Land Off Coursers Road Colney Heath Hertfordshire Data via plota.co.uk

26/1330/OUTEI - Outline with EIA application Awaiting decision

Proposal

Outline planning application with all matters reserved except for details of access from the B556 ('St Albans Road / Blackhorse Lane'): for residential-led mixed use development comprising residential accommodation and residential institution (Use Classes C3 and C2); commercial, business and service uses (Use Classes E); local community and learning uses (Use Class F1 and F2); sui generis uses; public open space including parks, ecological areas, sports provision and green and blue infrastructure; and all associated infrastructure including highways, vehicular and non-vehicular access, public transport infrastructure, utilities and service infrastructure, and drainage systems (including foul drainage, Sustainable Drainage Systems, and the diversion, realignment and management of existing watercourses); the diversion, stopping up, realignment and improvement of existing public rights of way, new pedestrian and cycle routes; hard and soft landscaping; ground remodelling, earthworks and demolition; and associated works. [FOR CONSULTATION PURPOSES: Up to 5,000 dwellings and 18,500sqm of non-residential floorspace] Data via plota.co.uk

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View original council record ↗Last checked 3 Oct 2026, 06:41

Application progress

✓

Received

14 Sept 2026

✓

Validated

22 Sept 2026

✓

Consultation

1 Oct 2026

Decision

Expected by 12 Jan 2027

This application is under consideration - no decision has been issued yet. Plota predicts a decision between 17 Nov 2026 and 25 Nov 2026, from Hertsmere's recent changes of use. Comments are open until 22 Oct 2026.

Comment on this application ↗

Documents 97

Statements & assessments 35

Plans & drawings 20

Site constraints 7

Local nature reserve: Colney Heath

Internationally or nationally protected for its wildlife. A habitats assessment is needed.

Harm to a protected site is only accepted where there is no alternative and an overriding public interest.

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.

Open access land

Open country or registered common land, with a right to roam on foot.

Building on registered common land needs the consent of the Secretary of State as well as planning permission.

Priority habitat: Good quality semi improved grassland

A habitat of principal importance. It shapes the ecology work and the biodiversity net gain a scheme has to show.

Agricultural land, grade 1

Best and most versatile land (grades 1, 2 and 3a). Source: the Predictive Agricultural Land Classification Map (Defra and Natural England, 2025; the Welsh Government's Predictive ALC Map 2 in Wales), a model rather than a site survey. Natural England's Provisional ALC map (1:250,000, 1970s), which most planning maps still show, had this area as grade 3. The predicted grade is Defra's current estimate; only a site survey settles it.

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.

Public footpath about 20 m away

Matters where it crosses or adjoins the site: obstructing a path without a diversion order is an offence, and work cannot start until the order is confirmed.

Compiled from highway authority data, not the legal definitive map. A few authorities have not published, so no path shown is not proof there is none.

Habitat network: Restorable Habitat

Where habitat is joined up enough to work as a network. Context, not a constraint on its own.

Not affected

Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 2 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 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: Hertsmere
Application type: Outline with EIA application
Received: 14 Sept 2026
Validated: 22 Sept 2026
Ward: Shenley
Parish: The Parish Council South Mimms And Ridge
Case officer: Show
Target decision: 12 Jan 2027
Applicant: Show
Agent: David Lock Associates

Decision outlook

Day 13 of the 91-day target. Hertsmere usually decides changes of use by day 57.

prediction

Day 1378 days to the 91-day target

49%decided within 8 weeks

61%approved

44decided in the last year

Plota live figures for changes of use decided by Hertsmere in the last twelve months, from validation. Hertsmere decision record →

Public comments

No public comments yet.

1,763 neighbours consulted · Last counted 2 Oct 2026

Read the comments on the council site ↗

Consultation & key dates

Neighbours: 1 Oct 2026
Consultation: 1 Oct 2026
Comments by: 22 Oct 2026
Statutory expiry: 12 Jan 2027
Env. assessment: No

Hertsmere

Planning Authority Score

3.3/10

Poor

#225 of 296 councils

Relevant to this application:

Major dwellings

Hertsmere is slower than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #243 out of 296. 55% of applications have the time limit extended, above the 41% national average. Householder applications are slightly more likely to be approved here (94%) than the national average (90%).

Slower than most councils

for householder decisions

These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance

Hertsmere decision statistics

Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026

93%

Overall approval rate

Above avg (87%) #57 of 296

94%

Householder approved

Above avg (90%) #108 of 296

49%

Decided in 8 weeks

Below avg (63%) #243 of 296

55%

Extended time limit

Above avg (41%) #249 of 296

84%

Minor dwellings approved

102 decided (1-9 homes)

75%

Major dwellings approved

8 decided (10+ homes)

89%

Change of use approved

27 decided

742

Total decisions

55 refused in the year to March 2026