The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains the district's housing need and sets out the housing allocations policy. The plan runs from 2026 to 2041 and uses the Government's standard method, which gives a need of 832 homes a year and a target of 12,480 homes. After counting existing planning permissions and an allowance for windfall sites, 10,312 homes must come from allocated sites. The policy safeguards allocated sites for housing, expects development broadly in line with each site's stated capacity, and only allows earlier release of sites if the five-year housing land supply falls short.
Leavesden
10 sections of the plan, in document order.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the site allocations for Abbots Langley and Leavesden. Eleven housing sites are allocated, references H1 to H11, with a combined indicative capacity of around 550 homes. They range from small garage courts of five or six homes to larger sites such as land adjacent to Fraser Crescent and Woodside Road, with 249 homes, and land at Mansion House Equestrian Centre, with 98. Each site table sets out size, phasing, Green Belt status and requirements covering matters such as access, heritage, flooding and trees.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section describes the district and the issues the plan must tackle. Three Rivers covers about 88 square kilometres on the edge of London, with around 93,800 residents in 2021, projected to reach 98,919 by 2041 alongside a fast-growing over-65 population. It is among the least deprived areas in England, though pockets of deprivation exist, notably in South Oxhey. House prices averaged £594,000 in October 2025, making affordable housing a pressing need. Around 76% of the district is Green Belt, car dependency is high, and the council declared a climate emergency in 2019.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the vision for Three Rivers as a desirable, prosperous district with sustainable settlements, a resilient economy and a high quality environment moving towards zero carbon. It lists the strategic objectives needed to deliver this, including a range of new homes with priority for rented affordable and family-sized housing, matching new jobs to new homes at a 1:1 ratio, making best use of previously developed land, and integrating infrastructure and sustainable transport. Other objectives cover heritage, climate change, biodiversity, open space, the district's rivers, good design, an ageing population, health and safeguarding the Green Belt.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces the employment and economy chapter. The local economy relies on professional services, construction, retail and hospitality, with a notably strong film and TV sector at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden and many knowledge-based businesses. Many residents commute out of the district, though this has fallen since Covid. Demand for office space has declined, and the 2024 economic study finds the district has broadly the right amount for the next 15 years, but low vacancy rates mean existing offices should be protected while industrial and warehouse demand stays strong.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy supports business growth by promoting a range of employment sites and premises across the district. Within designated Employment Areas shown on the policies map, extra industrial floorspace and intensified office and industrial uses are supported, and non-employment uses are only allowed where they would not harm amenity or the area's role. Outside these areas, losing employment land to other uses requires evidence including 12 months of unsuccessful marketing at a realistic price and no reasonable prospect of continued employment use. Creative industries and expansion of Leavesden Studios are supported.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy keeps Rickmansworth town centre and the district centres of South Oxhey, Chorleywood and Abbots Langley as the focus for shops, leisure and other town centre uses. Ground floors in primary shopping areas must keep active frontages that support the centre's vitality, while homes above shops are supported in principle. Local centres should meet day-to-day shopping needs. A retail impact assessment is only needed for schemes of more than 2,500 square metres of new retail floorspace outside the defined retail hierarchy, and shop fronts should suit the character of the area.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy safeguards the Warner Bros. Studios site at Leavesden for studio operations and associated uses, including the Harry Potter Studio Tour. Any development on the allocated site, as shown on the policies map, must relate to the studios' operations. The supporting text explains the studios are one of few UK locations for large-scale film production, attract over 6,000 visitors a day at peak times, and have significant growth potential, with plans to expand by around a quarter.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the employment site allocations. Evidence in the South West Herts Economic Study (2024) found no need for new office sites, and recommends resisting any loss of office space. Four existing employment areas are safeguarded: Croxley Business Park (E1), Tolpits Lane (E2), Maple Cross/Maple Lodge (E3) and Kings Langley Employment Area (E4). Two small extensions to Croxley Business Park are allocated as E5 and E6, and Leavesden Park (E7) is allocated as an employment site, protected by an Article 4 Direction that stops offices changing to homes without planning permission.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section covers Warner Bros. Studios at Leavesden, a key asset for the creative industries and one of the few UK locations able to host large-scale film production. The studio tour attracts over 6,000 visitors a day at peak times, and Warner Bros. plans to grow the site by around a quarter. The existing 63 hectare studios site (WB1) is safeguarded, and two expansion sites are allocated: land at Gypsy Lane, Hunton Bridge (WB2) and land west of Leavesden Aerodrome (WB3), which already has planning permission and includes public open space.