns in the Borough of Barnet are in areas of Archeological Significant Interest. If you are renovating a building and it hasn’t been looked at before, the local Archeology Group – HADAS, may take an interest. In 2020, 54a High Street, in Chipping Barnet was found to have the second oldest timber framed building in London. (See BBC London Video).

For licences for tables/signage, etc on the Pavement, or for any other licencing see the council’s website.

If you are making changes to a building, it is best to talk to Barnet Residents’ Association and Barnet Society’s planning representatives.  It is important to do this before making firm plans as they might want to guide you, or give suggestions. Both groups are on the Town Team.

Over the last 10 years we have actively blocked gaming centres, whatever name or licence they try to use.

Please keep your building nice.  For most shop/building owners this isn’t a problem, but if it hasn’t been painted for six years or so it most likely needs doing.   Keep cables tidy and paint and wooden windows you might have. If there are things like a broken sky dish, please remove it. We expect estate agent boards to be removed in a reasonable amount of time after completion of the sale or granting of the tenancy, including wooden battens. We’ve found if you remove the stickers from protective shutters then they are less likely to come back.

Join Barnet Council’s Barnet Business Buzz email list.

Want to try out a business here?

If you haven’t traded before you could always try having a stall at Barnet Market, in The Spires, or at one of our annual events (e.g. Christmas Fayre).

Let us know if you want us to help find a shop for you.  We try to keep on top of empty shops ,so we know which ones are available.

Where to promote yourself

Add your events to High Living.  This will make it display on highlivingbarnet.com, lovebarnet.co.uk and barnetsociety.org.uk websites. To promote Art/Culture events, add it to Barnet Council event listings.

For baby and toddler classes, add it to happity.co.uk. This is linked to from LoveBarnet’s event pages.

For gigs/music, add it to Lemonrock. This is linked to from LoveBarnet’s event pages. You can also post on Barnet Music, and Barnet Pubs.

Also take a look at barnet.live, love barnet, playdates and datenights, barnet mums, barnet bod, Whats on Hertfordshire.

Help us

Everyone can help by reporting problems, potholes, graffiti, flyposting on fix my street (Apps: iphone/ipad or android). We’ve found that this is the easiest way to report them.

Like posts and comments on social media.  Facebook/Instagram/Twitter only promote content to people if they think other people like it.  So don’t “like” every message, but “like” some each week.

Useful contacts

We have a local Safer Neighbourhood Team here in Chipping Barnet. Most of the Town is covered by the High Barnet team (email). The shops on the college and Red Lion side of the High Street come under the Underhill team (email). Both team websites list the events/meetups and priorities they have. Barnet Society and Barnet Resident’s Association regularly meet with the police as part of the Community Action Panel. Seperate to this, there is also a Community Safety Hub run by Barnet Council and local police that you can meet at Chipping Barnet Library each week. For any enquiries about street CCTV you can email cctv@barnet.gov.uk

Our local councillors are Cllr Emma Whysall and Cllr Paul Edwards. Our MP is Dan Tomlinson. Any issues with London Mayoral policies or London Wide policies can go to our London Assembly Member for the Boroughs of Barnet and Camden, Anne Clarke.

For business support from Barnet Council, see https://www.barnet.gov.uk/business or email barnetbusiness@barnet.gov.uk