Kingsbury Watermill St Michaels Street St Albans Hertfordshire AL3 4SJ Data via plota.co.uk

5/2026/0687 - MAL Under Consideration

Proposal

Construction of a demountable timber canopy to provide covered seating and associated landscape enhancements Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

Received
1 Apr 2026
Validated
2 Apr 2026
Decision
Expected by 15 Jun 2026

This application is under consideration - no decision has been issued yet. Plota predicted a decision soon after comments close on 15 Jun 2026; it is now day 165. The consultation period closed on 15 Jun 2026.

Site constraints 4

Green belt: London
Inappropriate development needs very special circumstances.
Green belt policy allows a short list of exceptions, such as limited extensions and replacement buildings. Anything else needs very special circumstances that clearly outweigh the harm.
St Albans - Fishpool Street and St Michaels Village conservation area
Demolition needs planning permission and permitted development is restricted.
The council must give weight to preserving or enhancing the area's character and appearance. Not every council has published its boundaries as open data.
Council document ↗
Also on the record
Inside the St Albans built-up area; the 1970s provisional farmland map had this area as grade 3, but it predates the buildings here and the current map does not class it as farmland.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 11 September 2026. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England and council datasets, Open Government Licence. A boundary can run through a site and the council holds the definitive record: confirm with the council before relying on this.

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Important details

Council
St Albans
Application type
MAL
Postcode
AL3 4SJ
Received
1 Apr 2026
Validated
2 Apr 2026
Ward
Verulam
Parish
CENTRAL
Case officer
Show
Target decision
15 Jun 2026
Decision level
Delegated
Applicant
Show
Agent
Dla Town Planning Ltd (Dla Town Planning Ltd)

Decision outlook

Day 165, past the statutory target. 87% of full applications in St Albans are decided within thirteen weeks; extensions of time are common, and the council need not decide on the day. Last seen undecided on 12 Sept 2026.

Day 165109 days past the 56-day target
61%decided within 8 weeks
87%approved
54,582decided in the last year

Plota live figures for full applications decided across the UK in the last twelve months, from validation; too few recent full applications in St Albans to go on. St Albans decision record →

Consultation & key dates

Alt. reference
320872PLN
Planning Portal ref
14603689
Comments by
15 Jun 2026
Site or press notice
7 May 2026
Statutory expiry
27 May 2026
St Albans
Planning Authority Score
1.1/10
Poor
#290 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Householder decisions

St Albans is one of the slowest councils in England for householder decisions, ranking #285 out of 296. The council extends the time limit on 64% of applications - one of the highest rates in England. Expect your application to take longer than the standard deadline. Householder applications are slightly less likely to be approved here (88%) than the national average (90%).

Among the slowest councils in England
for householder decisions
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
St Albans decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
87%
Overall approval rate
Above avg (87%) #180 of 296
88%
Householder approved
Below avg (90%) #226 of 296
29%
Decided in 8 weeks
Below avg (63%) #285 of 296
64%
Extended time limit
Above avg (41%) #278 of 296
74%
Minor dwellings approved
130 decided (1-9 homes)
61%
Major dwellings approved
18 decided (10+ homes)
77%
Change of use approved
26 decided
1,411
Total decisions
184 refused in the year to March 2026