Town Planner Pro
Free trial
Search appeal decisions

Planning appeal decision

Allowed16 January 20263368845

Land West Of,Hilfield Lane, Aldenham, Hertfordshire, WD25 8DD

Planning appeal 3368845 at Land West Of,Hilfield Lane, Aldenham, Hertfordshire, WD25 8DD (Hertsmere Borough Council) was allowed on 16 January 2026 by Inspector Kirby R, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and relevant development plan policies.

Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) including ancillary works and access arrangements

Authority
Hertsmere Borough Council
Appeal type
major · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Written Representations
Development
utilities-energy · Other Major Developments
Inspector
Kirby R
Postcode
WD25 8DD

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • whether the proposal would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework and relevant development plan policies
  • the effect upon the openness and purposes of the Green Belt
  • the effect upon designated heritage assets
  • the effect upon the character and appearance of the area
  • whether other considerations clearly outweigh the harm to the Green Belt and any other harm so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify the proposal

What decided it

The proposal's substantial contribution to achieving net-zero carbon emissions and national renewable energy ambitions, combined with the absence of other suitable feasible locations for the BESS facility, amounts to very special circumstances that clearly outweigh the moderate harm to the Green Belt and the less than substantial heritage harm.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
Core Strategy Policy SP1Core Strategy Policy CS12Core Strategy Policy CS14Core Strategy Policy CS16SADMPP Policy SADM11SADMPP Policy SADM20SADMPP Policy SADM29SADMPP Policy SADM30SADMPP Policy SADM40SADMPP Policy SADM41
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 11Paragraph 102Paragraph 110Paragraph 115Paragraph 116Paragraph 143Paragraph 153Paragraph 154Paragraph 155Paragraph 160Paragraph 161Paragraph 168Paragraph 198Paragraph 201

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

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.

Appeals plan, £15 a month

With an account

What an account adds to this decision

36 other decided appeals within two kilometres of this site. In the app every dot opens its decision, and its letter wherever one was published, and you can draw your own site to see what has been decided around it.AllowedDismissedSplitThis decision
An appeal decision in the app, with the main issues, policies and judgments cited picked out beside the letter
Every letter, there to read. We pick out the main issues, the policies and the judgments cited, so you can work through the letter faster.
Searching the full text of appeal decision letters in the app
Search inside every letter. By words or by meaning, filtered by authority, outcome, appeal type and procedure, with every locatable decision on the map and the Inspector named on each.
Start your free trial

More decisions in Hertsmere

The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2026

  1. Allowed20 August 20266007465
    Land Adjacent to No 51 Harcourt Road, Bushey, WD23 3PD
  2. Allowed17 August 20266008668
    Stables West Of Green Street, Shenley, WD7 9BA
  3. Allowed27 July 20266007118
    Land Rear of 5-23 Cobden Hill, Radlett, WD7 7JL
  4. Allowed20 April 20266003184
    69 Deacons Hill Road, Elstree, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, WD6 3HZ
  5. Allowed23 March 20263374962
    Land South of Shenley Hill, Radlett, WD7 7EL

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.