More Houses Proposed for Dacorum as Government Increases Pressure on Planning Authorities

In keeping with the rest of Dacorum, Tring is going to have to accept more houses. The two most important documents in the Local Development Framework for Dacorum have now been approved by the Planning Inspector and adopted by Dacorum Borough Council (DBC). The Core Stategy was adopted by them in September 2013 and the Site Allocations were adopted in July 2017. DBC’s Local Development Framework is to run until 2031.
However the government has been putting pressure on all Planning Authorities (DBC is our Local Planning Authority) to produce new documents, to be called “Single Local Plans”. These are to run to 2036 and are to be based on first one, then two, updated methods of estimating overall housing demands – which means two totals differing by about 20%.

Planning Authorities must put all previous rejected development sites back as proposals, choose between the two new methods of estimating demand, call landowners and the public to suggest additional sites and to draw up a “Brownfield Register” to include sites that qualify for such a description.
They must go out to consultation on the choice of which choice of total, with reasons, and choose and justify their choice of sites to be included – even though that list of sites will not be complete when the consultaion starts.
DBC opened the consultation on 1st November and it is to run until 13th December.
There will be 6 exhibitions giving the public the chance to view the alternatives and talk to planning officers. The are all open from 1400 to 2100

Kings Langley Cricket Club, 13th November

Pendley Manor Hotel, Station Road, Tring. 14th November

Berkhamsted Civic Centre, High Street, Berkhamsted, 17th November

Hemel Hempstead, The Forum, Marlowes, 20th November

Markyate Village Hall, Cavendish Road, Markyate, 22nd November

Bovingdon Memorial Hall, High Street, Bovingdon, 24th November

Tring Town Council held an Extraordinary Council Meeting on 30th October in the Victoria Hall at which the Clerk gave a brief overview of the process, all councillors spoke and to which the public were invited.

Over 150 people turned up for an attentive and respectful meeting from which several useful suggestions, observations and questions were contributed by the public in attendance.