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Oaklea Chequers Lane Garston Watford Hertfordshire WD25 0GN

5/2026/0412OutlineRefused
Outline / PiP

Refused on 24 June 2026

Council decision: Certificate of Lawfulness Refused1 reason for refusal

Approximate location: the centre of the postcode, not the exact property.

Proposal

Certificate of lawfullness (proposed) - Erection of a new garage/workshop and a recreational detached pool/gym outbuilding for the enjoyment of the residents, following the demolition of the existing garage currently on the site at Oaklea Chequers Lane Garston Watford Hertfordshire WD25 0GN

Submitted
4 March 2026
Ward
St Stephen
Agent
Paradigm Architects
  1. Received4 Mar
  2. Validated
  3. Consult.
  4. Target
  5. Decided24 Jun

Decided in 112 days (council typically 56)

About this application

This is an outline application for demolition at Oaklea Chequers Lane Garston Watford Hertfordshire WD25 0GN. St Albans has handled 912 applications of this type. This one was decided in 112 days, 8 weeks longer than St Albans's typical decision time. There are no previous applications recorded at this address. In the past year there have been 105 applications across St Stephen. We hold 496 applications in total for the WD25 postcode area.

71% of outline applications at St Albans City and District Council were approved. Across all application types, the council typically decides in about 8 weeks (median).

Based on decided applications received in the last 3 years.Planning something similar? See what gets approved on your street

Why it was refused

  1. Whilst it would appear that the proposal complies with the limitations of Class E in terms of siting, height and coverage, the scale, footprint and level of provision of the proposed outbuildings are such that it has not been demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Local Planning Authority that they are reasonably required for a purpose incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse. As such, a Certificate of Lawfulness (Proposed) cannot be issued, as the proposed erection of a detached leisure outbuilding and replacement garage/workshop outbuilding does not constitute permitted development by virtue of Class E of Part 1, Schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended). Formal planning permission would therefore be required. Christine Traill Strategic Director – Community and Place Delivery Dated 24/06/2026 First Schedule (Development/Use) - Certificate of lawfullness (proposed) - Erection of a new garage/workshop and a recreational detached pool/gym outbuilding for the enjoyment of the residents, following the demolition of the existing garage currently on the site Second Schedule (Location) - Oaklea Chequers Lane Garston Watford Hertfordshire

From the council's decision notice.

Application details

Postcode
WD25 0GN
Application type
Outline
Scale / size
Small

Planning application dates

Consultation expiry
17 April 2026

Applicant and agent

Applicant
Private applicant
Agent
Paradigm Architects
Architect profile
PARADIGM STUDIO LIMITED

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: St Albans
  • Flood zone 1: Low probability (rivers and sea)
Also checked, none recorded (23)

flood storage areas, conservation areas, listed buildings, Article 4 directions, tree preservation orders, 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: St Albans

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