Bushey Medical Centre car park homes plan 'set for approval'

A controversial proposal to build on the former Bushey Medical Centre car park in Brick Kiln Close was narrowly agreed at a Hertsmere Borough Council planning meeting in November 2021.

Six two-bed terraced homes over three storeys were given the green light, but never built, before the site was bought in early 2022.

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Based on the principle of development having been established, the new owner then submitted its own planning application in July 2023, but this time sought permission for the same number of larger three-bed homes.

According to a statement submitted with the plan: “The new proposal seeks to retain the essential character and style of the consented scheme, both in its design and use of materials, with only minor changes to the principal elements at ground and first floor levels.”

Marked in red is the development site in Brick Kiln Close. To allow an extra bedroom to be added to each home, it includes new roof space.

Ahead of the meeting on October 10, council officers recommended the plan be approved by noting that the proposal is not “materially more harmful when compared to the extant permission”.

The land was formerly used for parking for Bushey Medical Centre which has since relocated. The car park has been described as "unkept, overgrown, and unattractive".

Sixteen neighbours objected to the latest plan, but the principle of development there had sparked a larger backlash. A resident told the 2021 meeting that he had gathered a 55-signature petition opposing the scheme.

He described his neighbourhood, which borders Bushey and Oxhey, as "beautiful, historic, and quaint", and said it is "plain to see" the styling of the six homes would be a "complete change" and "overdevelopment" for the area.

The proposed development from the front. (Image: PRC Architecture & Planning Ltd on behalf of NL Care Bushey Ltd & NHS Property Services Ltd) Peter Rutledge, who had been a ward councillor for Bushey St James at the time, also spoke against the application as a community advocate.

He cited the existing Victorian-style buildings in the area and said the plans were a "scar to blight our already overcrowded landscape in Bushey" and labelled them “totally out of keeping with the surroundings”.

The applicant highlighted its “extensive” consultation with residents and the fact that developing the site allows funds to be reinvested in the NHS.