The state of the Green Belt in Three Rivers: Big Government vs the Council?

A keystone of the English planning system is that Local Plans are prepared and adopted by Local Authorities, not by central Government diktat.

We deplore the recent interventions by the Secretary of State. He has directed Three Rivers District Council to include seven large sites within the Green Belt in its emerging Local Plan so that they will be developed. He has also called-in for his own determination a major planning application for nearly 300 dwellings in the Green Belt rather than allowing the Council to decide.

The emerging Three Rivers District Local Plan

Three Rivers is a relatively small district in area with a fairly large population of around 100,000 residents. Virtually all of the countryside outside the existing built-up areas is protected land designated as the London Metropolitan Green Belt. A portion of this land also lies within the Chilterns National Landscape which has even more stringent statutory protection from development.

Three Rivers District Council has been working on its new Local Plan for several years, attempting to balance the need for housing with the need to protect the Green Belt and the Chilterns National Landscape. For background on this, see CPRE Hertfordshire’s various consultation responses on the emerging Three Rivers Local Plan, and also the Three Rivers District Council website.

Local Authorities must prepare Local Plans

In England, the Local Plan acts as the legal foundation for all land use decisions in a specific area. The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 established in law that Local Authorities (i.e. Councils) are responsible for preparing and adopting the Local Plan for their area.

This is why we are appalled by the recent intervention by the Secretary of State. He has directed Three Rivers District Council to include seven large sites within the Green Belt in its emerging Local Plan, so that they will be developed for more than 4,200 dwellings. One of these sites is also in the Chilterns National Landscape.

These seven sites are located on the edge of six towns: Abbots Langley, Carpenders Park, Chorleywood, Croxley Green, Hunton Bridge and Rickmansworth. The sites together comprise 212 hectares (525 acres) of open countryside, crossed by public footpaths and highly-valued by local residents for recreation and access to nature. The Council has previously rejected these sites for development. Reasons include flooding, lack of access to facilities and services, highways issues and lack of access to public transportation, as well as significant harm to the countryside, ancient woodland, the environment and the Green Belt.

For these reasons, the Council Leader and the Leaders of each political party represented in the Council have together written to the Secretary of State requesting withdrawal of his letter of direction. A response is awaited.

For further details of these seven sites, see the gallery at the bottom of this webpage.

Planning Inquiries

Besides the Secretary of State’s intervention in the Local Plan, Three Rivers District Council is also defending the Green Belt in planning Inquiries affecting two of the seven sites.

Land East of Oxhey Lane, Carpenders Park

Planning Inspectorate reference APP/P1940/V/26/3378268. Three Rivers planning application 25/1020/OUT for 256 dwellings, a care home, children’s home and associated development. The Secretary of State has called-in this planning application for his own determination, rather than allowing the Council to decide. The Inquiry starts on 1^st July and we will be there as an Interested Party, helping to defend the countryside. Our Interested Party statement is available for download.

Land to North of Little Green Lane, Croxley Green

Planning Inspectorate reference 6004972. Three Rivers planning application 24/2073/OUT and planning appeal 26/0012/REF for 600 dwellings, a children’s home, primary school, local centre, community building, retail and café provision, a country park and associated development. The Council refused permission in January 2026, the applicant has appealed, and the Inquiry is scheduled for August. We will be preparing our Interested Party statement shortly.

More information on both of these planning Inquiries is available on the Three Rivers District Council webpage for planning appeals and called-in applications.

What next?

Be sure to attend the planning inquiries noted above to demonstrate the strength of local feeling against these inappropriate development proposals. And follow Three Rivers District Council for updates on the emerging Local Plan