1-31 Nightingale Walk, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, HP2 7QX

the construction of a part-one, part-two storey extension to the existing buildings to provide 16 new dwellinghouses

Authority: Dacorum Borough Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Change of use
Inspector: Wilson D

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the proposed development on the external appearance of the building, having particular regard to its effect on the character and appearance of the area
the amenity of the occupiers of the existing building and neighbouring premises

What decided it

The unacceptable external appearance and height of the additional storey above flats 14-25, combined with the harmful impact on existing occupiers' amenity from the enlarged car park and loss of green space buffer, outweighed the benefits of housing delivery.

The benefits of housing provision in a sustainable location outside the green belt and acceptable daylight and sunlight levels did not outweigh the harm to character and appearance and to the amenity of existing occupiers.

Framework references: 120, 126, 129, 130, 132

Plan policies cited: HCA 33 of the Area Bases Policies, Supplementary Planning Guidance (May 2004)

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.