®Planning appeal decision
Land Adjacent To Breachwood Green Industrial Park, Pasture Lane, Hitchin, SG4 8NY
Planning appeal 3368416 at Land Adjacent To Breachwood Green Industrial Park, Pasture Lane, Hitchin, SG4 8NY (North Hertfordshire District Council) was dismissed on 23 September 2025 by Inspector Whitfield H, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the scheme constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to relevant development plan policies and the National Planning Policy Framework, including the effect upon the openness and purposes of the Green Belt.
a “retrospective planning application for a car park with 28 spaces to serve the adjacent industrial area”
- Authority
- North Hertfordshire District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- employment-industrial · Other minor developments
- Inspector
- Whitfield H
- Postcode
- SG4 8NY
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- whether the scheme constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to relevant development plan policies and the National Planning Policy Framework, including the effect upon the openness and purposes of the Green Belt
- the effect of the scheme on the character and appearance of the area
- the effect of the scheme on highway and pedestrian safety, having particular regard to the characteristics of Pastures Lane and the location of the site
- if the scheme is inappropriate development, whether the harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the development
What decided it
The substantial harm to Green Belt openness and purposes, combined with harm to character and appearance and unresolved highway and pedestrian safety concerns, cannot be clearly outweighed by the limited benefits advanced, and very special circumstances do not exist to justify the inappropriate development.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy SP5Policy SP9Policy D1Policy T1Policy 5 of Hertfordshire's Local Transport Plan 2018-2031Policies 1 and 2 of Hertfordshire's Local Transport Plan 2018-2031
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 143Paragraph 153Paragraph 154Paragraph 155
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 appliedThe decision letter
Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
More decisions in North Hertfordshire
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2025
- Allowed1 October 20266009720Land Adjacent To 1 Ninesprings Cottage, Wymondley Road, Hitchin, SG4 9QL
- Allowed10 July 20266008092Fen Farm, Rabley Heath Road, Codicote, AL6 9UA
- Dismissed7 May 20263375383Land At Chruch Wood, Three Houses Lane, Codicote, Hertfordshire, SG4 8
- Allowed4 March 20266000934Pulmer Water Caravan Site, St Albans Road, Codicote, Hertfordshire, SG4 8SP
- Dismissed15 September 20253367306Old School House, Park Lane, Old Knebworth, Hertfordshire, SG3 6PR
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.