Issue - meetings

Outline application: erection of up to 75 new dwellings, parking and landscaping with associated access onto Chalfont Road (Appearance, Layout, Landscaping and Scale as reserved matters) at Land at North of Chalfont Road, Chalfont Road, Maple Cross, Hertfordshire.

Recommendation: That authority is delegated to the Head of Regulatory Services to grant planning permission following the completion of a S106 agreement securing the Heads of Terms (set out in 10.18.2 of the report), subject to planning conditions (set out at section 11.1.2) and to make any minor amendments necessary to the Heads of Terms and planning conditions in consultation with the Planning Committee Chair.

The application was outline, for erection of up to 75 new dwellings, parking and landscaping with associated access onto Chalfont Road (Appearance, Layout, Landscaping and Scale as reserved matters) at Land at North of Chalfont Road, Chalfont Road, Maple Cross, Hertfordshire.

The Planning Officer provided updates and clarifications as follows:

·         Following consideration of a preliminary report by the Committee in December 2025, and a site visit, the officer report had been updated to provide full justification for the officer recommendation, including in relation to the material points raised in discussion of the preliminary report. 

·         Since publication of the report the Growth and Infrastructure Board had provided further comments withdrawing its request for the development to provide financial contributions towards primary education.  Following discussions with officers it was considered appropriate to facilitate primary education funding through CIL in order to mitigate the impact from the site.  The Board had, however, maintained its position in respect of contributions towards secondary education and SEND, and further discussions would be required to complete the S106 agreement.  Therefore, the recommendation before the Committee was that in order to allow for those discussions, authority be delegated to the Head of Regulatory Services to grant planning permission following the completion of a S106 securing Heads of Terms and subject to planning conditions; and that authority be delegated to the Head of Regulatory Services to make any minor amendments necessary to the Heads of Terms and planning conditions in consultation with the Planning Committee Chair.

·         Two further objections had been received since publication of the agenda.  Officers did not consider that they raised any new material planning considerations which were not already addressed in the report.

·         The proposed development was for 75 dwellings, and the published report set out the officers’ view that the proposal was development of Grey Belt land which satisfied the requirements of paragraph 155 of the NPPF.  Officers therefore considered that it was an appropriate form of development.  Furthermore, the site was considered to have met the ‘Golden Rules’ set out within paragraphs 156 and 157 of the NPPF.  The Planning Officer highlighted that the NPPF emphasised that a development which complied with the ‘Golden Rules’ should be give significant weight in favour of the grant of planning permission. 

·         Members were reminded that the application site was included within the Council’s Local Plan Regulation 19 site allocations document, which had been approved at Full Council in January 2026.  Although the Regulation 19 consultation had been paused following intervention by the Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government, this was nevertheless a material consideration in the assessment of the principle of residential development at the site.

The applicant spoke in favour of the application.

County Councillor Paula Hiscocks spoke against the application.

Points raised by the speaker in favour of the application included: a legal opinion sought by the applicant had agreed with the officers’ view that the site met the definition of Grey Belt land and met the relevant tests within the NPPF; the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 104