Land on the northeast side of Bell Lane, Bell Lane, Bedmond, Hertforshire, WD5 0SQ

Authority: Three Rivers District Council
Appeal type: enforcement · Enforcement Notice
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: other · Change of use
Inspector: Hanson S

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the development constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and any relevant development plan policies, and the effect upon the openness of the Metropolitan Green Belt and the purposes of including land within it
The effect of the development on the character of the area
If it is inappropriate development, whether the harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to the very special circumstances necessary to justify the proposal

What decided it

The material change of use to a mixed retail and storage use, which is inappropriate development in the Green Belt that erodes openness and conflicts with Green Belt purposes, cannot be justified by very special circumstances as the limited other considerations do not clearly outweigh the substantial harm identified.

Framework references: 137, 138, 147, 150

Plan policies cited: Policy CP11, Policy DM2, Policy CP12

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

The main issues and the deciding factor are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.

What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.

Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.

Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.