Design & placemaking

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the spatial strategy in full. Growth is focused on edge-of-settlement sites next to the larger settlements, which the council judges the most sustainable and least harmful option after assessing all reasonable alternatives. A settlement hierarchy directs most growth to the principal town, small towns and large villages, while washed-over Green Belt villages take only 1 to 2% of housing growth. The plan requires significantly higher housing densities, especially near town centres and public transport, to reduce land take, and limits Green Belt release to what is needed with compensatory environmental improvements.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy treats infrastructure as a prerequisite for development, not an afterthought. All proposals must secure the infrastructure needed to support their impacts, whether through on-site works, off-site delivery or financial contributions, and must align with the Infrastructure Delivery Plan. Essential facilities should be operational before the homes or commercial space they serve are finished. If a developer claims these obligations make a scheme unviable, an independently verified viability assessment is required, with critical infrastructure prioritised over desirable projects. Applications without the necessary legal guarantees, through planning obligations or the Community Infrastructure Levy, will be refused.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires all new development to achieve high quality design that strengthens local distinctiveness and creates a sense of place, with poor design refused. Schemes must respond to local character, make efficient use of land, and connect well to existing streets. A landscape-led approach is required, including tree-lined streets, with landscape schemes and at least five years of maintenance plans. Development must protect neighbours' amenity, design out crime using Secured by Design principles, be accessible to all, and provide appropriate parking, cycle storage and refuse facilities.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires new homes to deliver a balanced mix of sizes, types and tenures based on set percentages in the plan, with any variation needing clear evidence. Schemes of 100 or more homes must include a housing diversity strategy. All new dwellings must meet accessible and adaptable standard M4(2), and on sites of 10 or more homes a share must be built to wheelchair standard M4(3): 5% of market and 10% of affordable homes. Sites of 200 or more dwellings should provide 2% as self-build plots, and houses in multiple occupation must not harm local character.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy sets housing density expectations. New housing should normally be built at 50 dwellings per hectare within the developable area of a site, with higher densities expected in places well served by public transport, services and facilities. Lower densities may be acceptable in special cases, such as areas of historic or landscape value or specialist housing, but must be justified with supporting evidence. Density should generally be lower at the edges of a site and increase towards its centre.

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 allows renewable and low carbon energy schemes, including micro-renewables such as small wind turbines, micro-hydro and solar panels, and decentralised energy like combined heat and power. Support depends on an assessment of impacts on residential and workplace amenity, visual and landscape character, air and water quality, the natural, built and historic environment, biodiversity, public access to the countryside, and the openness of the Green Belt. The council will consider both individual and cumulative impacts of such applications.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires new non-residential buildings to be net zero for regulated energy, the energy used by fixed systems such as heating and lighting. Buildings must beat the 2021 Building Regulations emissions target by set margins: 25% for offices, 35% for schools, 45% for industrial buildings, 10% for hotels and residential institutions, and 35% for others. Absolute targets of 65 kWh per square metre a year, and 15 for space heating, are an alternative route. Fossil fuels are ruled out except in exceptional cases, on-site renewables must match energy use with offsetting a last resort, and larger buildings report energy data for five years.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires all development to be designed and built to cope with a changing climate. Non-residential schemes over 1,000 square metres should achieve BREEAM Excellent certification, an independent sustainability standard, including full water efficiency credits. Buildings must follow a cooling hierarchy that favours passive measures such as orientation, shading and natural ventilation before mechanical cooling. Major residential schemes must complete a CIBSE TM59 overheating assessment and major non-residential schemes a TM52 assessment. Development must also build in resilience to extreme weather, use sustainable drainage and reduce the urban heat island effect.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy tackles embodied carbon, the emissions from making, transporting and assembling building materials. Major schemes of 10 or more homes or 1,000 square metres or more of non-residential floorspace must complete a whole-life carbon assessment using RICS guidance. Large-scale schemes of 50 or more homes or 5,000 square metres or more must limit embodied carbon to 600 kgCO2e per square metre of internal area. Buildings should be designed for easy disassembly and material reuse, major schemes involving existing buildings need pre-demolition audits, and smaller schemes must explain how they have minimised embodied carbon.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy promotes cutting carbon in existing buildings, which produce a third of the district's emissions. Development must take a retrofit-first approach, considering upgrades to an existing building before demolition, following a hierarchy of fabric improvements, then low carbon heating and renewables, then connection to a heat network. Substantial or total demolition needs a feasibility assessment showing a new building would have similar or lower whole-life carbon, deliver public benefits retrofit could not, or that retrofit is not feasible. Sensitive energy efficiency retrofits of heritage buildings are supported where their significance is preserved.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy protects trees, woodlands and hedgerows and requires good landscaping in new development. At least one tree must be planted on site for each new dwelling, or one per 100 square metres of non-residential floorspace, using native species, with a financial contribution towards off-site planting where on-site planting is not possible. Existing trees and hedgerows should be retained wherever possible, and permission will be refused for development causing loss of protected woodland, ancient woodland, veteran trees or protected hedgerows unless conditions can secure their protection. Approved felling requires suitable replacements.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy safeguards existing open spaces, sports facilities, allotments and children's play areas. These can only be lost in exceptional cases, such as where equivalent or better replacement is provided nearby or an assessment shows no shortage would result. New or improved sport and recreation facilities are supported where a need is shown, with shared community use encouraged. Developments of 25 or more homes, or sites of 0.6 hectares or more, should normally provide open space and play space on site, unless existing open space lies within 300 metres or play space within 720 metres.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy protects the district's landscapes, especially the 546 hectares of the Chilterns National Landscape. There is a presumption against major development there, normally 10 or more homes or sites over 0.5 hectares, unless exceptional circumstances apply and it is in the public interest. Permission requires conserving the area's special qualities, following the Chilterns Management Plan and Buildings Design Guide, avoiding harm to important views, and submitting a Landscape Visual Impact Assessment. Elsewhere, proposals must respond to the character and sensitivities of their landscape area as set out in the Hertfordshire Landscape Character Assessments.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces the design and heritage chapter. The district's housing stock includes many larger detached and semi-detached homes on generous plots, making it popular with families, with relatively few flats. Its character is shaped by the Metro-land developments that followed the Metropolitan line, featuring Tudor revival and Arts and Crafts styles. The plan aims to increase density and deliver more one, two and three bedroom homes while protecting this strong local identity, and to keep living standards high through minimum space standards and controls on subdividing homes.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy governs the design and layout of residential development, requiring all schemes, including extensions, to meet the Design Criteria in Appendix 1. Development must not harm an area's character through tandem or backland building, poor access, excessive traffic or layouts out of keeping with plot sizes and street patterns. Tall buildings, meaning four or more storeys, over 12 metres, or substantially taller than neighbours, will be refused unless strict criteria are met. Converting a house into flats normally needs three or more bedrooms, and all homes must meet or exceed national internal space standards.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy protects the district's heritage, including 352 listed buildings, 22 Conservation Areas, Scheduled Monuments, registered parks and gardens, and locally important buildings. Applications affecting a designated heritage asset must include a Heritage Statement explaining the asset's significance and the proposal's impact. Substantial harm to or loss of listed buildings and other designated assets will be refused unless substantial public benefits outweigh the harm. In Conservation Areas, development must preserve or enhance character and appearance, with strict tests for demolition, and reuse of historic buildings to help tackle climate change is supported where significance is not harmed.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy controls adverts, signs and shop fronts. They must not harm the character of an area or building through poor size, design, colour or materials, and must not put pedestrians or road users at risk. Flashing signs and lighting that causes light pollution for nearby homes or wildlife are not allowed. Signs should normally sit within the premises they relate to, avoid adding to clutter, and respect listed buildings, conservation areas and other heritage assets.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy manages the impacts of building work, deliveries and servicing. Construction Management Plans are required for sites close to the Strategic Road Network, and may be needed wherever highway safety or amenity could suffer; environmental management plans may also be required. Developments must show how deliveries, waste collection and servicing will work for their whole lifetime, ideally off street, without causing noise, obstruction or nuisance for residents and businesses. Delivery and Servicing Plans are required where vehicle movements could affect roads, the public realm or neighbours.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires all development to be designed to promote healthy communities and reduce health inequalities. Schemes should provide open space, sport, recreation and cultural facilities, and safe walking and cycling routes. New health facilities should be located where there is a choice of sustainable transport. Allotments and community orchards are protected and food growing in new developments is encouraged. A Health Impact Assessment, a study of how a scheme affects people's health, is required for residential schemes of 100 or more homes and non-residential schemes of 1,000 square metres or more.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces the appendices to Part I of the plan and opens Appendix 1 on design criteria. It states that buildings, streets and spaces should be of the highest quality, with detailed guidance supplementing the plan's policies. Applications are judged on their own merits, so meeting the guidance does not guarantee approval, and standards may be relaxed in higher-density locations such as the principal town. It also defines habitable rooms as living rooms, dining rooms, shared kitchen-living spaces, studies and bedrooms.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out detailed design criteria for new homes, extensions and alterations. On privacy, it gives an indicative 22 metre separation between facing buildings, rising to at least 24 metres for taller blocks or those with balconies. It sets minimum garden and amenity space levels, for example 60 square metres for a three-bed house and 15 square metres for a one-bed flat. It also covers daylight, dual aspect homes, flats, extensions, including a 45 degree rule and 1.2 metre set-ins from boundaries, dormer windows, roof forms and bin and cycle storage.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains how development in the Green Belt is assessed. New farm or forestry workers' dwellings must pass functional and financial tests, normally starting with temporary accommodation for the first three years. Extensions that increase a building's original floorspace by more than 40% will normally be treated as disproportionate, and replacement buildings must not be materially larger than those they replace, though small homes of 110 square metres or less get some flexibility. It also covers reuse of buildings, ancillary buildings and extending gardens, all judged against the openness of the Green Belt.