The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section introduces Part II of the Local Plan, which sets out where development will take place, how much, and when. Sites are allocated for housing, gypsy and traveller and travelling showpeople accommodation, employment including Warner Bros. Studios, town centres and retail, open space, education and infrastructure. It explains how sites were assessed, including through the Strategic Housing and Employment Land Availability Assessment and an access to services study. It also sets out why the council considers exceptional circumstances exist to release some Green Belt land for development.
OpenConsult / Three Rivers Plan Explorer
Site allocations
The specific sites the plan proposes to allocate for development, and what each allocation requires.
106 sections of the plan, in document order.
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 sets out the site allocations for Gypsies and Travellers. The needs assessment found a need for 37 pitches, plus 4 pitches from households with undetermined need. Eight sites, references GT1 to GT8, are allocated with a combined capacity of 83 pitches, all in the Green Belt. Most are existing safeguarded sites; GT3 is expanded and GT5 intensified, while GT6 near Kings Langley and GT7 at Maple Cross are new sites providing 4 and 15 pitches. Housing site H41 at Mill End must also provide at least 7 pitches.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the site allocations for Travelling Showpeople. The needs assessment found a need for 6 plots, plus 10 plots from households with undetermined need. Five yards are allocated with a combined capacity of 49 plots, all in the Green Belt. Two yards behind Uxbridge Road in Mill End, TSP1 and TSP2, are safeguarded and intensified, adding 3 and 9 plots respectively. The remaining yards at Carpenders Park and Sarratt, TSP3 to TSP5, are safeguarded but cannot be expanded due to site constraints.
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.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section sets out the retail hierarchy and centre allocations. Rickmansworth Town Centre is the principal shopping and service centre, serving the whole district. South Oxhey, Abbots Langley and Chorleywood are district centres, while Croxley Green (Watford Road and New Road) and Mill End (Money Hill Parade) are local centres, with smaller parades serving day-to-day needs. New retail development will be directed to the primary shopping areas of the town and district centres first. The boundaries of these centres are set out in the allocations.
The human version (we wrote this, not the council)This section covers open space allocations. Public open spaces allocated in the 2014 Site Allocations document are carried over into this plan, and three new allocations are added: the open spaces linked to the two Warner Bros. Studios sites and the Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace serving housing site H34 west of the Kings Langley Estate. Housing developments must contribute to open space and children's play space where the scale of development justifies it. The council will update its open space study after adoption, which may lead to further allocations.
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.