Mansfield House West Road Harlow Essex CM20 2TZ Data via plota.co.uk

HW/PANDC/26/00297 - Prior Approval Dwellings Commercial Refused

Proposal

Change of use from Class E office furniture retail to residential comprising 10 flats at Ground Floor Level Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
31 Jul 2026
✓
Consultation
1 Sept 2026
✗
Refused
2 Oct 2026
Appeal
Not lodged

Refused on 2 Oct 2026 · Delegated Decision · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

Site constraints 2

Article 4 direction
HMO - townwide. Named permitted development rights are withdrawn here.
An Article 4 direction withdraws particular permitted development rights, so work that would normally need no application needs one here. Not every council has published its directions.
Also on the record
Inside the Harlow built-up area.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No listed building at the site

Checked on 1 October 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
Harlow
Application type
Prior Approval Dwellings Commercial
Postcode
CM20 2TZ
Received
31 Jul 2026
Validated
31 Jul 2026
Ward
Mark Hall North
Target decision
25 Sept 2026
Decision
Prior Approval is Required (Refused)
Decision date
2 Oct 2026
Decision level
Delegated Decision
Applicant
Show
Agent
Phase 2 Planning & Development Ltd

How this decision compares

Decided in 63 days from validation, 15 days slower than Harlow's median of 48 for commercial premises. Refused, as 3% of commercial premises here are.

72%decided within 8 weeks
97%approved
5%go to committee

Plota live figures for commercial premises decided by Harlow in the last twelve months, from validation. Harlow decision record →

Public comments

No public comments yet.

30 neighbours consulted · Last counted 3 Oct 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Alt. reference
PP-15116854
Neighbours
2 Sept 2026
Consultation
1 Sept 2026
Comments by
1 Oct 2026
Site or press notice
4 Sept 2026
Statutory expiry
25 Sept 2026
Env. assessment
No
Harlow
Planning Authority Score
3.9/10
Below average
#196 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Change of use

Harlow ranks #138 out of 296 councils for householder decision speed. Harlow is also one of the strictest councils - it refuses more householder applications than almost any other, with only 79% approved vs 90% nationally.

One of the strictest councils
only 79% approved vs 90% nationally
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Harlow decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
84%
Overall approval rate
Below avg (87%) #222 of 296
79%
Householder approved
Below avg (90%) #283 of 296
67%
Decided in 8 weeks
Above avg (63%) #138 of 296
37%
Extended time limit
Below avg (41%) #120 of 296
38%
Minor dwellings approved
8 decided (1-9 homes)
80%
Major dwellings approved
5 decided (10+ homes)
80%
Change of use approved
20 decided
278
Total decisions
45 refused in the year to March 2026

Freehold boundary: © Crown copyright and database rights 2026, HM Land Registry. Polygons © Crown copyright and database rights 2026 Ordnance Survey 100026316. Conditions of use