42 A West Common Harpenden AL5 2JW Data via plota.co.uk

5/2026/1798 - PPOR Pending

Proposal

Proposed demolition of garage and re build of first floor raising the roof with extension to the south elevation and internal alterations Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
5 Oct 2026
Decision
Expected by 30 Nov 2026

Under consideration

No decision has been issued yet. Plota predicts a decision between 28 Dec 2026 and 21 Jan 2027, from St Albans's recent demolitions.

Site constraints 9

Harpenden 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 ↗
Habitat network: Network Enhancement Zone 2
Where habitat is joined up enough to work as a network. Context, not a constraint on its own.
Also on the record
1 listed building within 150 m of the postcode pin; Radon affected area, class 2; Inside the Harpenden built-up area; Green belt about 33 m away: London; Priority habitat about 32 m away: Deciduous woodland; Open access land about 31 m away: Access Land - Combined Open Country, Registered Common Land and Section 16 Dedicated Land. MoD Byelaw, Section 28 Exclusions, Racecourses and Aerodromes and ECP Margin have been removed.; Natural England's Provisional ALC map (1:250,000, 1970s) 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 6 October 2026. The pin for this application is the centre of its postcode rather than the building, so distances to nearby designations are measured from the postcode and can be out by the width of the postcode area. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the British Geological Survey and UK Health Security Agency (radon, contains BGS materials © UKRI) 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.

Sales history 1

Last sold for £1,115,000 in February 2018. Detached house, freehold.

5 February 2018£1,115,000

Sale prices from HM Land Registry's price paid record, matched to this application by its address.

Building

Floor area132 m² (1,421 sq ft)
Energy ratingD (58 out of 100), could reach C
PropertyDetached house, 7 habitable rooms
Built1976 to 1982
HeatingBoiler and radiators, mains gas
WallsCavity wall, filled cavity

From the energy performance certificate lodged in November 2017, the latest held for this property, matched to this application by its address. The building may have changed since. View the certificate

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Important details

Council
St Albans
Application type
PPOR
Postcode
AL5 2JW
Received
5 Oct 2026
Applicant
Show

Decision outlook

Day 4 of the 56-day target. St Albans usually decides demolitions by day 92.

Day 488 days to the predicted decision (day 92)
22%decided within 8 weeks
83%approved
114decided in the last year

Plota live figures for demolitions decided by St Albans in the last twelve months, from validation. St Albans decision record →

Consultation & key dates

Alt. reference
324226PLN
Planning Portal ref
15258360
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

Sale prices: Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Energy performance: Energy performance certificates from the Energy Performance of Buildings Register, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright 2026.