Decision on 60 home Welham Green development delayed

Landform Welham Green wants to build on land next to Bulls Lane on the south-western edge of Welham Green.

Planning officers judged that the site should be classed as grey belt and that permission should be granted.

But at a meeting on Thursday (March 12), councillors said they did not believe it should be classed as such and voted against consent.

Before a final decision is made, council officers will consider whether there are very special circumstances to justify building on the land if it is classed as green belt.

The location of a proposed 60 homes off Bulls Lane in Welham Green. Credit: JTP/Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council planning portal. Permission for use for LDRS partners.

The planning committee’s chair, Cllr Jean-Paul Bernard Skoczylas, said: “We need to make sure our decision is as watertight as possible.”

Matt Wilson, a senior planning officer, said officers needed to consider whether very special circumstances applied so that the council would be “in the most defensible position at any subsequent appeal” if permission is refused.

A final decision on whether to grant permission will be made at a future committee meeting. 

After recent Government planning reforms, green belt land is classed as grey belt if it does not strongly contribute to preventing the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas, preventing the merging of neighbouring towns or preserving the special character of historic towns.

Council officers judged that Welham Green is a village rather than a town, and therefore that the proposed development site does not strongly contribute to those purposes.

Erik Pagano, representing the applicant, said the 60 new homes – including 30 deemed affordable – would be part of a “high-quality development” that would be within “easy walking distance” of amenities.

Welwyn Hatfield currently has a supply of deliverable housing sites of only around 2.3 years, well below the expected minimum of five years. It means it is significantly harder for the council to block unwanted developments.

But ward councillor Cllr Sandreni Bonfante said Welham Green had seen a raft of recent applications to build new homes and warned that extra development would cause “infrastructure issues”.

Mia Americanos-Molinaro, representing North Mymms Parish Council, described the proposals as “overdevelopment” that would be “inconsistent with the character of Welham Green village”.

Planning committee members raised concerns about sewage infrastructure after Thames Water asked for a condition to prevent residents moving onto the site until any necessary upgrades had been made.

Cllr Cathy Watson said: “Common sense tells me the most fundamental thing when you’re building a housing estate is that your poo doesn’t come back and frighten you.”

But council officers said it was not possible to add the condition requested by Thames Water as the developer did not have control over whether and when sewage upgrades could be carried out.