Land North of Sky Studios Elstree, Rowley Lane, Borehamwood, WD6 1FX

Planning appeal 3354178 at Land North of Sky Studios Elstree, Rowley Lane, Borehamwood, WD6 1FX (Hertsmere Borough Council) was allowed on 16 June 2025 by Inspector Gilbert-Wooldridge T, following an inquiry. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to paragraph 155 of the NPPF and any relevant development plan policies.

development of a film and television production studio (use Class E(g)(ii)) with ancillary floorspace, backlot, new access arrangements, car parking, landscaping, infrastructure and associated works

Authority: Hertsmere Borough Council
Appeal type: major · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Inquiry
Development: employment-industrial · Major general industry/storage/warehousing
Inspector: Gilbert-Wooldridge T

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to paragraph 155 of the NPPF and any relevant development plan policies
The effect of the proposal on the openness and purposes of the Green Belt
The need for the development, the benefits of co-location, and the availability of alternative sites
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 finding that the development would in practice be brought forward as an extension to Sky Studios Elstree, meeting a demonstrable unmet need under NPPF paragraph 155(b), meaning the proposal was not inappropriate development in the Green Belt and the very substantial economic benefits were not outweighed by the identified landscape and tree harm.

Very substantial weight to economic benefits, substantial weight to meeting unmet need and to socio-economic benefits, significant weight to sustainability benefits and moderate weight to BNG were found to outweigh the significant weight given to harm to landscape character and moderate weight given to harm to trees, with the proposal also found to accord with the development plan overall, indicating permission should be granted.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies: Policy SP1Policy CS8Policy CS11Policy CS12Policy CS13Policy CS17Policy CS26Policy CS30Policy SADM10Policy SADM12Policy SADM26Policy SADM30
National Planning Policy Framework: Paragraph 16Paragraph 49Paragraph 57Paragraph 58Paragraph 85Paragraph 86Paragraph 87Paragraph 110Paragraph 115Paragraph 142Paragraph 143Paragraph 152Paragraph 153Paragraph 154Paragraph 155
Judgments: I'm Your Man Limited v Secretary of State for the Environment [1998] 4 PLR 107; Scottish Widows v Cherwell DC [2013] EWHC 3968 (Admin); R (Cherkley Campaign) v Mole Valley DC [2014] EWCA Civ 567; London Historic Parks and Gardens Trust v Minister of State for Housing [2022] EWHC 829 (Admin); BDW Trading Ltd. v Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government [2016] EWCA Civ 493; Lambeth LBC v Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government [2019] 1 W.L.R. 4317; Barton Park Estates Ltd v Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government [2022] P.T.S.R. 1699; R. (on the application of Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site Ltd) v Secretary of State for Transport [2022] P.T.S.R. 74; Trusthouse Forte Hotels Ltd v Secretary of State for the Environment (1986) 53 P & CR 293; Aldergate Properties Ltd v Mansfield DC [2016] EWHC 1670 (Admin)

How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.

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The decision letter

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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.