Welwyn Hatfield Local Plan Main Modifications Consultation Feb 2023

CPRE Hertfordshire has maintained, throughout the long planning inquiry process for the Welwyn Hatfield Local Plan, that compliance with the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in plan preparation is compromised by not taking account of the “strong reasons” noted in Paragraph 11 of the NPPF, as identified in Footnote 7. This identifies clearly that Green Belt designations should constrain policies relating to future housing provision.

The number of new homes proposed as a result of the Main Modifications is 15,200, with the reason given as ‘to reflect the Full Objectively Assessed Need (FOAHN) and the identified strategy’. This scale of development can only be achieved by building thousands of new houses in the Green Belt contrary to existing national policy as noted in the NPPF (see above).

This also runs counter to the Government’s recently published NPPF Prospectus for consultation which states that Councils do not have to meet the FOAHN if this would mean altering Green Belt boundaries.

Read more in our recent editorial about the Welwyn Hatfield Local Plan in the context of national planning changes.

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