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Dismissed17 June 20266003749

The Garden Room, Dalton Street, St Albans, AL3 5QQ

Planning appeal 6003749 at The Garden Room, Dalton Street, St Albans, AL3 5QQ (St Albans City Council) was dismissed on 17 June 2026 by Inspector J Bowyer, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: the effect of the proposal on the significance of Dalton House which is a Grade II listed building (as 'Bleak House').

change of use from offices to residential including partial demolition of the existing office building (removal of ground floor) and construction of two semi-detached dwellings with private gardens, associated car parking and landscaping

Authority
St Albans City Council
Appeal type
minor · Planning
Procedure
Written
Development
residential
Inspector
J Bowyer
Postcode
AL3 5QQ

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • the effect of the proposal on the significance of Dalton House which is a Grade II listed building (as 'Bleak House')
  • whether or not it would preserve or enhance the character and the appearance of the St Albans Conservation Area, including having regard to the effect of the proposal on trees

What decided it

The harm to the significance of the Grade II listed building Dalton House and the St Albans Conservation Area, combined with unresolved concerns about effects on protected trees, was not outweighed by the limited public benefits of delivering two dwellings, particularly given the absence of clear and convincing justification for the heritage harm.

The limited public benefits of housing delivery on a brownfield site in a sustainable location were insufficient to outweigh the collective harm to the listed building and Conservation Area significance and the unresolved effects on protected trees, resulting in conflict with the development plan.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
Policy 69Policy 70Policy 74Policy 85Policy 86
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 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.