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Dismissed20 March 20266002883

57 New Road, Digswell, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, AL6 0AL

Planning appeal 6002883 at 57 New Road, Digswell, Welwyn, Hertfordshire, AL6 0AL (Welwyn Hatfield Council) was dismissed on 20 March 2026 by Inspector Dring G, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: the effect of the proposal on the character of the area.

demolish the existing house and outbuildings, construct a new residential apartment building to provide 12 x 2-bedroom and 3 x 3-bedroom apartments, construction of access, landscape planting and ancillary development

Authority
Welwyn Hatfield Council
Appeal type
major · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Written Representations
Development
residential · Major dwellings
Inspector
Dring G
Postcode
AL6 0AL

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • the effect of the proposal on the character of the area
  • whether adequate information is provided in support of the proposal with regard to the biodiversity net gain objective
  • whether sufficient contributions towards infrastructure would be provided

What decided it

The substantial and long-lasting harm to the character of the area caused by the significant massing, depth and intensification of residential use, which substantially outweighed the benefits of housing delivery in the planning balance under paragraph 11(d) of the Framework.

The significant social, economic and environmental benefits of delivering 14 additional dwellings in a location with access to services and public transport, and the environmental benefits of biodiversity net gain, were substantially outweighed by the substantial harm to the character of the area resulting from the building's massing, depth and residential intensification.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
Policy SP 9Policy SADM 16Policy SADM 11Policy SP 13Welwyn Hatfield District Plan Supplementary Design Guidance February 2005Digswell Character Appraisal January 2004
National Planning Policy Framework
Paragraph 11Paragraph 58Paragraph 125Paragraph 135

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 Welwyn Hatfield

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

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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.

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.