Decision on 27 homes at Sutcliffe Close, Bushey due tonight

Despite 22 objections from neighbours, it appears likely that land at the end of Sutcliffe Close and Ford Close in Bushey will be the site of a housing development including two, three, and four-bed houses and one and two-bed apartments.

It will be considered at a meeting of the Hertsmere Borough Council planning committee set to start at 6pm (April 18) after first being proposed in August last year.

• Plan for 27 homes in Sutcliffe Close, Bushey, submitted
• Watford plan for new home in existing house's garden
• Chorleywood: 675-home Green Belt plan sparks public meeting

Amendments to the plan, which included adding a footpath to maintain existing homes’ access to their gardens, were made in September 2023.

After considering the latest designs, council officers have recommended that permission be granted but the final decision is down to the committee because the number of homes proposed qualifies it as a “major application”.

Although within an area of greenery, and right next to designated green belt land to the north and east, the site itself is not in the green belt.

CGI attached to the plan. (Image: DLA Architects Practice/Hertsmere Planning Portal/Annington Property Ltd)

Designs include 54 parking spaces. If it goes ahead, the development will include 17 homes for market and 10 affordable units laid-out around a new road from Sutcliffe Close that splits into two part-way along.

The tallest buildings would be three-storeys, including an apartment block at the centre of the site.

Reasons for neighbours’ objections included increased traffic in an area with tight corners, noise pollution in a quiet area, and the land apparently being prone to becoming boggy.

There were also claims of the area already having limited school places, GP surgery availability and trains station capacity.

The application site near Sutcliffe Road. (Image: Google Maps/Newsquest)

Objections over the access to existing properties gardens were addressed by the amended plans submitted in September.

The proposal is only an outline application to gauge whether the principle of the development would be acceptable.

Several matters, including the actual design of the buildings, are reserved which means that further plans would need to be submitted, even if the plan was approved, before any work could go ahead.