Residents to have say on six potential housing sites

Residents in Three Rivers will have their say from today (Friday 27 January) on six potential housing sites in the district.

Under a new round of consultation, people are being asked for their views on four newly submitted sites and two revised sites – in Bedmond, Kings Langley and Abbots Langley.

These and 15 other sites had been put forward by landowners for the council to consider following a large public consultation in 2021 as part of the required Local Plan process. Councillors have ruled out the 15 sites as being unsuitable for a variety of reasons.

Cllr Stephen Giles-Medhurst, Deputy Leader of the Council and Lead Member for Infrastructure and Planning Policy, said: “We are consulting on the six sites, including the removal of two sites in Bedmond village to be replaced by two smaller ones. All councillors felt they might be preferable to some earlier suggestions from land owners. All the comments on this consultation and the earlier one will be important and taken into account as we develop our own new Local Plan that will be consulted on I hope in October.

“Two of the larger sites in Kings Langley and Abbots Langley are being considered alongside a condition that neighbouring land is open for public amenity access to benefit residents."

Residents’ views on this and an earlier 2021 consultation will be considered along with the effects of the pandemic, population changes and the sustainability of new developments as work to develop a new Local Plan is undertaken.

The revised plan with fewer new homes will go before councillors in the summer to consider and will be followed by a public consultation in autumn 2023.

The council has changed its approach to the Local Plan following a statement in December from Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, indicating that housing figures would no longer be mandatory. Previously the government had required the district to allocate land for 12,624 new homes by 2038.

As a result, the district council is now in the process of objectively assessing the number of houses as it develops a Local Plan designed to minimise the impact on the green belt and character of Three Rivers.

The council is expected to consult residents in October this year on a new Local Plan before submitting it to the government for approval.

Take part in the consultation here: https://www.threerivers.gov.uk/egcl-page/new-local-plan