Berkeley Homes limited the service to private residents due to low demand but is proposing to allow public passengers again once a new museum opens
The developer behind the restoration of Trent Park House has said it plans to reinstate public access to a shuttle bus service once the building has been reopened as a museum later this summer.
The shuttle bus connects residents living on a new luxury housing estate – built by Berkeley on the site of the former Middlesex University campus adjacent to Trent Park House – with Oakwood Station and other public transport links.
However, public access to the shuttle bus was axed by the developer last summer due to “low demand”.
Without being able to use the shuttle bus, visitors relying on public transport to reach Trent Park House will face a 20-minute walk from either Cockfosters and Oakwood tube stations.
Trent Park House is currently being restored by Berkeley Homes, with a number of luxury apartments being created on the upper floors as well as the museum.
The Trent Park House of Secrets museum will tell the story of the ‘secret listeners’ who covertly recorded the conversations of Nazi prisoners being held there during the Second World War, gathering intelligence which later proved crucial in helping the Allies to defeat Nazi Germany.
The shuttle bus launched in 2019 to coincide with the first residents moving into the Berkeley Homes estate at Trent Park, and had originally allowed non-residents to board for a fare of £1.
But the bus is now only available to estate residents, who pay for it through their service charge.
Asked this week why public access had since been axed, a spokesperson for Berkeley Homes said: “There was very little demand for the £1 service when it was previously in operation. We expect this to change with the opening of the Trent Park Museum and propose to implement a new payment service, with any profit returned to the service charge accounts; we will be consulting residents on this new service prior to implementation.
“The obligation for the estate service charge to support the shuttle bus service is referenced within the residential leases so this was clear at point of sale.”
No opening date for the museum has yet been announced but it is expected to open later this summer.
The Dispatch was recently contacted by a resident on the estate who claimed that Berkeley Homes had failed to meet its Section 106 planning obligations regarding the shuttle bus, as well as relating to a number of other issues on the estate, but Enfield Council has said in response that no breaches have been identified.
Section 106 obligations are requirements issued to a developer by the council at the point when planning permission is agreed.
Mike Rye, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for planning and regeneration, said: “We expect developers to honour both the letter and the spirit of their Section 106 commitments. Where they fall short, and where it is proportionate, we will use the full range of our powers to secure delivery. We will always robustly scrutinise alleged breaches of planning and s106 conditions.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and if any further alleged breaches come to light, we will investigate these thoroughly.”
In response to claims of poor maintenance around the Trent Park estate’s gardens and communal landscaping, a Berkeley spokesperson said: “The Trent Park estate has recently tendered for a new landscape maintenance contractor to replace the previous maintenance team. The tendered information and scope are in line with the maintenance plan currently under determination with the local authority.”
Berkeley Homes is building 262 homes in total at Trent Park, with only a small number yet to be completed.
For more information about Trent Park House of Secrets:
Visit trentparkhouse.org.uk
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