Our planning application to replace the grass 1st XV pitch with an all-weather Artificial Grass Pitch (AGP), plus a multi-use games area (MUGA), is live with Barnet Council.

Planning reference: 26/3399/S73
Comments close: Thursday 22 October 2026

Comment here (it takes about five minutes):
https://publicaccess.barnet.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=makeComment&keyVal=TLGY52JIFZI00

You will need to register once (name, address, email, then click the link in the confirmation email), choose "Supports", and write your comment.

Not sure how? Watch the 90-second video below. Club Secretary Mike Smith shows you every step, from the link to the Submit button.

What to write

Say who you are: a parent of an U10, a player, coach, volunteer, referee, or a neighbour on your street. Then pick one thing that is true for you:

• How many sessions or matches did your age group lose to the weather last winter, and what did that mean for the children?
• Have you driven to Cheshunt or Harpenden to find a usable pitch?
• What does regular sport do for your kids, or for you?
• Who else could use a year-round pitch: schools, football, walking rugby?
• If you live nearby, why are you comfortable with the plans?

Finish with "I support application 26/3399/S73." Three to five sentences is plenty.

Please write it in your own words. Identical comments are discounted by the Council, so please do not copy anyone else's. Stay positive and factual, and do not criticise objectors or the Council.

Cannot register on the portal? Email planning.consultation@barnet.gov.uk with 26/3399/S73 in the subject line, say that you support the application, and include your name, address and postcode. Comments without these cannot be counted.

Why it matters

Last season we lost 20,320 of 39,770 planned playing hours to the weather, almost all of them junior rugby. There is no RFU-compliant all-weather pitch in Barnet that community clubs can use; the nearest are Cheshunt and Harpenden. Barnet's own Playing Pitch Strategy names our club a priority site.

The AGP sits within the footprint of the grass pitch that already has planning approval. Lighting, drainage, parking numbers and the site boundary do not change. The pitch and MUGA would be available to local schools and community groups outside rugby hours, and open the site to netball, basketball, football, and walking and wheelchair rugby.

This project is about much more than a new playing surface. It is about giving the club the facilities it needs to provide reliable, accessible sport for our members, local schools and the wider Barnet community for many years to come.

Thank you for your support, and please share this with friends and family.

Adi Heesom
Chairman, Barnet Elizabethans RFC