So what’s going on with Rectory Farm?

You may be wondering about the current situation regarding the green field, Green Belt site in the heart of Kings Langley at Rectory Farm? This site was originally included in Dacorum’s plan as a potential site for new dwellings and many of you will have responded to the earlier consultation objecting to such development on our village’s Green Belt. Rather than wait to see what the outcome of the Local Plan process would be, Cala Homes and Angle Property applied for permission to build 135 homes back in June 2022. Since then, and until recently, detailed plans and changes to those plans have been uploaded to the application, all to no avail as, on 18 October 2023, the planning officer refused permission citing the following reasons:

1. Inappropriate development in the Green Belt resulting in spatial harm to the openness of the Green Belt, contrary to the NPPF (2023) and Policy CS5 of the Dacorum Borough Core Strategy (2013). Very special circumstances have not been demonstrated to justify the proposed inappropriate development in the Green Belt.

2. The application does not provide a Suitable Alterative Natural Greenspace (SANG) solution and/or secure the management of the SANG solution to mitigate the adverse impact of the development on the Chilterns Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in accordance with the approved Chiltern Beechwoods Mitigation Strategy.

3. Due to the absence of a completed legal agreement and a mechanism to secure the provision of this affordable housing, the proposed development would be contrary to the NPPF and Policy CS19 of the Dacorum Borough Core Strategy (2013).

4. The proposed development fails to secure the delivery of social and transport infrastructure arising as a result of development including the range of community facilities included within the proposals, public open space, off site highway works, health and sustainable transport sums through on-site provision or financial contribution. The mechanisms to deliver and maintain the social infrastructure in perpetuity have not been finalised and agreed by way of a signed legal agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (As Amended). The proposal would therefore be contrary to the NPPF and Policies CS23 and CS35 of the Dacorum Borough Core Strategy (2013).

The refusal pretty much coincided with the release of DBC’s revised Local Plan from which the site had been removed.                                                                

So what happens next? The KL&DRA believe the applicants will appeal against the refusal, however, we do not know exactly when. We will be monitoring the situation closely and will be ready to react with professional assistance as required, should the appeal emerge. We will of course keep our subscribers and Kings Langley residents aware of any changes via our usual channels.