A council's decision to refuse plans for a retirement village on green belt land near a garden centre have been overturned by a planning inspector.

The ruling will see 80 apartments and 44 bungalows built near Burston Garden Centre off the A405 in Chiswell Green.

St Albans District Council turned the application by Castleoak Care Developments Ltd down in May last year primarily because of its green belt location.

However, the inspector concluded there are "very special circumstances" to justify building over the green belt because it would "address general and specialist housing needs" adding there is a "lack of alternative sites".

In his report published on January 31, the inspector Tom Gilbert-Wooldridge recognised the development would "urbanise" the site and "result in the loss of open countryside" but hailed the "high quality design and layout" of the proposal.

The appeal site is located within the eastern part of the wider Burston garden centre site. It was formerly used for commercial rose production but is now largely out of use except for storage.

The plans involve the demolition of existing buildings like sheds and glasshouses - it does not include the current garden site in use.

The retirement village is expected to create between 65 and 85 jobs. Initial plans for a 64-bed care home alongside the apartments and bungalows have been dropped. A previous appeal including a care home and more than 100 retirement homes was dismissed by a planning inspector in 2020.

As part of the project, traffic lights will be introduced at the junction of the A405 and the garden centre.