A notification filed on 10 August would extend the 17.4m lattice tower at Wren Academy in North Finchley to 21.35m. Barnet has until 31 August to decide.

The lattice phone tower at the Wren Academy site on Hilton Avenue, North Finchley, would grow by almost four metres under a telecoms application logged on Barnet’s planning register on Monday 10 August. (Barnet planning register, ref 26/2961/LIC)

The proposal is to extend the existing 17.40m high lattice tower to 21.35m, a rise of 3.95m, and at the same time replace three of the existing antennas, relocate three others, and carry out associated ancillary works. The site address is recorded as Wren Academy, 41 Hilton Avenue, London N12 9HB, in Woodhouse ward. (Barnet planning register, ref 26/2961/LIC)

A fast timetable

The application was received and validated on the same day, 10 August, and is recorded as a “Licence Notification” rather than a full planning application. The register gives Barnet a determination deadline of Monday 31 August 2026, exactly three weeks after submission, and its status is “Pending Consideration”. (Barnet planning register, ref 26/2961/LIC)

The register does not name the mobile network operator behind the work: the applicant field is blank, and the named agent is Catherine Morris of WHP Telecoms Ltd, a telecoms infrastructure firm based at Birchwood Park in Warrington. No neighbour consultation, site notice or press advertisement dates had been recorded on the register as of Tuesday.

Chart comparing the existing 17.40m mast height with the proposed 21.35m at the Wren Academy site, with a decision due by 31 August 2026
Graphic by Barnet Live

What it means for you

If you live near Hilton Avenue, the change you would see is a taller tower, 3.95m higher than the one that stands today, with three antennas replaced and three moved. The filing as logged does not state the purpose of the work or which network it serves.

If you want to inspect or comment, the full case file is on the council’s Public Access portal under reference 26/2961/LIC. Because it is logged as a licence notification with a three week determination deadline, anyone wanting to see the documents should not wait: our guide to searching and commenting on Barnet planning applications explains how the portal works.

We will report the decision once the register records one.