Bushey greenbelt sites removed from the Local Plan

All four major Bushey greenbelt sites have been removed from the Local Plan.

Bushey Mill Lane, Harts Farm, land north of Farm Way, and Heathbourne Green - totalling 266 acres - had been placed on the original 2021 draft plan by the former Conservative administration.

Removing them was our primary aim as Bushey’s Lib Dem councillors.

It means all four sites will remain on the greenbelt - a major obstacle to development.

And while Bushey must still contribute to the borough’s housing need, new homes will almost entirely be allocated to brownfield and previously developed land.

These include:

- Around 165 homes on the Bushey Country Club complex, largely built on previously developed areas. A country park and the bulk of the greenspace will be retained, and there’ll also be a new community hub

- The Greenacres and Birchville sites are brownfield and Hartsbourne (mainly previously developed) already has planning permission.

- Elsewhere, only six acres of greenbelt will be allocated in Bushey.

- Bushey Lib Dems will only support a scheme for Kemp Place if the existing number of parking spaces are retained.

All schemes still require a planning application to be submitted, considered and approved. The Local Plan confers only land allocation.

Council tonight voted to put the plan to public consultation, which begins on 3rd April.

There’ll also be a public meeting at Bushey Country Club on 16th April.

It’s important to remember that removing or excluding a site from the draft plan doesn’t make development impossible. National planning inspectors and courts can impose development on the council. Developers can also still submit planning applications.

But it means the council won’t put the land forward, or remove it from the greenbelt.