Skip to content

North Aston Water Tower Aston End Road Aston Hertfordshire

3/26/0670/FULRefused

Refused on 27 July 2026

Council decision: Refuse5 reasons for refusal

Proposal

Conversion of and extension to existing redundant water tower to form 1 x 3-bed dwelling

Received
12 May 2026
Ward
Aston, Datchworth & Walkern
  1. Received12 May
  2. Validated1 Jun
  3. Consult.
  4. Target
  5. Decided27 Jul

Decided in 56 days

About this application

This is a planning application for an extension at North Aston Water Tower Aston End Road Aston Hertfordshire. East Hertfordshire has handled 13,484 applications of this type. This one was decided in 56 days, 7 days quicker than East Hertfordshire's typical decision time. There have been 2 other applications at this address. In the past year there have been 110 applications across Aston, Datchworth & Walkern.

Why it was refused

  1. The proposed development would constitute inappropriate development in the Green Belt. In addition to the harm by inappropriateness, other harm is identified in relation to loss of openness. The harm by inappropriateness, and the other harm identified, is not outweighed by other material planning considerations such as to constitute the very special circumstances necessary to permit inappropriate development in the Green Belt. The proposal is therefore contrary to Policy GBR1 of the East Herts District Plan 2018 and the National Planning Policy Framework.
  2. The proposed development by reason of its size, scale and massing would be an incongruous and unsympathetic form of design and would result in a significant intrusion into the open rural character of the site, resulting in harm to the character and appearance of the site and its surroundings. The proposal would therefore be contrary to the aims of Policies DES2, DES3 and DES4 of the East Herts District Plan 2018.
  3. Insufficient information has been submitted as the proposal does not show any parking provision on site, nor does it demonstrate how delivery vehicles and emergency vehicles can manoeuvre on site, or how they can enter and exit the site safely. The proposal fails to comply with Policies TRA2 and TRA3 of the East Herts District Plan 2018.
  4. Insufficient information has been submitted with the application for the Local Planning Authority to ensure the proposed development would achieve the mandatory 10% net gain in biodiversity. The development fails to comply with the mandatory 10% BNG required REFULZ APPLICATION NUMBER – 3/26/0670/FUL under Schedule 7A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as inserted by Schedule 14 of the Environment Act 2021).
  5. Insufficient information has been submitted as no full bat survey has been provided and it is not possible to determine whether the proposals would have an adverse impact on a European Protected Species (roosting bats). As such, the proposal is contrary to Policy NE3 of the East Herts District Plan 2018.

From the council's decision notice.

Application details

Parish
Aston Parish Council

Planning application dates

Date validated
1 June 2026

Applicant and agent

Applicant
Private applicant

Planning decision

Case officer
Robert Jones

Site constraints

Checking the site
2/3
Council recordsAppealsFlood risk

Designations at the address point. Ones next to the site may also apply.

  • Green belt: East Hertfordshire
  • Flood zone 1: Low probability (rivers and sea)

Not published by this council, so not checked: Article 4 directions. Ask the council if these matter.

Possibly incomplete for this council: tree preservation orders.

Also checked, none recorded (21)

flood storage areas, conservation areas, listed buildings, scheduled monuments, World Heritage Sites, World Heritage Site buffer zones, registered parks and gardens, registered battlefields, Heritage at Risk entries, nutrient neutrality catchments, national parks, National Landscapes, SSSIs, Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas, Ramsar sites, ancient woodland, national nature reserves, local nature reserves, heritage coasts and brownfield registers.

A guide only, from official open data; it is not a planning search. Flood zones cover rivers and sea, not surface water.

Data © Crown copyright and others · sources and licences

Contains public sector information from planning.data.gov.uk (MHCLG and local planning authorities), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The Historic England GIS Data contained in this material was obtained on 2026-11-03. The most publicly available up to date Historic England GIS Data can be obtained from HistoricEngland.org.uk.

© Natural England copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

© Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2026. All rights reserved. Flood Map for Planning, Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Source: East Hertfordshire

Track this application

Get email alerts when there is a planning decision or status change.

Around this site

Discuss this application on r/PlanningPermissionUK

For applicants and trades

Planning something similar?

See what the council approved and refused on your street for the project you have in mind. Pick your home and get the evidence before you pay for drawings.

See what gets approved on your streetBuying this property? Report on this address