Dacorum publish their new Local Plan: Revised Strategy for Growth (2024-2040) for consultation

In 2020 DBC’s previous consultation on their Emerging Strategy for Growth – Local Plan – attracted over 16,000 comments from over 4,000 people.

They have now made significant changes to the 2020 strategy, which they hope will address the key issues raised by the community. They state these include:

• Reducing the levels of housing growth, considering our unique constraints and pressures on infrastructure;

• Ensuring growth is more proportionate for our market towns;

• Maximising urban capacity in sustainable locations; and

• Exploring further opportunities for regenerating Hemel Hempstead’s employment and retail areas.

The Council want residents to have their say on these proposed changes before they finalise and publish their emerging Local Plan.

The KL&DRA believe it is important for residents to respond to the consultation and support the revised approach for the following reasons:

• The Council has recognised the importance of the Green Belt and that the amount of Green Belt in the Borough is a real constraint to meeting the Government’s housing target

• It makes sense to focus development around our market towns where more appropriate infrastructure is available

• Recognising the priority of brownfield locations and regenerating developed areas in and around Hemel Hempstead is the right approach and saves precious Green Belt areas

• The Council has removed a key green field, Green Belt site in Kings Langley – Rectory Farm, which is the right decision as such a development is inappropriate in the Green Belt and will put too much pressure on Kings Langley’s existing infrastructure

• The Council’s strategy for Growth for Kings Langley is balanced and appropriate because it:

  • Protects Kings Langley’s Green Belt at Rectory Farm

  • Acknowledges that there will be some growth in Kings Langley over the plan period from windfall (homes the Council think will unexpectedly come forward for development over the period of the plan (2024 – 2040) that are not formally allocated), estimated at 61 dwellings

  • Takes into account sites in Kings Langley that already have planning permission but have not yet been built out; 9 dwellings

• We need residents to make it clear to Government Inspectors that this is the right approach for Dacorum to take

By responding to the consultation, this will help the Council demonstrate the strength of feeling from residents and will be taken into account by the Planning Inspector when, at a later stage in the process, the plan is Examined in Public. So, to help ensure the plan doesn’t get changed in the future, to the possible detriment of Kings Langley, it is important for residents to respond!

The closing date for responses is: Monday 11 December 2023.

For further information and help in responding, please refer to our briefing note here

Please note that: Three Rivers has also published its Local Plan consultation. Our village is divided physically by the Grand Union Canal, which also forms the boundary between Dacorum and Three Rivers, so both plans have a significant effect on the future of Kings Langley and we would urge residents to respond to the Three Rivers consultation as well. Specific information on that plan can be found in our blog post here.