Check before you invest

Investors are being urged by local planners to speak to them before buying plots of land for potential housing development, as planning approvals may not actually be given.

Hertsmere Borough Council’s planners have issued the warning after being made aware of ‘too good to be true’ opportunities to buy premium plots of land within the borough.  Marketing information seen by the council does not appear to include any advice about local planning controls or the risks associated with the land not receiving planning permission.

Cllr Hannah David, portfolio holder for planning, said: "We have strict controls over the developments we allow within our borough, and current and future housing allocations, in particular, are controlled by our local plan and core strategy.

"In particular we would not generally approve development on green belt land and so any kind of planning permission on such plots is unlikely to be forthcoming."

The warnings come after officers received calls about land being sold off between Radlett and Borehamwood, with the potential for housing development. A similar property scheme was run several years ago on a nearby site by a company which has since gone into administration and officers have had to deal with a number of disgruntled people who bought plots of land on the understanding that they could be developed for housing.

Cllr David continued: "We can appreciate people's frustrations and obvious upset to the situation, but unfortunately they invested in a plot without knowing UK planning laws or prior knowledge of Green Belt regulations.

"We want to try to ensure more people are not enticed by an offer that is too good to be true - it usually is. We would always urge people to check a whether a proposed development is on Green Belt land and other planning restrictions with the local council to ensure they know what they are buying."