A planning application that would have seen up to 78 homes, a doctor’s surgery and a scout hut built in Saratt has been rejected by Three Rivers District Council (TRDC).
The application had been put forward at the end of March earlier this year, but the council’s planning committee decided to deny the development at a meeting on Wednesday, October 5.
In a decision notice posted on TRDC’s planning website, it stated that the proposal, which would have been situated on Church Lane, constituted an inappropriate form of development on green belt land, was in an unsustainable location and would have potentially even posed a danger to pedestrians due to increased traffic.
Other mitigating factors such as a drop in the area’s biodiversity, the cost of the project, an unacceptable drainage policy and the lack of affordable housing in the plans also played a part in the rejection.
The application attracted a lot of attention from residents, with more than 100 comments posted on it’s page on TRDC’s planning portal.
One anonymous resident posted: “The lanes to the village are narrow and already congested. The proposed project would significantly increase the amount of traffic, especially as access to supermarkets and other services such as secondary schools will invariably be by car.
“This is overdevelopment of the village, which will change the character of the area, and will put pressure on local services.”
Developers Burlington Property Group have been contacted for comment. The 1st Sarratt Scout Group, who would have used the proposed scout hut in the plans, declined to comment in favour or against the application or the council’s decision.
Photo Credit: Lambert Smith Hampton
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