Dismay at new mass-development proposal in the AONB at Chorleywood

In March 2023, Three Rivers District Council refused permission for a speculative mass-development within the Chilterns National Landscape (formerly termed Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, or AONB). Now a year later, much to our dismay and that of the local community, two new planning applications have been submitted to the Council seeking permission for a very similar mass-development proposal of up to 675 dwellings on the same site.

In 2020 two planning applications were submitted for the site on land east of Green Street and north of Orchard Drive in Chorleywood, in Three Rivers District. One application was for up to 800 dwellings and the other was for up to 300 dwellings. CPRE Hertfordshire strenuously objected to these applications – the site lies entirely within both the Green Belt and the Chilterns National Landscape. As such, the proposed development was contrary to both national and local planning policy and the statutory Chilterns Management Plan. We urged the Council to refuse permission, and in March 2023 that’s what the Council did.

You can read our full 2020 submittal.

You can also read the Council’s March 2023 decision notices here and here.

Now, in March 2024, the same applicant has submitted two new planning applications, seeking permission for a very similar mass-development on the same site, for up to 300 dwellings and up to 675 dwellings respectively. We are extremely dismayed by this new, wholly speculative and inappropriate development proposal.

In England, National Landscapes enjoy the highest level of protection from inappropriate development, just as National Parks do. We maintain that development proposals such as this are entirely contrary to national and local planning policy (both existing Three Rivers District policy and that of the emerging Three Rivers Local Plan) and contrary to the statutory Chilterns Management Plan.

We are once again urging the Council to refuse permission, and will shortly publish our submittal. And we encourage all those in the local community who value the countryside to submit objections. The published deadline for comment is Tuesday 16 April 2024 but the Council will accept submittals up until the time the application is determined i.e. a decision is made.

To see the two new planning applications and submit your objection, go the Three Rivers District Council planning portal at

https://www3.threerivers.gov.uk/online-applications/

and enter application number 24/0476/OUT (up to 300 dwellings) or application number 24/0538/OUT (up to 675 dwellings).

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