Land adjacent to 42 Lemsford Village, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL8 7TR

the construction of two new semi-detached dwellings

Authority: Welwyn Hatfield Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Simms S
Postcode: AL8 7TR

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the development would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to any relevant development plan policies and the National Planning Policy Framework
the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area, including the Lemsford Conservation Area

What decided it

The shortage of housing land in the borough (2.3 years' supply) engaged the presumption in favour of sustainable development, and the limited and less than substantial harm to the conservation area did not provide a strong reason for refusal.

The benefits of two dwellings and economic activity from construction and population patronising local businesses outweighed the limited and less than substantial harm to the Lemsford Conservation Area.

Framework references: 154, 155, 61, 215, 11

Plan policies cited: Policy SADM 34, Policy SP1, Policy SP9, Policy SADM15, Policy SADM16

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.