Land at Pinks Cottage, Rectory Lane, Shenley, Herts WD7 9AW

Application No. 20/0464/FUL

Demolition of existing equestrian buildings to facilitate construction of 2 x pairs of semi-detached,2 storey, (4 x 3 bed) dwellings with integral garage to include access, landscaping, parking and bin store on Land at Pinks Cottage, Rectory Lane, Shenley, Hertfordshire WD7 9AW.

Whilst recognising that this proposal is for the redevelopment of previously developed land in the Green Belt, CPRE Hertfordshire have concerns regarding aspects of this application.

Paragraph 001[2] of current National Planning Practice Guidance says that when considering the potential impact of development on the openness of the Green Belt, “openness is
capable of having both spatial and visual aspects – in other words, the visual impact of the proposal may be relevant, as could its volume”. This has recently been re-confirmed in the Supreme Court decision in R. Samuel Smith Old Brewery v Yorkshire County Council [2020] UKSC 3 [1] which held that consideration of visual openness is a relevant issue to consider when making judgements on Green Belt openness.