The developers Redrow want to build 310 houses, and a primary school on greenbelt land near Harts Farm, off Little Bushey Lane. They have applied for ‘right of access’ planning permission as a first step towards achieving this.
Development on that scale would cause huge environmental damage and generate large volumes of extra traffic on Little Bushey Lane. Many hundreds of residents have already objected.
Councillors are expected to vote against the application at a Hertsmere planning committee meeting on 23rd February.
However, Redrow have already lodged an appeal, claiming Hertsmere have taken too long to make a decision. This means the case will ultimately now be decided by the national Planning Inspectorate, not the council.
But residents can still make submissions to the Inspectorate. To do this, you can:
- Either visit https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk
- Or email aisosa.charles@planninginspectorate.gov.uk
- You’ll need to quote the case reference, which is APP/N1920/W/23/3314268.
- The deadline is 21st February.
- You can review application documents relating to the application on the planning section of the Hertsmere council website. Search for 22/1071/OUT.
And one of the most useful things you can do is support the residents’ campaign, at littlebusheycommunity.org
As the application will be decided by a national body, not the council. Bushey Lib Dems will not be able to influence the outcome. But in a broader level, we remain committed to protecting Bushey’s greenbelt, and pushing back against reckless development.
Bushey Lib Dems say the appeal must be refused: There are no Very Special Circumstances. Residents are overwhelmingly opposed to the development. The site is environmentally sensitive and a flood plain. It would likely generate 1,000 daily car journeys.
As expected, councillors have tonight rejected an outline planning application to build 310 houses on greenbelt land near Harts Farm, Little Bushey Lane. Our representative, Cllr Jerry Evans, voted against it but in fact the decision was unanimous.
Hertsmere council have issued a new appeal for sites for future development. Residents will rightly want to know what this signifies. Looking at the detail, we see some positives, some negatives, but most importantly, no change on the crucial issues.
