Frequently Asked Questions

Regulation 19 is the formal publication stage immediately before submission of the Local Plan to the Secretary of State for the purpose of examination in public. It refers to the Government’s regulations under which Local Plans are prepared.

Regulation 19 focuses on the version of the Plan that the Council considers is ready to submit. It gives interested people and organisations an opportunity to make representations on whether the Plan is legally compliant and meets the tests of ‘soundness’.

Learn more about what is meant by legally compliant and the tests of soundness in the FAQs below.

Representations at the Regulation 19 stage will be considered by the independent Planning Inspector who assesses the Local Plan once it is submitted.

The draft of the Local Plan will be published for six weeks. Following the six-week publication period, representations will be reported to Full Council for consideration before the Local Plan is submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination by a Planning Inspector.

The six week period closes on 19^th November 2026.

Around 80% of Hertsmere is in the Green Belt, The Green Belt is very important to Hertsmere and everyone living here. We want to ensure that as much as possible remains Green Belt.

A Green Belt review has been undertaken to assesses how different areas of land perform against the five purposes of Green Belt set out in the Government’s national policy. These include preventing towns merging and safeguarding the countryside.

The Green Belt review undertaken as part of preparing the Plan provides technical and transparent evidence so that any decisions affecting the Green Belt are properly informed and justified.

Our priority is building on ‘brownfield’ land first - building on land that's already been developed. We also want to regenerate our town centres, keeping new homes close to existing transport and services. New homes in town centres also help existing local businesses by providing new customers and local employees.

But brownfield land alone can't meet the need. Part of the solution is to put some of development on lower quality 'Grey Belt' land, to protect the Green Belt sites of most value to Hertsmere.

Hertsmere’s housing need is real. We all know people in their mid-thirties and in good jobs still living with their parents in their childhood bedroom. Too many young people are being priced out of the communities they grew up in. Well planned new development will help, and that’s what the Local Plan will achieve.

Government planning policy sets the number of new homes each area must plan for. In Hertsmere, the government has set a target of 16,575 new homes. We, in Hertsmere, decide where they're built through the Local Plan.

Without an up-to-date Local Plan, decisions are more likely to be made through individual planning appeals rather than through a coordinated strategy shaped by the local community. Preparing a Local Plan allows the Council to plan positively for the future, prioritise regeneration and infrastructure, and manage development pressures in a way that protects the character of the borough and its surrounding countryside.

Every potential site has been tested against the evidence we've been collecting - flood risk, transport, infrastructure, Green Belt, landscape, heritage and sustainability, as well as national policy and the comments you made at consultation. Sites that didn't stand up to that rigorous testing were not selected.

The Council has listened to residents’ responses and has made several important changes. Some of the proposed sites were not supported by residents for a variety of reasons. After reviewing over 6,000 individual and template responses to the consultation in April and May, the Council has removed sites that were included in the list of potential sites for new development based on their planning characteristics.

New homes and the accompanying infrastructure are planned together, not separately, through the Infrastructure Delivery Plan.

The Infrastructure Delivery Plan identifies what infrastructure is needed to support new homes. The Plan includes land for new schools, new healthcare, new utilities, new transport and green space. For example,

New schools and more education capacity is planned at Bowmans Cross and provides for nurseries, primary schools and a secondary school. At Barnet Road land is safeguarded for a primary school. At South of Shenley Hill land is safeguarded for the expansion of Newberries Primary School.

New and improved healthcare facilities are planned across the borough. For example, Organ Hall Farm includes a new medical centre, south of Shenley Hill includes provision for a new medical centre and south of Allum Lane provides an opportunity for a new or relocated GP surgery.

We're working with Hertfordshire County Council, the NHS, utility companies, train and bus companies and others who will deliver the new infrastructure.

The Local Plan has been shaped by residents. We first asked for residents’ views in 2024. Then earlier this year we published a draft plan for consultation. Thousands of residents made comments.

The Council has listened to residents’ responses and has made several important changes. Some of the proposed sites were not supported by residents for a variety of reasons. After reviewing over 6,000 individual and template responses to the consultation in April and May, the Council has removed sites that were included in the list of potential sites for new development based on their planning characteristics.

Also, the Plan includes land for new schools, new healthcare, new utilities, new transport and green space. For example, new schools and more education capacity is planned at Bowmans Cross and provides for nurseries, primary schools and a secondary school. At Barnet Road land is safeguarded for a primary school. At South of Shenley Hill land is safeguarded for the expansion of Newberries Primary School.

New and improved healthcare facilities are planned across the borough. For example, Organ Hall Farm includes a new medical centre, south of Shenley Hill includes provision for a new medical centre and south of Allum Lane provides an opportunity for a new or relocated GP surgery.

All representations made at the Regulation 19 Publication stage should relate to whether the Local Plan is legally compliant and whether it is "sound". A Local Plan is considered “sound” if it meets the following four tests:

• Positively Prepared – the Plan seeks to meet the area's identified development and infrastructure needs in a sustainable way.
• Justified – the Plan is based on appropriate evidence and represents the most suitable strategy when compared with reasonable alternatives.
• Effective – the Plan is deliverable and capable of being implemented over the plan period.
• Consistent with National Policy – the Plan aligns with the Government’s national planning policy, including the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

Before a Local Plan can be examined, it must be prepared in accordance with the relevant planning legislation and regulations. This is known as being legally compliant. The independent Planning Inspector will consider whether the Council has followed the correct legal process in preparing the Plan.

This includes matters such as:

• Preparing the Plan in accordance with legal requirements and prescribed procedures.
• Carrying out the required stages of public consultation and publication.
• Preparing and publishing the necessary supporting documents and evidence.
• Meeting relevant legal duties, including environmental assessment requirements where applicable.

If you believe the Council has not followed the required legal procedures in preparing the Local Plan, you should explain this clearly in your representation and provide any supporting evidence.

Borehamwood is central to the borough’s growth over the plan period. The Local Plan will support the regeneration and renewal of Borehamwood Town Centre, including redeveloping and intensifying key sites and opportunities for mixed-use development.

Where necessary to support Hertsmere’s housing needs, carefully planned development at the edge of Borehamwood may also be considered where this represents sustainable locations and which can be delivered alongside supporting infrastructure.

Potters Bar is additionally seen as being central to the borough’s growth over the plan period. Opportunities for growth will focus on the redevelopment and intensification of sites within the existing urban area, alongside carefully planned development opportunities on land around the town where these represent sustainable locations for growth.

The town’s centre, including the High Street and Darkes Lane areas, will evolve over time through investment in public realm, infrastructure and mixed-use development.

The plan also seeks to improve connectivity and movement throughout Potters Bar, helping to create a more accessible and sustainable town, supporting a shift towards more sustainable travel patterns.

Bushey will contribute to Hertsmere’s overall housing needs, through optimising suitable sites within the existing urban area.

The plan seeks to strengthen Bushey’s local centres, including Bushey Village and Bushey Heath will be achieved through public realm improvements, sensitive redevelopment and delivery of mixed-use development to support shops, services, community and employment activity.

A vision for the Bushey area is being developed, which will consider how it can accommodate an appropriate level of growth while protecting historic character, landscape setting and community identity which define the town.

Radlett will accommodate more modest and incremental growth compared with the borough’s larger settlements. Opportunities for development are expected to arise primarily through the sensitive redevelopment of previously developed land, small infill sites and the efficient use of under-utilised land within the existing urban area.

The plan seeks to strengthen Radlett Village Centre as the focal point for community life supporting a vibrant mix of shops, services, cultural uses and community facilities.

It also seeks to protect and enhance Radlett’s distinctive character, heritage and green setting, and will ensure that new development contributes positively to the village’s built and natural environment.

This will include strengthening green infrastructure networks, protecting important views and open spaces, and ensuring that development maintains the qualities that define Radlett as a distinctive village within Hertsmere.

The Local Plan proposes a new community at Bowmans Cross, to the east of London Colney, with at least 5,000 homes planned over the longer term.

The development would include shops, workplaces, schools, community facilities, parks and green spaces, alongside new roads, public transport links and walking and cycling routes. The aim is to create a well-connected community where people can access everyday services close to home.

The development would take place in stages, with up to 2,500 homes expected over the next 17 years, alongside the infrastructure needed to support them.

The site, previously used for mineral extraction and waste recycling, is currently within the Green Belt. However, council assessments have identified it as provisionally ‘grey belt’ – land that does not make a strong contribution to key Green Belt purposes.

Bowmans Cross offers an opportunity to meet a significant part of Hertsmere’s long-term housing needs through a carefully planned new community, while prioritising the protection of more sensitive Green Belt land.

Following the six-week publication period, representations will be reported to Full Council for consideration before the Local Plan is submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination by a Planning Inspector.

If the new Local Plan is not adopted, the council would still be required to prepare a plan under the government's new planning system. This would mean starting a new plan-making process, delaying the introduction of up-to-date planning policies for Hertsmere.

Importantly, starting again would not remove or reduce the borough's housing need, or change the requirement to consider Green Belt land for development. The council would still need to identify suitable sites for new homes in line with national planning policy. Likewise the Council would still receive applications for development throughout the borough.

Without an up-to-date Local Plan, decisions are more likely to be made through individual planning appeals rather than through a coordinated strategy shaped by the local community. Preparing a Local Plan allows the Council to plan positively for the future, prioritise regeneration and infrastructure, and manage development pressures in a way that protects the character of the Borough and its surrounding countryside.