New homes approved for Havering-atte-Bower green belt land

Some commercial buildings on green belt land in a village are set to be replaced by homes.

A planning application was sent to Havering Council on February 27 to build six five-bed detached bungalows on land north of Pinewood Road, Havering-atte-Bower.

The bungalows, the application said, will have bay windows at ground floor, habitable roof space, associated parking and amenity spaces.

The site comprises of 15 buildings that were used in association with a historic poultry farm, with other smaller outbuildings.

A report by a planning officer revealed that the site ceased to be used as a poultry farm in the last 25 years and there have been “a series of commercial uses in the various buildings to the present day”.

It is located within the metropolitan green belt, the fundamental aim of which is to “prevent urban sprawl by keeping the land permanently open”.

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Construction of new buildings on green belt are considered inappropriate under planning laws, but there are exceptions to this rule.

The planning officer noted that given the site’s existing commercial use and appearance, the proposed redevelopment “would not conflict with the objective of safeguarding the countryside from encroachment.”

A previous application, P1428.20, was approved in 2020 which allowed for six detached bungalows on the site, including accommodation within the roof.

The layout of the current application replicates the approved scheme but incorporates some changes in dormer sizes, ridge height and hip roof form.

A notification of the proposed development was sent to neighbours and three letters of representation were received citing the development to be inappropriate and harmful to the character of the place.

The new application has now been approved by the council on Monday (August 7) with some conditions attached.

No works can be carried out until a “construction method statement” to control the adverse impact of the development on public amenity and nearby occupiers, is submitted and approved by the council in writing.

Before the building is occupied, provision is required to be made for 12 car parking spaces. The hours of construction are also restricted between 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 8am to 7pm on Saturdays.

A full list of conditions and other planning documents can be found on the council’s website: https://development.havering.gov.uk/OcellaWeb/planningDetails?reference=P0333.23&from=planningSearch