124-home residential development at Land To Rear Of 112-156B Harpenden Road
Summary of planning committee decision
Decided by St Albans Development Management Committee on 1 Sept 2025.
What was proposed
The application sought reserved matters approval for 124 houses and flats, with garages, parking, landscaping, open space and internal routes.
“The application for approval of reserved matters is for 124 new-build dwellings (houses and flats) in Class C3 use, with associated garages, parking, landscaping, open space and vehicular and pedestrian routes through the site.”
“The reserved matters relate to details of appearance, landscaping, layout and scale, in accordance with Condition 1 of the outline planning permission.”
Officer report
The site and surroundings
The 5.24-hectare greenfield meadow lies in the Metropolitan Green Belt behind homes on Harpenden Road, with farmland to the east and mature trees and hedgerows.
“The site, of 5.24 hectares, is located in the Metropolitan Green Belt. It is greenfield meadow land, situated behind the rear gardens of a series of residential dwellings fronting, but set back from, Harpenden Road. It stretches from Sandridgebury Lane at its southern end to the boundaries of a short narrow residential cul-de-sac to the north.”
“The 1930’s Harpenden Road dwellings to the west are mainly detached and of varying styles showing a combination of hipped and gabled roofs with traditional painted closed eaves. A petrol station lies beyond No.146, and to the north of that, the north west corner of the site is bounded by a number of dwellings which extend along an off shoot of Harpenden Road in an easterly direction.”
Officer report
Earlier planning history
Outline permission for up to 150 homes was granted in 2022, followed by approvals for access, archaeology, drainage and other outline conditions.
“5/2021/0423: Outline application (access sought) - Residential development of up to 150 dwellings together with all associated works Granted: 12/01/2022”
“5/2024/1676: Non-Material Amendment - Amendment to approved access plan 19197/004 rev A to include speed reduction measures, widened footway/cycleway and drainage swale of outline planning permission 5/2021/0423 dated 12/01/2022 Approved: 10/02/2025”
Officer report
The committee vote
The committee voted to grant conditional permission subject to the legal agreement, with eight members in favour, three against and none abstaining.
“It was moved by the Chair that the application be GRANTED conditional permission subject to the completion of a legal agreement as set out in the report and below. It was CARRIED.”
Minutes
The decision
The application was granted subject to entering into the legal agreement within three months to prevent implementation of the earlier drainage scheme.
“(i) That the application was GRANTED subject to:”
“A. That the applicant within three months of the date of this committee meeting, enters into a legal agreement pursuant to S106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to not implement the drainage scheme approved under discharge of condition application reference…”
Minutes
Sources
- St Albans Development Management Committee minutes, 1 September 2025
- Agenda and papers (council website)
Source: Plota analysis of St Albans's committee minutes and officer report. Quotations are the council's own words; headings and summaries are Plota's.
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See the API →At the meeting
- Council
- St Albans
- Date
- Monday 1 September 2025
- Recommendation
- Officers recommended approval
- Committee decided
- Approved
- Vote
- 8 for, 3 against
- Minutes
- The council's minutes
- Meeting
- Agenda and papers (council website)
- Application
- The application (council website)
- All decisions
- St Albans committee decisions →
Source: Plota analysis of the minutes.