®Planning appeal decision
21/21A High Street, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 3AA
Planning appeal 3285827 at 21/21A High Street, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 3AA (Dacorum Borough Council) was dismissed on 16 December 2022 by Inspector Buchanan R, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: the effect of the proposal on the living conditions of the existing occupants of ground and first floor flats at the rear of No.23 High Street, with regard to outlook and natural light.
a change of use on ground floor from A1 shops to A3 restaurant and cafes and addition of first and second floors, loft conversion including dormers to create 3 dwellings
- Authority
- Dacorum Borough Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Change of use
- Inspector
- Buchanan R
- Postcode
- HP1 3AA
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect of the proposal on the living conditions of the existing occupants of ground and first floor flats at the rear of No.23 High Street, with regard to outlook and natural light
- its effect on the Chilterns Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation
- whether it would be necessary to provide off-street car parking
What decided it
The proposal would cause significant harm to the living conditions of neighbouring residents and would adversely affect the integrity of a protected habitats site, and these harms outweighed the benefits of housing supply and heritage conservation.
The limited social and economic benefits of housing supply and the considerable weight of heritage and town centre benefits did not outweigh the substantial weight of harm to neighbouring living conditions and the statutory interests of the Chilterns Beechwoods SAC.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- CS12CS26CS8
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.