Public enquiry launched into council's rejection of 1,400-property development application in Tring

A public inquiry is being held examining Dacorum Borough Council’s decision to reject a 1,400-dwelling development in Tring.

An application from Redrow to build a new development on Marshcroft between Station Road and Bulbourne Road was rejected by the local authority.

Hundreds of residents and two charities campaigned against the project which would have been constructed on greenbelt land.

However, the construction company appealed against the council’s decision to the planning inspectorate. The developer has consulted with Natural England to create a new plan, which will include Suitable Alternative Natural Green Spaces (SANG).

The inquiry is expected to last for 16 days, starting today (7 March). At the conclusion of the inquiry, the planning inspector will return a verdict to the secretary of state.

Charities, CPRE Hertfordshire and the Chiltern Society, continue to oppose the housing scheme.

Currently, campaigners are attempting to raise funds for legal counsel to challenge the project, and are already halfway to a £30,000 target.

As well as the 1,400 dwellings the new development would include a retirement home, shops, restaurants, a nursery, a sports hall, a primary and secondary school, as well as a community hall.

The chosen site is surrounded on three sides by the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Campaigners are concerned about the potential damage to wildlife in the area and also the prospect of losing public footways.

Estimations from the charity groups suggest that the project would increase the population by 30%, adding 3,400 more people and an estimated 2,000

additional cars.

Speaking on behalf of the Chiltern Society, Grove Fields Residents Association and CPRE Hertfordshire, Martin Varco, Chief Executive of CPRE Hertfordshire said: “Our members and hundreds of local residents are deeply concerned by this large-scale, speculative development proposal. It would directly impact on everyone in Tring and the wider surrounding area and affect daily life for everybody. It would destroy the landscape, harm the environment, and put enormous added pressure on all manner of infrastructure. This Marshcroft inquiry is a test case of the Government’s commitment to protect the Green Belt and AONB. The outcome of this inquiry will have national significance.”

More information about the campaign can be found online.