Residents object to plans for new homes in Hemel Hempstead

The consultation period has been extended by seven days
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Residents are calling on the council's planning committee to object two planning applications for new homes in their street in Hemel Hempstead.

The plans, submitted by Dacorum Borough Council, are for the construction of 10 new homes, on two separate sites off Sempill Road.

The first application (20/03734/FUL) is for the demolition of 36 residential garages and construction of 6 no dwelling houses. In the Design and Access statement submitted to Dacorum Borough Council it says: "The new dwellings are proposed to be located on land currently occupied by two terraces of domestic garages, originally serving existing nearby residential properties from the time of original construction.

Residents already have issues with parking on a daily basisResidents already have issues with parking on a daily basis
Residents already have issues with parking on a daily basis

"Over time the garages have become either disused or underused, and the application offers the opportunity to create much needed, high quality housing in their place and to improve the local environment and security through new landscaping and increased natural surveillance."

The proposed residential development at Sempill Road West is part of the Dacorum New Homes strategy.

The second application (20/03735/FUL) is for the demolition of 10 residential garages and construction of 4 new dwellings. In the Design and Access Statement it says: "The new dwellings are proposed to be located on land currently occupied by a terrace of domestic garages, originally serving existing nearby residential properties from the time of original construction.

"Over time the garages have become either disused or underused, and the application offers the opportunity to create much needed, high quality housing in their place and to improve the local environment and security through new landscaping and increased natural surveillance."

Residents already have issues with parking on a daily basisResidents already have issues with parking on a daily basis
Residents already have issues with parking on a daily basis

The proposed residential development at Sempill Road East is also part of the Dacorum New Homes strategy.

The consultation period for the planning applications has been extended until Monday, January 11.

A lady who lives in Sempill Road says most of the residents in her road are against the plans, as are some of the residents in nearby roads.

She said: "It's a horseshoe road, there are 36 garages on one end and 10 at the other end.

Access to the car park by the existing garages is very narrowAccess to the car park by the existing garages is very narrow
Access to the car park by the existing garages is very narrow

"The council has submitted two separate applications for each end. Their intention is to knock these garages at either end of the road down and build more houses.

"I have lived here for 20 years and I've seen the number of homes increase, there are now 104, when the road was built in 1970, there were just 61 houses, and now they want to add more.

"The plans are for six 2-3 bedroom homes at one end, and four one-bedroom maisonettes at the other, all with one parking space each, all social housing.

"However the road is extremely small and has already undergone extensive development.

"The infrastructure of the road cannot support these new builds with no parking and dangerous access into the road.

"Parking on this road is already a nightmare for residents, adding these extra homes will just make it much worse for us.

"There are blind turns and we have seen a number of head on collisions where people can't see round the bends.

"Most of the residents have objected, or tried to, the website for objections was down from December 18, until yesterday.

"I've emailed a number of councillors with questions but, rightly so, they are on holiday until 4 January - which is also the deadline.

"We are asking the planning committee to object to these plans and come and see the road, and how it can not handle any more homes being built here.

"The infrastructure can not take any more homes.

"We also have residents from St Albans Hill, where there is no parking, park in our road, which this application does not take into consideration."

A concerned local resident added: "We do feel that the Dacorum Council/Planning Dept have been very unhanded on this matter with poor communication to the community on their plans, no engagement with the residents, no appreciation that the area has been over developed in the past few decades and is heavily congested, no regard to the garage tenants who some have rented for 35 years and not been told they will be evicted

"There has been a severe lack of community awareness and consultation on the proposals with planning documents being submitted for approval at the worst possible time during the middle of a pandemic, festive holiday period, Tier 4 restrictions where mixing with neighbours to discuss the plans is forbidden by the Government and as another insult to injury many of the council members who have a deciding role on the matter are on annual leave and will be returning on the deadline day for comments which seems very convenient in the favour of the council.

"Sempill Road is very narrow on both ends of that junction with St Albans Hill with residents having to park predominantly along one side of the entire length of road end to end.

"This includes parking on the turning bends where both developments are being proposed, parking on grass verges, at diagonals, doubling up and in some cases tripling up in parking bays.

"Within this area there is numerous wildlife that may be living around the garage site area that could be impacted by this development. In the planing application document Ecological Assessment there is no mention of the community of foxes that live within metres of the garages from what I have observed, they are regularly seen scrounging for food in the area."

The consultation period for the planning applications has been extended until Monday, January 11.

A spokesperson for Dacorum Borough Council said: “We are unable to comment on live planning applications.

"However, the consultation period has been extended to 11 January 2021, to allow more time to respond in the New Year”.