North-West London

Fire Safety & Security Services in Finchley

Fire risk assessments, fire alarm installation, fire doors and CCTV for landlords, office occupiers and shopkeepers across Finchley, Church End, North Finchley and East Finchley, in N3, N12 and N2.

Finchley has three separate shopping centres, a Grade II listed single-screen cinema, houses converted into flats and a leisure park redevelopment approved for about 1,500 homes. Each brings a different fire and security question.

IDS Global has traded since 2011, is a member of the IFSM and the FPA, and works from its head office in Hayes. The A40 to Hanger Lane and then the A406 North Circular Road lead east to Henlys Corner.

Businesses and buildings in Finchley

Barnet's 2011 appraisal of Finchley Church End describes Finchley as three shopping centres: Church End, East Finchley and North Finchley. At Church End, Edwardian parades meet at the junction of Regents Park Road and Hendon Lane. Regents Park Road carries offices and shops, with modern blocks of flats and offices set back on its far side. A rear service road behind the Hendon Lane parade holds light industrial uses such as car repair workshops.

North Finchley grows around Tally Ho Corner, where roads meet toward East Finchley, Church End, Friern Barnet and Whetstone, and the artsdepot opened in 2004 with a gallery, studio and theatre. In East Finchley the Phoenix Cinema stands on the High Road. Care homes registered with the Care Quality Commission include Nazareth House on East End Road, for adults over 65, and Baytree Lodge on Ballards Lane.

Fire Risk Assessments in Finchley

On 14 April 2026 fire damaged the loft and part of the roof of a semi-detached house on Park View Road that had been converted into two flats. Six engines and about 40 firefighters attended, from Finchley, Hornsey, Barnet and Hendon, and a 32 metre turntable ladder from Tottenham was used as an observation tower. No injuries were reported.

For converted houses, HMOs and offices we assess the whole building, including shared stairs, meter cupboards and the roof void, and give the responsible person a prioritised action list.

Fire risk assessments

Fire Alarm Installation in Finchley

Shortly after 7pm on 24 December 2023, fire destroyed an external shed at an office on Ballards Lane and damaged parts of the first, second and third floors. Six engines and about 40 firefighters attended and nobody was hurt.

For a multi-storey office we design BS 5839 detection floor by floor and cover outbuildings and storage areas, with a zone chart that a receptionist can read at a glance.

Fire alarm installation

Fire Door Installation in Finchley

A house divided into two flats depends on the doors between the flats and the shared stair. The same applies to the modern blocks of flats and offices on Regents Park Road that the Church End appraisal describes.

We survey existing doors, frames and closers, then fit replacement fire doors to flat entrances, stair enclosures and plant rooms, and record what was fitted for the landlord's file.

Fire door installation

CCTV Installation in Finchley

West Finchley records the most crime of the four Metropolitan Police neighbourhoods covering the area, including about 150 shoplifting offences and 211 vehicle crimes between August 2025 and July 2026. Finchley Church End stands out for burglary, at about 110.

For shops, offices and yards we plan cameras around entrances, tills, stockrooms, rear lanes and parking, and set up recording that staff can export for the police.

CCTV installation

Conservation areas and locally listed parades

Barnet designated the Finchley Church End Conservation Area in July 1979. Its 2011 appraisal counts 21 listed buildings, five of them in the Avenue House Estate and seven of them tombs in the St Mary-at-Finchley churchyard, with St Mary's at Grade II* and Pardes House School and Christ's College at Grade II. In August 2011 the council also locally listed the parades at 9 to 19 and 44 to 54 Hendon Lane and 321 to 333 Regents Park Road. Finchley Garden Village, designated in November 1978, is an entirely residential Arts and Crafts area of 51 properties.

The Phoenix Cinema and Great North Leisure Park

The Phoenix Cinema opened in May 1912 as the East Finchley Picturedrome with 428 seats, and has been Grade II listed since 2000. Its 1938 rebuild included shutters that could be closed over the auditorium windows in case of fire.

In March 2025 the Barnet Post listed a Vue cinema, a bowling alley, restaurants and the council-owned Finchley Lido Leisure Centre on Great North Leisure Park. Barnet's planning committee voted to refuse the redevelopment in December 2025, the Mayor called it in, and Construction Enquirer reported on 28 May 2026 that the Mayor had approved 1,485 homes in 20 buildings of up to 25 storeys, with a replacement leisure centre.

Tally Ho Triangle and North Finchley

In September 2025 the Barnet Post reported that the adopted Local Plan allocates the Tally Ho Triangle in North Finchley for residential-led redevelopment. Sanprine Ltd had applied for 106 flats in 16 storeys at Balfour House, an existing four-storey building that the Barnet Post said faced high vacancy rates, while Regal JP had submitted an outline application for up to 855 homes in buildings up to 21 storeys across several sites. Neither had been determined at that date.

Recorded crime across four Finchley neighbourhoods

We counted police.uk street-level crimes inside four Metropolitan Police neighbourhood boundaries for August 2025 to July 2026. Figures are approximate. West Finchley recorded about 2,117 crimes, including 150 shoplifting, 211 vehicle crimes and 95 burglaries. East Finchley recorded about 1,245, with 91 shoplifting, 171 vehicle crimes and 69 burglaries. Woodhouse recorded about 1,314, with 172 vehicle crimes and 55 robberies. Finchley Church End recorded about 1,493, with 181 vehicle crimes and 110 burglaries.

Finchley fire station and alarm calls

Finchley fire station is at 227 Long Lane, N3, one of four London Fire Brigade stations in Barnet. The present building dates from 1934, and the Finchley Metropolitan Borough Fire Brigade housed the first motor pump, built by Merryweather and Sons, in 1904.

Commercial premises on Ballards Lane that are not on the Brigade's exempt list are only attended between 7am and 8.30pm if a caller confirms a fire. Homes, HMOs, care homes, schools and Grade II listed buildings such as the Phoenix Cinema are attended at all hours.

Services available in Finchley

Frequently asked questions

Does a shared house in Finchley need an HMO licence?

Barnet requires a mandatory licence for five or more occupants, and its additional scheme, running for five years from 27 October 2022, covers smaller shared houses of three or four. Finchley Church End was one of ten wards named in the selective licensing proposal put to consultation from 15 June to 15 September 2026. The outcome should be checked with the council.

Will the Brigade attend if our Ballards Lane office alarm sounds at lunchtime?

Not unless someone confirms a fire by calling 999. Between 7am and 8.30pm crews do not attend automatic alarms from ordinary offices, though they do at night. Agree who checks the panel, who makes the call and where staff meet.

Can I put a camera on a Hendon Lane or Regents Park Road parade?

Take care. These parades sit inside the Church End Conservation Area, and in August 2011 Barnet locally listed the parades at 9 to 19 and 44 to 54 Hendon Lane and 321 to 333 Regents Park Road. We propose compact positions and tidy cable routes, and you should show them to Barnet's planning team before anything is fixed.

Are care homes in Finchley attended for false alarms?

Yes. The Brigade lists residential care homes among the premises it attends at any hour. Nazareth House on East End Road and Baytree Lodge on Ballards Lane are both care homes registered with the Care Quality Commission. We design zoning and detector choice to help staff find the source quickly.