3 St. Marys Close, Redbourn, ST. ALBANS, AL3 7DD

demolition of existing dwelling and construction of a single five bedroom family home

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

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area

What decided it

The significantly larger scale, bulk and mass of the proposed dwelling would result in a dominant and incongruous addition to the street scene that would materially harm the character and appearance of the area, and this harm was not outweighed by the limited benefits of the proposal.

The limited benefits of housing delivery, economic benefits during construction, support to local services, and potential biodiversity gains were significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the material harm to character and appearance; the presumption in favour of sustainable development did not apply.

Framework references: 11

Plan policies cited: Policy 69, Policy 70, Policy Red10, Policy Red11

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.