Land between 84 & 108 Ragged Hall Lane, Chiswell Green, St Albans, AL2 3LD

erection of seven family detached houses and associated matters

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

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the development would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and any relevant development plan policies
the effect of the development on the openness of the Green Belt
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 required to justify the proposal

What decided it

The proposal constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt with significant impacts on openness, and the moderate weight of housing and other benefits does not clearly outweigh this substantial harm, so very special circumstances do not exist.

The moderate weight of housing delivery and other benefits does not clearly outweigh the substantial harm to Green Belt openness and inappropriateness, so the appeal is dismissed.

Framework references: 11, 69, 81, 137, 148, 149

Plan policies cited: Policy 1, Policy 2, Policy 143a

Judgments cited: Julian Wood v SoS and Gravesham Borough Council [2015]

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.