Clarence House West Common, HARPENDEN, AL5 2AR

the erection of a new four-bedroom detached dwelling

Authority: St Albans City Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Buchanan R

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt, having regard to relevant development plan policy and the National Planning Policy Framework
whether any harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, would be clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to very special circumstances necessary to justify the development

What decided it

The proposal constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt contrary to Framework paragraph 149 and local policy, and the limited benefits of a single dwelling do not amount to very special circumstances to justify it.

The substantial harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness outweighed the limited social and economic benefits of building a single dwelling, and the presumption in favour of sustainable development did not apply due to Green Belt protection policies providing clear reasons for refusal.

Framework references: 149, 138, 11

Plan policies cited: Policy 1 of the St Albans District Local Plan Review 1994

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.

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