Plans for 400 homes on Chorleywood land 'unacceptable'

The owners of Catlips Farm in Berry Lane, Chorleywood, have asked Three Rivers District Council for an environment screening opinion over the major development between the village and the M25.

Preliminary planning documents, submitted by Rickmansworth-based property developer Clovercourt on behalf of the farm, show they are eyeing up to 400 homes for the 85.2-acre site, up from a proposed 300 last November.

Three Rivers District Council leader Stephen Giles-Medhurst said the proposed land was “unacceptable” regardless of the housing provision, due to its assessed moderate to high harm risk.

TRDC leader Stephen Giles-Medhurst said the prospect was unacceptable. (Image: Three Rivers District Council) “It doesn’t matter - the number of homes,” said Cllr Giles-Medhurst. "The site is unacceptable and whatever development goes on it, whether it's 100 or 300 homes, it’s a high harm green belt site.

“Clearly if and when a planning application comes, that will have to be assessed against its merits, but I hope the committee and planning officers will take that into account that we’ve already assessed it as such.”

However, the developer claimed the district council has “not even come close” to meeting government housing targets and that the proposed development would be a “good starting point”.

A plan of the proposed development with the added plot to the north west. (Image: Progress Planning) Residents have raised concerns about the potential loss of wildlife habits and green space, as well as the new homes’ potential impacts on local roads and services.

One resident wrote: “Problem with this site is that both access locations come onto roads that cannot handle the volume of traffic that would be generated by building these houses. 

“Berry Lane is a single track road with passing places and already becomes gridlocked regularly with existing traffic levels.”

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Another commented: “Awful that we keep losing green spaces and not having suitable amenities built with new developments.”

Clovercourt director Gary Sewell defended the plans, stating that the land’s green belt classification was the same as the Shepherds Lane plot, which has been earmarked for 550 units under the draft local plan by TRDC.

An aerial photo of the previous site earmarked for 300 homes. (Image: Three Rivers District Council planning portal/Progress Design) He added: “It is not unusual for local residents of Three Rivers to be against large scale planning permissions, but the reality is that TRDC have not even come close to meeting the housing targets that were set for them a few years back and with a new government now setting an even higher target for them, this site is a good starting point in our opinion.

“The new site at Catlips Farm will have a large portion of affordable housing. A new road access is being proposed on to Shepherds Lane as well as a new pedestrian route 10 minutes from Chorleywood Underground station, thus making it a perfectly sustainable site.”