Proposed flats by Kings Langley train station refused

Councillors in Three Rivers have gone against advice from council officers to approve permission for the Kings Langley development, which would have featured a mix of one and two-bed flats, with 244 square metres of retail floorspace.

They agreed the size of the building directly next to Kings Langley railway station would “adversely affect” the nearby street scene.

They also heard the developer had proposed “zero affordable housing provision”, with an agreement to pay the council £479,484 to provide affordable housing elsewhere.

Wakelin Associates/Three Rivers District Council (Image: Wakelin Associates/Three Rivers District Council)

This had not previously been secured through a legal agreement known as Section 106.

A developer statement sets out plans for 36 flats at the former Alpine Press would fall in line with national planning policy aims to “maximise” development on brownfield sites.

“Maximising the development potential of any site must not be at the expense of good design, which is a fundamental part of sustainable development,” the statement reads.

“This part of Kings Langley, around the station, is evolving and we consider that there is an opportunity to provide a development of six storeys on this site without detriment to the street scene, the adjoining properties and the neighbourhood.”

It adds: “The choice of materials will reflect the surrounding area, with the use of high-quality stock bricks, to include contemporary brick detailing and fenestration.

“The building will be constructed using traditional methods of construction with concrete foundations, concrete frame and solid masonry wall construction.”

Three Rivers District Council received comments from neighbours who objected to the scheme.

“This is a great example of overdevelopment in our village,” one reads.

“There are no buildings in Kings Langley that have six storeys.

“This proposed development would destroy the character of the village and should not be granted planning permission.”

Another comment reads: “This excessive development would dwarf nearby buildings and would badly affect the character of the area.

“There are too many flats and inadequate parking provision, done to maximise developer profits at the cost of those who will be living in the development.”

Local authority officers had suggested Three Rivers District Council’s planning committee should grant planning permission, as long as funding for affordable housing elsewhere was secured through a legal agreement.

But after a meeting on April 20, a decision memo sets out that planning permission was “refused, due to height, bulk and massing of building adversely affecting [the] street scene, and in the absence of a Section 106 agreement securing the affordable housing contribution”.

A previous scheme on the same site – for 23 flats and 244 square metres of retail space in a four-storey block – was granted planning permission in June 2020.