Darcys Place, Little Broom Field, Church Lane, Wormley, Hertfordshire EN

Application No. 07/20/1040/0
Outline permission for two detached dwellings at Darcys Place, Little Broom Field, Church Lane, Wormley, Hertfordshire EN10 7QF

CPRE Hertfordshire oppose this application for inappropriate residential development in the Green Belt contrary to the Green Belt policies in the National Planning Policy Framework and the Broxbourne Local Plan.

This site is part of a larger landholding which was used for sand and gravel extraction between 1949 and 1979. It was restored to a field in 1983. Since then there have been applications for various uses on the site which have been repeatedly refused, including on appeal. In recent years the site has been used unlawfully as a builders yard which the Council has instructed the applicant to cease, hence the current application for residential development.

The proposal meets none of the exception criteria in either the NPPF or the Local Plan. The applicant, however, considers that the land is previously developed, claiming that the builders yard has been there for over ten years. However as no Certificate of Lawful Use is in place, the Council has taken enforcement action and we have no way of verifying the claim, we do not consider that the previously developed land exception applies.