A resident has spoken to Berkhamsted News to warn that a planning application could “destroy Berkhamsted as we know it”.
The application was received on Tuesday, December 17, and outlines plans to use green belt land off Chesham Road to make space for “residential-led” market value and affordable homes, a care home, retail centre, healthcare centre, primary school, and nursing facilities with open spaces.
If approved, 672 houses would be built in the area, plus 70 homes for older people, and 118 jobs would be created across the site which is over 32 hectares in size on green belt land.
The resident, who lives on St Margaret’s Close, said that residents would initiate legal action should the plan be approved.
He told Berkhamsted News: “It’s such a big thing for Berkhamsted; it’s one of the nicest places to live in the UK.
“It’s critical that we have the whole community behind fighting it.”
The plan has currently received 1,363 public comments on the Dacorum Borough Council planning portal, with 1,344 objections and only a handful of comments of support.
Berkhamsted Residents Action Group (BRAG) has launched a campaign against the scheme. BRAG argues that there are a number of issues with the application, one being that Swing Gate Lane is listed as a place for “active travel”, but BRAG says Hertfordshire County Council has expressed safety concerns with a proposed cycle path because of how steep the road is.
BRAG has also listed traffic as a concern.
The St Margaret’s Close resident added: “There are already an awful lot of traffic problems; the roads won’t be able to cope with it.
“This is the community against the developer.”
A spokesperson for Taylor Wimpey, the developer who submitted the plan, said: “We are working closely with the local authorities to bring the site forward in compliance with the new Local Plan. We appreciate the feedback from residents and local stakeholders as this will ensure our proposals meet local needs.
“Our plans aim to provide much-needed new homes, including affordable housing and homes for older people, as well as essential amenities such as a primary school, healthcare facilities, and significant green open-spaces.”
To view the plan, search for planning reference 24/02868/MOA on www.shorturl.at/IN4qE
Photo credit: Fabrik
To clarify points made in the article.
The community benefits are really only illustrative, for example it is simply land being offered for the Primary School – it would be up to HCC to fund and build, which will not happen as primary spaces are not under pressure.
There is only 1 comment of support as the other two tagged as ‘support’ on the DBC planning website read “I object to this application……”
The applicants are asking for the following to be approved:
1) The principle of the development
2) 742 as the number of dwellings, including 269 ‘affordable’
3) The access route.
BRAG objects to all three.
BRAG’s key objections are Green Belt, the premature nature of this application, the lack of sustainability credentials, size of development, the impact on the town’s infrastructure (in particular traffic generation) and affordable homes (lower % than required by NPPF and Taylor Wimpey’s track record of ‘buying’ their way out their obligations)
You correctly highlight our concerns about Swing Gate lane, but this is actually just one example of how in the 191 documents supplied by Taylor Wimpey the location and topography of this site is ignored.
We understand that you have constraints of space and that you may not be able to go into the sort of detail BRAG believes is warranted, but it is important to highlight that not only have BRAG and nearly 1400 residents/families objected, but also so have the following bodies:
Berkhamsted Town Council
Berkhamsted Citizens Association
School Governors at the Castle Federation (Thomas Coram & Victoria CE Infant School)
Greenway Primary & Nursery School
The Chiltern Society
Thank you for your article on the development of land on the green belt at Berkhamsted. I feel feel that .it is misleading in that it does not really capture the large and passionate response from Berkhamsted residents to this proposal. It is not just a case of one resident objecting – there are 1300+ objections on the Council website, describing the huge and sad effect this will have on the town as we know it today. These are not NIMBY objections – they are reasoned and from the heart comments showing how the town will be massively impacted. You may wish to do some additional research to understand the strength of properly reasoned objection to this proposal