Herb Farm, London Road, Hastingwood, Harlow, CM17 9LH Data via plota.co.uk

EPF/0847/26 - Permission in Principle Refused

Proposal

Permission in Principle for erection of up to 9 dwellings. Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

Received
29 Apr 2026
Validated
26 May 2026
Refused
30 Jun 2026
Appeal
Not lodged

Refused on 30 Jun 2026 · Delegated Decision · Last checked 22 Aug 2026

Documents 28

All documents on the council site ↗

Site constraints 2

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.
Agricultural land, grade 2
Best and most versatile land (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Predicted from the national soil map. The older provisional map agrees.
Where development of farmland is needed, policy prefers poorer land over the best and most versatile (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Three sources: Natural England's post-1988 field surveys, which are definitive where they exist; the Defra predictive map for England (2025) and the Welsh Government predictive map, modelled from the soil map with 3a and 3b split; and the 1970s provisional map, which planners and other services still show, coarser and with grade 3 undivided. Where the provisional and predicted grades disagree, treat the predicted grade as the current estimate and expect an application to carry its own survey.
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

Application type
Permission in Principle
Postcode
CM17 9LH
Received
29 Apr 2026
Validated
26 May 2026
Ward
North Weald Bassett
Parish
North Weald Bassett
Case officer
Show
Target decision
30 Jun 2026
Decision
Refuse
Decision date
30 Jun 2026
Decision level
Delegated Decision
Agent
Phil Rowe,

How this decision compares

Decided in 35 days from validation, 21 days faster than Epping Forest's median of 56 for new homes. Refused, as 60% of new homes here are.

59%decided within 8 weeks
40%approved
88decided in the last year

Plota live figures for new homes decided by Epping Forest in the last twelve months, from validation. Epping Forest decision record →

Public comments

No public comments yet.

Last counted 22 Aug 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Comments by
23 Jun 2026
Epping Forest
Planning Authority Score
4.5/10
Below average
#172 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Householder decisions

Epping Forest ranks #114 out of 296 councils for householder decision speed. Epping Forest is also one of the strictest councils - it refuses more householder applications than almost any other, with only 76% approved vs 90% nationally.

One of the strictest councils
only 76% approved vs 90% nationally
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Epping Forest decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
67%
Overall approval rate
Below avg (87%) #295 of 296
76%
Householder approved
Below avg (90%) #290 of 296
71%
Decided in 8 weeks
Above avg (63%) #114 of 296
34%
Extended time limit
Below avg (41%) #87 of 296
49%
Minor dwellings approved
228 decided (1-9 homes)
55%
Major dwellings approved
20 decided (10+ homes)
49%
Change of use approved
43 decided
1,307
Total decisions
429 refused in the year to March 2026