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Dismissed6 June 20253356500

Garage and Land Adjacent to 122 St Albans Road, Sandridge, St Albans, AL4 9LL

Planning appeal 3356500 at Garage and Land Adjacent to 122 St Albans Road, Sandridge, St Albans, AL4 9LL (St Albans City Council) was dismissed on 6 June 2025 by Inspector Savage K, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area.

change of use from B2 to C3; partial demolition of existing workshop; new roof and windows to workshop; new 2 bedroom chalet bungalow with associated landscaping and driveway

Authority
St Albans City Council
Appeal type
minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Written Representations
Development
residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector
Savage K
Postcode
AL4 9LL

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
  • whether the proposal would result in the unjustified loss of a commercial use
  • the effect of the proposal on biodiversity

What decided it

The significant and permanent adverse impacts on character and appearance of the area, combined with failure to demonstrate biodiversity net gain, demonstrably outweighed the benefits of housing delivery despite the Council's housing land supply shortfall.

The benefits of providing an additional dwelling and investment during construction, attracting significant weight due to the Council's housing land supply shortfall of 1.7 years, were significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the very significant weight of permanent adverse impacts on character and appearance and failure to provide biodiversity net gain.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
Policy 69 of the St Albans District Local Plan Review (1994)Policy 70 of the St Albans District Local Plan Review (1994)Policy 24 of the St Albans District Local Plan Review (1994)Policy D4 of the Sandridge Neighbourhood Plan (2021)Policy C1 of the Sandridge Neighbourhood Plan (2021)Policy E1 of the Sandridge Neighbourhood Plan (2021)Policy E2 of the Sandridge Neighbourhood Plan (2021)
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 11

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.

See how each was applied

The decision letter

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More decisions in St Albans City Council

The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2025

  1. Dismissed25 September 20266009808
    58 And 60 Waverley Road St, St Albans, St Albans, AL3 5PE
  2. Dismissed22 September 20266013802
    33 Oakfield Road, Harpenden, AL52NP
  3. Invalid17 September 20266008247
    18 Manland Way, Harpenden, AL5 4QS
  4. Planning permission granted15 September 20263311314
    Land at Former Butterfly World, Miriam Lane, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, AL2 3NY
  5. Notice upheld15 September 20263311308
    Land at Former Butterfly World, Miriam Lane, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, AL2 3NY

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.

In the app this decision sits on the map beside every appeal around it, with its letter to read and the main issues, policies and judgments cited picked out.