Land off Mackereye End, Harpenden, Herts, AL5 5DS

change of use from fallow (Class 3b) agricultural to (sui generis) equestrian and the erection of a building with two individual stable units (following refused application 5/2020/2327)

Authority: St Albans City Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: agricultural · Change of use
Inspector: Aqbal M

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and any relevant development plan policies
The effect on the openness and purposes of the Green Belt
Whether the proposal would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Mackerye End Conservation Area
Whether any 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 required to justify the proposal

What decided it

The proposal constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt that would harm its openness and purposes, and the other considerations put forward do not clearly outweigh this harm to justify very special circumstances.

Framework references: 137, 138, 149, 150, 195

Plan policies cited: Policy 1, Policy 85

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.

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