Foreword from the Portfolio Holder for Planning

With a new administration we are now well on the way to producing your new Local Plan for Hertsmere that will help shape the borough until 2040 and beyond.

After nearly 18,000 representations, it was clear that residents rejected the last draft in 2022. Our new approach for the Local Plan reflects our ambitions for green, sustainable growth to ensure Hertsmere continues to thrive economically. It details how and where new homes, jobs and essential investment can be delivered, along with required infrastructure like schools, health facilities and sustainable transport.

A new public consultation is being held on the housing and employment sites for inclusion in our Local Plan, and we will be coming to Borehamwood, Bushey, Potters Bar, Radlett, Shenley, Elstree Village and South Mimms during April to answer your questions and get your feedback.

We are committed to protecting more of the borough’s Green Belt, by allocating far fewer sites than were included in the previous Draft Local Plan, following your feedback in 2021. We are also setting a lower housing target and will require that developers provide genuinely affordable housing. We also need to ensure there are sufficient sites for jobs and investment, recognising the importance of film, TV and other key sectors, making sure we have policies to secure employment for our local people.

We are also absolutely committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 so, crucially, our final Local Plan will also outline how we will respond to the challenges of climate change and explain our approach to protecting and providing parks and green spaces.

A public consultation will launch on Wednesday 3 April 2024, and remain open for eight weeks, until Wednesday 29 May 2024.

It is important you have your say, as this is the next step in determining the amount and location of new and well-connected development, designed to enhance our local environment.

For more information and to take part once the consultation is open, please go to our new engagement platform via www.hertsmere.gov.uk/newlocalplan. You can also have your say by post by writing to Planning Policy, Hertsmere Borough Council, Civic Offices, Elstree Way, Borehamwood, WD6 1WA, and at our in-person events around the borough.

Following the consultation period, we will review all your responses before submitting our proposed final Local Plan to a public examination where it will be assessed by an independent planning inspector. You will then also have the opportunity to comment on that plan ahead of the examination.

Cllr Nik Oakley
Portfolio Holder for Planning, Infrastructure and Transport
Hertsmere Borough Council