Rooks Nest Farm 182 High Street Walkern Hertfordshire SG2 7NS

1. 1.The proposal is not identified as an appropriate type of development within the Rural Area Beyond the Green Belt. Furthermore, the overall siting, layout and design of the proposed development and subsequent loss of an undeveloped and verdant site would have a negative impact on the setting of the Grade II* Listed Building Rooks Nest Farm and Grade II Listed Building Finches Farm, causing less than substantial harm to their significance. In addition, the overall design, form, siting and layout of the dwellings would appear out of character in the Walkern Conservation Area and would have a detrimental effect on the rural setting of the village. The proposal would therefore fall contrary to District Plan Policies GBR2, VILL1, DES4, HA1, HA4, HA7, Policies WLK3 and WLK14 of the Walkern Neighbourhood First Revision (2021-2033), Section 16 of the National Planning Policy Framework, and Section 72 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.
2. 2.Insufficient information has been submitted to demonstrate that safe and suitable access can be achieved for all users, contrary to Policy TRA2 of the East Herts District Plan.
3. 3.The proposed development would result in unacceptable living conditions for future occupants of the dwelling, due to the poor provision of light and outlook from Bedroom 2 for Plots 2, 4, 5 and 7. The proposal therefore fails to comply with Policy DES4 of the East Herts District Plan 2018 and the objectives of the National Planning Policy Framework.
4. 4.Insufficient information has been provided to establish the impact the proposed development will have on the trees and hedgerows around the perimeter of the application REFULZ APPLICATION NUMBER – 3/25/1565/FUL site, contrary to Policy DES3 of the East Herts District Plan and WLK7 of the Walkern Neighbourhood Plan First Revision (2021-2033).
5. 5.There is insufficient information to demonstrate the proposed dwellings would qualify as self-builds. Therefore, the proposed development would not be eligible for the self-build exemption regarding the mandatory biodiversity net gain (BNG) requirements. As no existing/proposed habitat plan or biodiversity metric has been submitted with the application, the Local Planning Authority are unable to ensure the proposed development would achieve the mandatory 10% net gain. The development therefore fails to comply with the mandatory 10% BNG required under Schedule 7A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as inserted by Schedule 14 of the Environment Act 2021).

From the council's decision notice.

Postcode

SG2 7NS

Application type

Full Application

Scale / size

Small

Parish

Walkern Parish Council

Date validated

22 October 2025

Consultation expiry

6 November 2025

Last date for comments

6 November 2025

Target decision date

1 December 2025

Statutory period

56 days

Advertisement expiry

6 November 2025

Planning Portal ID

PP-14373890

Documents

51

Constraints

6