Plans to demolish an existing home and build two in its place have been rejected, with the applicant having previously threatened to build on top of the existing building in the event of refusal.

The proposals were submitted in October and would have seen a pair of semi-detached houses built in an area set back from Harthall Lane, Kings Langley, which contains several bungalows within large rural plots.

The applicant had been seeking to demolish one of the existing properties to make way for the new ones.

Rough boundaries of the property, in Harthall Lane. Rough boundaries of the property, in Harthall Lane. (Image: Google Maps/Canva.) While the land is designated as part of the Green Belt, the applicant had been hoping that the "high quality" of the new homes would represent "very special circumstances" in the eyes of planning officers.

However, in a decision notice published by Three Rivers District Council yesterday (December 2), the application was refused, citing "inappropriate development" that would be harmful to the area's Green Belt.

Abbots Langley Parish Council had previously given a thumbs down to the plans on similar grounds.

The applicant had claimed in a letter accompanying the plans that the homes "can and will" be built regardless of planning permission, describing the application as a "fall back".

Following the rejection, it remains to be seen if they will make good on their word.