Welcome

You probably heard the whoops across Finchley on Friday morning when locals heard that Barnet Council has wisely reversed the unsafe Bus Lane changes.

Congrats to all our local activists - let's see what we can take on next?!

Also a great micro-museum celebrating a Finchley artist.

🚌 Regents Park Road Bus Lane Win

Quite a philosophical question: the bus lane is not in operation, but still use it?

Barnet Council has officially scrapped the controversial Regents Park Road bus lane – and it’s local residents who made the difference.

The celebrations were immediate. When the confirmation email landed on Friday morning, the 500-strong WhatsApp group that has been coordinating the campaign since August erupted in delight. For months they’ve been out on the streets delivering leaflets, talking to neighbours, writing letters and emailing councillors nonstop. This wasn’t just a campaign – it was community in full force.

They weren’t alone. Local councillors Jennifer Grocock and Josh Mastin-Lee backed residents throughout, alongside a core team of tireless organisers and local MP Sarah Sackman lending her weight to the effort. More than 1,700 people added their names to the petition. And yes – we can finally say goodbye to the oddly-worded bus lane signage.

The bus lane would have covered the stretch between the North Circular (A406) and the Gravel Hill/East End Road junction. Works began mid- August following two rounds of consultation, although many residents say those consultations were minimal and poorly timed just before the 2024 winter break.

Once cones and fresh road markings appeared, so did a new wave of messages from those who live, work and travel along the route. Concerns poured in about safety, congestion, access and the potential impact on local businesses. The council paused the works and brought in the original engineers to review their own work. Their verdict: on paper, the scheme was safe. But on the ground, the strength of local opposition was impossible to dismiss.

After what Barnet describes as “engaging closely with residents”, councillors voted on 12 November 2025 to cancel the scheme entirely.

The road will now be restored to its original layout. Markings and signage will be reinstated between 9pm Friday 21 November and 5am Monday 24 November, with extra overnight works scheduled from 24–28 November if required. During these times, Regents Park Road will be closed between East End Road / Gravel Hill and Holly Park.

Barnet says it will use the “learning” from this episode for future proposals. But whatever comes next, this decision stands as a textbook example of organised, persistent community action shaping what happens on our streets. 🚌

Events

ARTS

Thursday 27th November

Rabbi Santa's Night of Comedy | Thu, Nov. 27 | 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm | artsdepot | Tickets from £19 | Award-winning comedians Bennett Arron and Mark Maier host this fantastic evening of Jewish and Jewish...ish comedy. Featuring sets from Sol Bernstein, Radu Isac and Steve Hall.

Saturday 29th November

HGS ART Winter Fair | Sat, Nov. 29 | 11:00 am to 6:00 pm | Henrietta Barnett School, Central Square, NW11 7BN | Free | Come to the Hampstead Garden Suburb Winter Fair where you will discover a wonderful and affordable range of unique handmade gifts from ceramics to glass to wall art to jewellery and more. Meet local artists and crafters.

COMMUNITY

Wednesday 19th November

Home-Start Barnet AGM | Wed, Nov. 19 | 10:00 am to 11:30 am | Home-Start (Barnet) 17 East End Road N3 3QE | Free | You are welcomed to join Home-start Barnet at the AGM for 2025, to hear about their work over the past year and learn more about our plans for the year ahead,

Wednesday 26th November

Winter Lights Switch on in Brent Cross Town | Wed, Nov. 26 | 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm | Claremont Park, NW2 1AJ | Free | Come along for a magical afternoon of holiday cheer. Enjoy a special visit from Father Christmas and his merry elf, heartwarming carols sung by pupils from Child’s Hill and Claremont Primary Schools, and a lively performance by Oompah Brass to get everyone in the spirit.

Monday 1st December

Open Evening at the Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants | Mon, Dec. 01 | 6:00 pm to 6:45 pm | 16-18 Cross Street N1 2BG | Free | You are warmly invited to the annual Open Evening on Monday 1 December, 6pm – 7:30pm at Islington Centre. This free drop-in event is a special chance to: Meet the community members, Experience powerful art created this year, Hear a performance from our choir, Hear personal stories of courage and hope and Share festive food and warm drinks together.

OLDER PEOPLE

Thursday 20th November

SPORT

Wednesday 19th November

Juggling for Beginners at Hendon Library | Wed, Nov. 19 | 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm | Hendon Library, The Burroughs, NW4 4BQ | £3 | Ever wondered how to juggle? Now’s your chance to find out. Learn the basics and impress your friends. Suitable for children age 8 to 12 years.

THEATRE

Saturday 29th November

Sunday 30th November

KIDS

Sunday 29th November

Elf Dash | Sun, Nov. 29 | 9:00 am to 5:00 pm | Regent's Park, NW1 4NR | £20 | Take part in the RunThrough Regent’s Park 5k & 10k and support your local hospice by joining our Team of Elves, and help us to deliver the gift of quality, holistic care this festive season.

Events - Book Ahead

Saturday 28th June

Wednesday 10th December

Saturday 13th December

Saturday 20th December

Local Lowdown

Saving

Pergola panic. Hampstead Heath’s hidden gem, the Grade II*-listed Hill Garden Pergola, is now at “immediate risk.” It has made Historic England’s danger list. The City of London vows to save London’s prettiest garden - so fingers crossed for a rescue mission.

Stretching

Mind the gap - and then some. Highgate Station holds the record for the longest platform on the entire TfL network at a whopping 150 metres. The twist? Northern line trains aren't long enough to cover even half of it. So next time you hop off there, know you’re walking London’s most overqualified platform.

Flood lighting

Evening rugby gets a boost at Byng Road, where six shiny new floodlights now brighten the pitches. Barnet Council helped fund the upgrade through developer levies. Two pitches were re-laid over the summer. They will rest until next autumn. This promises smoother scrums and fewer muddy slip-ups for Barnet Elizabethans Rugby Club.

Looping

Bus bonanza. TfL’s new Superloop SL13 route will speed things up between Hendon and Ealing Broadway from 2026. Expect stops at important places like Brent Cross, Neasden, and Hanger Lane for a quicker ride across town. The consultation’s live now - locals can weigh in before plans hit the road.

Xmas lighting

Star power is back at Pond Square. Rupert Grint and Alex Zane will switch on Highgate Village’s Christmas lights on November 19th. Expect twinkling lights, brass band carols, and plenty of festive cheer from 4pm. It’s become a local tradition that’s pure Christmas magic - wand optional.

The Finchleyite: William Heath Robinson

Doubling Gloucester Cheeses by the Gruyere Method. Photograph: William Heath Robinson Trust

W. Heath Robinson was a British illustrator and cartoonist famed for his fantastically complicated contraptions designed to achieve simple tasks — so much so that “a Heath Robinson contraption” entered the language.

Born into a family of artists in Finsbury Park, he lived for many years at 75 Moss Lane, Pinner and later at 25 Southwood Avenue, Highgate referencing “the Gadget King” because of his over-complicated contraptions.

His witty drawings, book illustrations and First World War cartoons captured British eccentricity with gentle humour.

Pinner’s Heath Robinson Museum opened in 2016 and is devoted to his work. The museum is situated in Pinner Memorial Park. The collection includes nearly 1,000 original artworks, letters, proof-prints and ephemera – the largest public holding of his work.

He died in 1944, and is buried in East Finchley cemetery.

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Editors' Note - From Sasha

Great fun this week doing press interviews and recording a podcast ahead of book publication on Tuesday. Look at us, going heavy on the water.

Also, let us know about local events or local news. We curate our content to keep it a 5-minute read, so can't include everything we're sent.

You can now get a guaranteed (paid) listing for local events or local lowdown/news items.

And email us with any projects or ideas you'd like us to write about.

Tessa Davis

Sasha Frieze

Finchley Now

🗞️ Locals Triumph - Bus Lane DEFEATED!