Green Street East Proposal – Archive

Introduction

This page is an archive of information about the original proposals for up to 800 dwellings to be built on Land East of Green Street.

For the latest information please refer to the main page.

LATEST

Update January 2023

The Council’s assessment of the Green Street applications is still ongoing. Any decision on these applications will have to be made by the full Planning Committee. It now seems that the earliest date that the applications will be considered is at the April meeting due to the complexity of the issues involved and amount of work involved in preparing the full report for the Committee to consider.
 
Generally, we think these delays are probably going to weigh against approval as the Government view on development is moving increasingly to the need to protect Green Belt. Michael Gove has intimated that the government is likely to specify that a shortfall on housing need will cease to be considered a valid reason to allow development in the Green Belt. The Government is currently consulting on this and other changes to planning policy which we are currently working through to provide a response.
 
Once we have any firm information as to when the application will be considered at the TRDC Planning Committee and the outcome of these considerations we will, of course, update residents.

Update 20th August 2022

TRDC Planning Committee commenced their consideration of these two planning applications on 11th August, with a preliminary review of the applications to identify any areas that needed further work. The meeting was well attended and there were speakers against the applications from the public, Parish Council, District Council and County Council. 
 
Officers will now look into the areas raised at the meeting along with the existing documentation and prepare a recommendation on the proposals to be presented to the Committee for their final decision at a later date. With the amount of issues raised, this could take some time but we will keep residents up to date as we learn more.

Update 27th February 2022

The consultation window for the two applications on the east side of Green Street has now closed. It is good to see that a large number of residents have submitted their comments to the council with regard to these applications.

Details of the Residents Association’s response to the most recent consultation on the additional documentation provided can be found here . You can also find the Chorleywood Parish Council’s response at  https://www.chorleywood-pc.gov.uk/land-at-green-street-planning-application/ .
 
In the responses from Statutory Consultees, it is interesting to see that Thames Water have further confirmed the Association’s concerns about capacity of the sewage network. Thames Water have included a requirement that any new houses built should not be occupied until capacity issues of the sewage network are resolved.
 
It is now expected that, in April or May, the applications will be considered by the TRDC Planning Committee at a preliminary “Issues” meeting, where councillors can raise questions / concerns to be further investigated, with a decision to be made at a meeting later in the year. As soon as we know the dates of these meetings we will provide further information to residents, including how to attend the meetings.

Analysis of Additional Documentation – 3rd February 2022

A consultation is open until the 20th February [now closed] in response to additional documentation supplied by the applicants. It should be noted that  the proposals have not changed – the additional documentation is in response to queries by statutory consultees including highways authorities, Herts Ecology, Natural England, CPRE, Chiltern Conservation Board and Chorleywood Parish Council.

The documentation principally consists of;

  • new, more detailed traffic and transport assessments including the results of modelling requested by highways authorities,
  • further detail on expected ecological impacts and mitigations,
  • flood risk analysis, and
  • details of Planning Inspectorate Appeal decision that the applicant believes are relevant to these applications.

We have undertaken an analysis of the additional documentation provided by the applicants and also looked at other information relevant to the development that has come to our attention since the last consultation on these proposals.

A summary of the analysis can be read using the button below, as can our comments on the original documentation.

Analysis of Additional Information (PDF, 3 Feb 2022)
Comments on original documentation (8 JULY 2020)

Update 14th February 2022

Since our update on 3rd February on the applications:

 

  • The applicant has supplied new Ecology reports for the 800 home application, previously missing. These can be found on the TRDC Planning Portal. Review of the new reports reveals the same concern as for the 300 homes in that, in the mitigations planned, no consideration has been given to ground nesting birds such as Skylarks (Alauda Arvensis) which have been observed on the site. This is of particular concern as the Skylark appears on the RSPB’s Red List for endangered UK birds species and therefore is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
  • Chorleywood Parish Council has received the results of a review of traffic & pedestrian activity in the tunnel under the railway. This supports our concerns about the impact of the increased traffic flow on pedestrians using the pavement under the tunnel, particularly during the morning and afternoon journeys to and from school. The Parish Council will be supplying the outcome of the review, along with its data, to the highways authorities requesting it be considered in their assessment and review of the applications.
  • Chorleywood Parish Council have agreed that the applications should both be considered by the full Three Rivers Planning Committee and will be submitting this request to Three Rivers District Council along with their objections to the applications.
Updated analysis of Additional Information (PDF, 14 Feb 2022)

See also our Planning Update emails

These links will take you to the applications in the Three Rivers Planning Portal

The consultation is open until 20th February 2022

Comments made as part of the previous consultation on the applications will still be considered by the council in their review of the applications. Residents who wish to add additional comments, based upon the above or for any other reason, can do so during this consultation, however, it is better not to repeat what was submitted previously.

Residents who wish to ensure that the council understand that their previous comments are still valid can submit a new comment that simply states something along the lines of “My comments submitted (date) are unchanged by the new information provided in December 2021“. The Planning Officers can then link the two comments.

As mentioned in our previous updates, Chorleywood Parish Council will be holding a public meeting on Monday 7th February at 7:30pm in the War Memorial Hall to allow them to hear the views of residents and to provide clarification on the planning process and the documentation available for consideration. There are still places available which can be booked by emailing info@chorleywood-pc.gov.uk or by calling 01923 285594. Come along, hear the views of other residents and have your say.

Update December 2021

The developers applying to build either 300 or 800 new homes on the fields east of Green Street have now supplied additional information requested by Three Rivers District Council to help them in their decision making. Before any decision is made, the council have assured us that they will be conducting a full 30 day consultation on the revised proposals.

It is currently unclear as to when this consultation will commence as the information supplied by the developer must be fully reviewed by the council Planning Department before the consultation can start – which may take some time. We feel that it would be better for the consultation to start in the New Year rather than be run over the Christmas period to ensure it is properly considered and we have made this clear to the council.

As soon as we have any more information on the consultation we will communicate further with residents and we will, of course, be undertaking a full analysis of the proposals which we will make available to residents.

Update March 2021

At this time, according to the TRDC Planning Dept., the applicant is working to provide additional information required by statutory consultees particularly in the area of the traffic impact both on local roads and the M25. We understand that once this has been received and checked by TRDC Planning Dept., the applications will go out for full consultation again. As soon as we know anything more concrete we will update residents and, based on any new information, provide further analysis of the applications.

Information below is taken from the previous website and is provided as a historical archive.  Links may no longer work correctly.

Update July 2020

This site has previously been put forward to be considered for housing in the new Local Plan that is under development but, with the delay in the Local Plan process it appears that the owners have decided to go ahead with an application under the existing Local Plan rules. 
 

Update July 2020 – CRA have provided a detailed analysis of both applications in a planning update email on 8th July.  Chorleywood Parish Council have considered the applications on 14th July.  Comments on the applications to TRDC must be made by 19th July.  See below for more details.

Update for Chorleywood Residents Re: Planning Permission Requests – 15th July 2020

Chorleywood Parish Council discussed the two applications for development on the site East of Green Street and decided to “call them in” which means that they will have to be decided by Three Rivers District councillors in public rather than for planning officers to make the decision behind the scenes. The next meetings of the Three Rivers Planning Committee that could consider it would be on the 13th August or the 10th September. We will watch out for the agenda for those meetings and will issue an update nearer the time.
Please note that the final submission date for public comments on the Green Street applications is 19th July.  See below for how comments can be submitted.
We understand that Chorleywood residents may have differing views on both proposals.  Whilst some will wish to object on a variety of grounds, others may see benefits in the addition of smaller and less costly houses to the Chorleywood mix. Our detailed analysis of the two planning applications and the planning issues that arise can be viewed by clicking this link

 

See this update for further information including recent information that Skylarks (a Red Listed species) are present on the site and some further commentary on the alternative plans and assurances given.

Planning update with analysis of the applications – 8th July 2020

As part of our work on behalf of local residents, we have undertaken an analysis of the two applications to develop residential property on the fields to the east of Green Street between Orchard Drive and St Clement Danes. In doing this we have used the information provided in the various documents submitted by the developers along with local knowledge and publicly available statistical data for the area.
The detailed analysis was emailed to all subscribers on 8th July and is available by clicking this link.
The analysis considers key planning matters as dictated by the government’s planning rules (the National Planning Policy Framework or NPPF) and the district council’s planning rules (the current Local Plan). Whilst residents can submit any comments they wish on the applications, decisions made by the council can only be made on valid planning grounds as laid down in these documents.
It should be noted that the applications are in outline only with all matters other than the access being reserved until further detailed applications are submitted. This means that only the size of the site, the overall number of dwellings and the access routes is fixed by this application with all other elements of the design only becoming fixed in later applications. This application is about agreement in principle to develop. That said, the outline should provide an indication as to what the design of the development might look like and what its impacts on the area may be.

 

The applications will be considered by the Parish Council at an extraordinary meeting on the 14th July, 7:30pm. The Parish Council cannot decide the application, this can only be done by Three Rivers District Council (TRDC), but they will make observations and comments that must be considered in TRDC making the decision. This includes requiring the application to be decided in public by the full TRDC Planning Committee. Up to three people will be able to speak for and against the application at the meeting. Anyone wishing to speak at the meeting needs to register through info@chorleywood-pc.gov.uk at least two days before the meeting and speaking slots will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Details of the meeting can be found at: https://www.chorleywood-pc.gov.uk/full-council-agenda/

Any comments for TRDC on either of the applications can be submitted:

  • through the “Comments” tab in the application on the TRDC Planning Portal,

  • by email through enquiries@threerivers.gov.uk, or

  • by writing to Planning Department, Three Rivers District Council, Three Rivers House, Northway, Rickmansworth Herts WD3 1RL. 

The applications are open for comment to TRDC until 19th July 2020.

Planning applications published on TRDC Planning Portal – 18th June 2020

The Planning Applications to build either 300 or 800 houses on land adjacent to Green Street, Chorleywood have been posted today onto the TRDC Planning Portal and are therefore now available for your examination and, if you wish, comment. Links to the applications are below and, if you click on the Application Request, this should take you to the details of the application on the TRDC website. If you have any problems with this, you can find the application through the Search on the TRDC Planning Portal by searching for the Ref.
If you or any residents have any comments on either of the applications below, these can be submitted: 
  • through the “Comments” tab in the application on the TRDC Planning Portal,
  • by email through enquiries@threerivers.gov.uk, or
  • by writing to Planning Department, Three Rivers District Council, Three Rivers House, Northway, Rickmansworth Herts WD3 1RL.
According to the published timetable, comments can be submitted on the applications up to the 19th July.  
Please note that comments submitted on planning applications are made available online by TRDC. Personal information such as telephone numbers, email addresses and names will be removed/redacted but property addresses will be shown online. Please do not include any personal information you would not be happy to be publicly available in your comment. 
Due to the scale of these applications and the potential impact on the local area it is likely that they will be called in to be considered by the TRDC Planning Committee where a decision on them will be made in public and we will certainly be working to try and ensure that this happens. We will ensure that residents are kept up to date on the exact timing and process for the applications to be considered.  
If we can help with regard to these applications or any other planning matter,please do not hesitate to contact through jon@chorleywoodresidents.co.uk or planning@chorleywoodresidents.co.uk.

Applications for 300 or 800 houses received by TRDC – 6th May 2020

Two applications to develop housing on the Green Street East site have been received today (6th May 2020) by Three Rivers District Council. One application is for approximately 800 dwellings and the other, alternative application is for 300 dwellings. The applications will now go through the councils initial checking and once this is complete, they will appear in the planning portal for public review and comment. We will monitor the TRDC planning site and once the applications are available to view we will notify residents

Letter setting out alternative proposals for 300 or 800 dwellings – 25th April 2020

The owners now intend to submit two applications by the beginning of May this year.   One will be for the full site and a possible 800 dwellings; one for part only of the site and a possible 300 dwellings.
 
When the Council receive the applications they will notify adjoining owners under the usual procedure. This may be limited.
All residents will be able to make representations.  We will report in our e-Newsletter and Planning Updates as soon as we become aware of these applications.
The owners have set out their position and their case for the proposals in a letter which you can view by clicking this link.

Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Opinion Request – January 2020

In our planning update of 15th January we included a note on 20/0002/EIAS which relates to this site. 20/0002/EIAS is an Environmental Impact Assessment Scoping Opinion Request (EIAS) with regard to the proposed development at Green Street. This is different from a normal planning application, as it does not request permission to develop anything but rather to agree the scope of document that will, later, be presented as part of the final planning permission request. This is not the time to register objections. CRA will be registering some comments on the scope of the impact assessment, in particular around the limits proposed to the traffic impact assessment. If you do wish to comment on the proposed scope, this can be done in the usual way.

It is our understanding that the actual Planning Application for Green Street will now probably not be submitted until February or March. Once we know it has been submitted, we will advise residents in the usual way.

Residents’ Association Public Meeting – 20th November 2019

The association held a public meeting on the 20th November at 7:30 pm in the Common Room at the Memorial Hall to allow us to hear from residents on this proposal and to answer any questions about the process the application will go through & how best to engage with it.
Following the meeting, CRA issued the following communication on 25th November 2019.
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CRA Communication: Proposal by Chilterns Hills Golf Limited to build 700 to 800 dwellings on Green Street East

There is much concern locally over the proposed housing development off Green Street.

Following the recent exhibition at the Golf Club, CRA held a public meeting that was attended by between 80 and 100 residents, to give their views and hear how the process is expected to evolve. The feedback we’ve received is that the meeting was useful. We are sorry there wasn’t enough room for all who wanted to attend.

You may be aware that the Green Street site was already being considered as a potential site for development as part of the ‘Local Plan Call for Sites’. Your Residents’ Association carried out a full analysis of the issues pertaining to this site, which it provided to TRDC planners this time last year. A copy of this analysis can be found here.

Our public meeting asked for more information on the process and timings, so here are brief notes on how we can expect it to proceed and when we should respond. All planning applications go through this process, which is governed by predefined rules: 

  1. There is no value in objecting to Three Rivers District Council (TRDC) until a planning application has been submitted. This is because planning officers can only take comments once a formal planning application is received and an official number is allocated. This is expected to be in January 2020.
  2. Whilst it is not yet the right time to comment, the association felt it was important to hold the first public meeting now, as the available timescale when the application has been submitted will be short. Early engagement enables time to gather any evidence and for residents to organise for responses at the appropriate time.
  3. Once the application is submitted, it will be loaded to the TRDC Planning Website (https://www3.threerivers.gov.uk/online-applications/) where interested parties can view the details of the application and, if they wish, comment on it.
  4. The council provide 21 days for comments to be submitted to them. CRA will be checking the TRDC Planning Website and advise residents once the application is open for comments, along with further information about how best to provide comments.
  5. As part of the decision-making process, the Chorleywood Parish Council Planning Committee will consider the application and, if they have significant concerns, can require any decision on the application to be made in public by the TRDC Planning Committee (which is made up of TRDC councillors rather than officers).
  6. At both Parish and TRDC Planning Committees there is the opportunity for one objector and one supporter to make a short presentation to the committee, before they decide.
  7. Depending on the timing of the submission, it is likely that the application will be considered at the 28th January or 3rd March meetings of the Parish Planning Committee, and the 27th February or 19th March meetings of the TRDC Planning Committee.

Whilst writing to the planning officers before the submission of the application is of no value, you may wish to contact your local Councillor. However, please bear in mind that TRDC Councillors on the Planning Committee can listen but not respond. This is because they might then be thought to have a decided position beforehand, and they would have to recuse themselves from the decision-making process. Details of TRDC councillors can be found at https://www.threerivers.gov.uk/egcl-page/ward-councillors. Local councillors currently on the Planning Committee are Raj Khiroya and Marilyn Butler.

As the process evolves, CRA will communicate to residents through its eNewsletters, Twitter and Facebook accounts, providing further advice and guidance. Please encourage neighbours and friends who may not receive regular communications from CRA to sign up via our website – it is very easy to do via this link. Being on the mailing list is free and users can easily unsubscribe later if they wish.

The CRA is a volunteer run organisation with very limited funds. Our funds come through annual donations and the 100 Club, where residents can contribute and have the chance to win cash prizes in a monthly draw. Details of how to support the association can be found on our Support Us page.

Whilst we don’t have the funds to employ professional help to support resident’s concerns, the CRA does have considerable expertise on our Executive Committee, and can help residents to understand the process and formulate comments to send to the planning authorities. Our planning experts are Jon Bishop and Richard Dwyer. Once the planning application is submitted, they will analyse the proposals and provide further guidance on how to submit comments along with information on legitimate planning objections for inclusion in individual responses. Individual responses are important as the number of these carries more weight than a single response from CRA. 

During the remainder of this year, CRA will attempt to have further contact with the site owner to discuss the concerns of residents and possibly suggest a smaller scheme which could have benefits for Chorleywood. This would be in terms of extra local trade and the more varied housing types needed in our area, without the potential significant negative impacts of the current proposal.

Please note that whilst this communication is largely directed at the development in the Green Street area, CRA exists to provide guidance to residents on a wide range of issues in Chorleywood Parish and to help residents in making the right connections to resolve those issues. In accordance with our commitment to represent all residents of Chorleywood, the Residents’ Association will provide advice and guidance to all residents, whatever their view, on how to comment on any issue. At any time you can email us on planning@chorleywoodresidents.co.uk.

You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter at:

It is our intention to hold a further public meeting at a larger venue once the planning application is submitted.

Thank you for your support.

Owen Edis
CRA Chairman

Public Exhibition – 12th and 13th November 2019

Chiltern Hills Golf Club Ltd held a public exhibition of the proposals on Tuesday 12th November 2019 and Wednesday 13th November 2019.  Members of the project team were on-hand to answer questions, and feedback forms were available for comments.
You can see a copy of the exhibition boards used by following this link.  These boards provide a lot of information about the proposals.