Infrastructure & utilities

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section explains what the Local Plan is and how it was prepared. The Local Plan is the council's main planning document, setting the strategy for homes, jobs and infrastructure in Three Rivers up to 2041. It must follow national planning policy and, once adopted, replaces the Core Strategy (2011), the Development Management Policies document (2013) and the Site Allocations document (2014). Work began in 2017 with several rounds of public consultation, backed by technical studies. The plan comes in two parts: Part I contains planning policies and Part II sets out site allocations.

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.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces the strategic policies chapter through the spatial strategy, which directs growth to the edges of the district's larger settlements where services and transport are strongest. It explains that brownfield sites can deliver fewer than 700 new homes, so the plan provides for around 4,200 dwellings on land currently in the Green Belt. The council argues that exceptional circumstances justify changing Green Belt boundaries, citing the scale of housing need, limited brownfield land, acute affordable housing need and the extent of Green Belt cover.

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 sets the overall growth level for the plan. It provides for 468 dwellings a year, at least 7,017 homes over the 15-year plan period, delivered in line with the spatial strategy. This is below the Government's standard method figure of 832 homes a year (12,480 in total), which the council says cannot be met without unacceptable harm to the Green Belt, infrastructure and the rural road network. Employment uses on allocated sites are safeguarded unless their loss is robustly justified, and the council will consider an early review of the plan if more growth could be accommodated sustainably.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy embeds the national presumption in favour of sustainable development, meaning the council takes a positive approach and works with applicants to approve proposals wherever possible. All development must address a list of sustainability aims. These include cutting carbon emissions to help reach the council's net zero ambition by 2030 for its own emissions and district-wide net zero by 2045, avoiding flood risk, prioritising brownfield land, providing mixed housing including affordable homes, supporting town and village centres, locating development to reduce travel, delivering infrastructure, good design and managing pollution.

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 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 seeks at least 40% affordable housing on all development creating one or more extra homes, split 70% for rent and 30% for affordable home ownership. Major schemes in the Green Belt (10 or more homes, or 0.5 hectares or more) must provide at least 50%. Small sites of one to nine homes may pay a financial contribution instead. Affordable homes must look the same as market homes and be spread across a site. Most types are allocated to people with a local connection, and First Homes carry a permanent discount of at least 30%.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy addresses accommodation for Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople. The council's 2025 assessment identifies a need for 37 pitches for Gypsies and Travellers and 6 plots for Travelling Showpeople who meet the national planning definition, plus further need from households whose status is undetermined. Applications will be judged against criteria covering flood risk, impact on wildlife, heritage, landscape and Green Belt openness, access to services and the road network, site design and servicing, and the scale of the site relative to the settled community. Existing sites are safeguarded while a need remains.

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 all new homes to be net zero in operation. Dwellings must achieve at least a 63% improvement on the 2021 Building Regulations target emissions rate through energy efficiency, with fabric improvements from 12% for end terraces to 24% for flats. Meeting absolute targets of 35 kWh per square metre a year total energy, and 15 for space heating, earns positive weight. Fossil fuels and gas connections are ruled out except in exceptional cases, and on-site renewables must match predicted energy use, with offset payments a last resort. Larger schemes report energy data for five years.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires qualifying development to deliver at least 10% measurable biodiversity net gain, meaning the site must be left better for nature than before, measured with the Government's statutory metric. Gains should be delivered on site first, then off site, with buying statutory credits a last resort, secured by monitoring plans lasting at least 30 years. Protection of wildlife sites is weighted by importance, from international down to local, and loss of irreplaceable habitats such as ancient woodland will normally be refused. New housing must provide on average at least one swift brick per dwelling for nesting birds.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy seeks a net gain in the quality and quantity of green and blue infrastructure, the network of green spaces, waterways and natural features across the district. Priorities include the chalk streams and corridors of the Rivers Chess, Colne and Gade, the Grand Union Canal, the Chilterns National Landscape, the Colne Valley Regional Park and Rickmansworth Aquadrome. New development must contribute to new and improved green space and better links between assets, with management and maintenance plans required. Public rights of way should be protected, ideally with 20 metre buffers, and development must not fragment the network.

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 manages flood risk and water use. Development in flood risk areas must pass national tests that steer building to the safest available land, and no new development is allowed in Flood Zone 3b, the functional floodplain. Floor levels in Flood Zones 2 and 3 must sit at least 300mm above predicted maximum flood levels, and major schemes need sustainable drainage limiting runoff to greenfield rates. Buildings must stay 10 metres from main rivers and 5 metres from other watercourses. As the district is seriously water stressed, new homes must use no more than 110 litres per person per day.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires new development to provide waste and recycling facilities in line with the council's 2024 storage and collection guidance, sited so they are easy to access and do not harm the street scene or block sight lines. Development should reduce waste by reusing materials, enabling on-site sorting, using modern construction methods such as prefabricated and modular building, and providing proper storage for kerbside collection and composting. Major schemes must submit a Site Waste Management Plan including a Circular Economy Statement, and developers should consider extracting usable minerals from a site before building.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the education allocations. A new secondary school site is allocated at Carpenders Park Farm, Oxhey Lane (ED1), able to accommodate a school of up to 10 forms of entry serving Carpenders Park, South Oxhey, Eastbury and parts of neighbouring boroughs. Land including and adjoining The Reach Free School (ED2) is allocated for a new secondary school or a four form entry expansion, and a primary school site at Woodside Road, Abbots Langley (ED3) is carried over from 2014. Identified school sites will be safeguarded for educational use.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces the transport chapter. It explains that good road, rail, bus, walking, cycling and digital links are vital to the district's economy, environment and social wellbeing. Car ownership in Three Rivers is high, traffic is forecast to grow by 15.6% by 2031, and there are existing congestion problems. The plan aims to put new development where people can realistically use public transport, walking and cycling, working with Hertfordshire County Council, National Highways and other transport providers.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy requires new development to be located where sustainable travel is realistic. Schemes must support walking, cycling and public transport, with safe direct routes, secure cycle parking and good access for buses. Developments generating significant traffic must provide a Transport Assessment or Statement and a Travel Plan showing how impacts will be managed. Improvements will be delivered directly or funded through Section 106 agreements or the Community Infrastructure Levy, which are payments developers make towards infrastructure. Moving freight from road to rail or canal is supported in principle.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section covers Maple Lodge Wastewater Treatment Works, east of Maple Cross. It is a key infrastructure asset serving Three Rivers and the wider area, and keeps its designation as a significant infrastructure site in the Green Belt. The policy allows redevelopment or limited infilling to meet future operational needs, provided the continued use of the site for wastewater treatment is safeguarded, the mature landscaped boundaries are retained, and any further buildings are of comparable height to nearby structures on the site.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy protects the district's canal and rivers. Development near waterways must protect and enhance waterway infrastructure. New permanent moorings and marinas are only allowed next to existing built-up areas, and must not harm nature conservation, heritage, navigation or the towpath, restrict leisure boaters' access to moorings, or increase flood risk. Major schemes beside waterways should consider providing new moorings or water-based leisure facilities, and look at using the canal for freight during construction or as a renewable energy source.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy covers broadband and communications equipment. Masts, antennae, dishes and cabinets must not significantly harm the appearance of buildings or their surroundings, with particular care in conservation areas, and operators should share equipment and use camouflage or miniaturised designs where possible. All new residential, employment and commercial developments must be served by, or capable of being served by, super-fast full-fibre broadband. The connection works should be finished before the development is first occupied.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces the chapter on social, health and wellbeing. It explains that facilities such as libraries, places of worship, community centres, village halls, sports venues, theatres and pubs perform a vital function in the district's economic and social welfare. The plan strongly supports keeping and improving this community infrastructure, and expects a range of new social and community facilities to be provided as part of significant new development.

The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This policy protects community buildings and services. Development that would remove a community facility will not be allowed unless an equal replacement is provided on site, the need can be met by an accessible facility elsewhere, or evidence shows there is no demand and the building cannot serve another community use. Where a use is claimed to be unviable, marketing and financial evidence is required. New and improved facilities are supported in accessible locations, funded where needed through developer contributions. Facilities not open to the public, such as school sports halls, must agree community access.