Council urged to reject plans for seven flats with no parking in Hemel Hempstead

Residents in Boxmoor are urging councillors to reject plans for seven new homes with no parking to be built in Hemel Hempstead.

The plans, submitted to Dacorum Borough Council, are to demolish an existing dwelling and erect a building containing a single one-bedroom flat and six two-bedroom flats with associated landscaping.

The application site is located at the junction of Park Road and Charles Street to the west of the centre of Hemel Hempstead.

The planning statement reads: "Taking note of the sites town centre location the development has been designed without any off-street car parking. This approach is supported by both National and locally adopted policies of the current local plan. Further details of the rationale and policies are laid out in the discussion topics below.

"The proposal therefore adheres to adopted local and national planning policy and we respectfully request that it should be approved."

People living in parking zone 3 - close to the town centre - are furious that Dacorum Borough Council’s planning team is prepared to let properties be built, without observing the recommended parking allocations for the area.

They say this is increasing parking strain and causing safety issues for existing residents, road users and pedestrians in the Zone 3 area, where a parking space should be provided for each one bed, and 1.2 spaces for each two-bed dwelling.

Dacorum Borough Council says the provision of car parking is one of many material planning considerations that need to be balanced in this case.

Tonight (Thursday, November 11) the development goes to the Planning and Development Committee for consideration.

Residents say no parking whatsoever has been factored into the scheme, which should ideally include up to nine spaces.

A concerned resident said: “Development not observing recommended parking allocation in Zone 3 should not be allowed, as town centre parking in Zone 2 is in short supply with the current rate of residential development and is not easily accessible or realistic to absorb the strain.

"Residents in Zone 3 annually purchase their own and guest parking permits, creating good income for DBC, yet council officers are prepared to overlook the recommended parking provision during the planning process which is short-sighted.

"This planning loophole is creating serious local issues for new and existing dwellings, with a completely unmanageable ratio of cars to available parking.”

A spokesperson for Dacorum Borough Council said: "The provision of car parking is one of many material planning considerations that need to be balanced in this case, along with other factors such as the provision of new homes and optimising the use of urban land.

"These are detailed in the Planning Officer’s report for this application which will be decided by Dacorum Borough councillors."

To have your say on the plans visit Dacorum Borough Council's planning portal and search reference: 20/03557/FUL.