New Local Plan

Three Rivers District Council is preparing a new Local Plan that will set out a vision and policy framework for the future levels of growth within the District up until 2038.

Local Plan Regulation 18 Additional Sites for Potential Allocation Consultation

The consultation on the Local Plan Regulation 18 Additional Sites for Potential Allocation documents ran from 27 January to 30 March 2023. 

This consultation is now closed.

Following on from the Regulation 18 Consultation on preferred policy options and sites for potential allocation which took place in July/August 2021, we are now carrying out a supplementary consultation on additional sites for potential allocation.

This Regulation 18 Additional Sites for Potential allocation consultation contains new sites that were submitted for the Council’s consideration and updated proposals that were resubmitted as a result of the 2021 Regulation 18 consultation. Individual site assessments for these potential site allocations for housing have been undertaken as part of the Strategic Housing & Employment Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA) which is used to identify sites and broad locations with potential for development.  

It is important to note these sites are in addition to those consulted on in 2021. We asked for your views on these potential new sites so we can consider them together with the previously submitted responses to the 2021 Regulation 18 consultation. This will help us in drawing up a final proposal.

Following this consultation, we expect to be undertaking a further consultation in the autumn: Our vision for Three Rivers - our preferred Local Plan and housing numbers. This will focus on an alternative Local Plan with a lower housing target that is considered to more appropriately meet the District’s needs and prioritises local circumstances. This will provide another opportunity for local communities, businesses and other interested stakeholders to comment on content of the draft New Local Plan.

The Local Plan Regulation 18 Additional Sites for Potential Allocation Consultation documents can be downloaded from the links below:

• Part 3: Additional Sites for Potential Allocation (pdf)
• Appendix 1 - Sites not being taken forward (pdf)
• Appendix 2 - Bedmond Sites being Removed (pdf)
• Appendix 3 - District Wide Map (pdf)
• Appendix 4 - Map of Bedmond (pdf)
• Appendix 5 - Map of Abbots Langley (pdf)
• Appendix 6 - Map of Kings Langley (pdf)
• Appendix 7 - Map of Maple Cross and West Hyde (pdf) 
• Appendix 8 - Map of Hunton Bridge (pdf)
• Appendix 9 - Map of Sarratt and Chipperfield (pdf)

All of the potential sites from both the 2021 Regulation 18 Sites for Potential Allocation and the current Additional Sites for Potential Allocation consultations can be viewed on the interactive online map: http://www.planvu.co.uk/trdc/localplanconsultation2021

A Sustainability Appraisal Working Note (January 2023) has been produced to accompany the Regulation 18 Additional Sites for Potential Allocation Consultation. The document can be downloaded below: Sustainability Appraisal Working Note (January 2023) (pdf)

Evidence Base:
The Local Plan evidence base studies which have been completed so far can be viewed here: https://www.threerivers.gov.uk/egcl-page/new-local-plan-evidence-base

Further information on the Local Plan:

Frequently Asked Questions

A full list of previous consultations to date can be found below.

If you wish to be notified by the Local Planning Authority about future consultations on the new Local Plan, please respond in writing in one of the following ways:

By email to: localplanconsult@threerivers.gov.uk

By post to: Planning Policy, Three Rivers District Council, Three Rivers House, Northway, Rickmansworth, Herts, WD3 1RL

Previous Consultations

Local Plan Regulation 18 Preferred Policy Options and Sites for Potential Allocation Consultation (11 June - 20 August 2021)

Following consideration of the public feedback, amendments will be made where appropriate and the council may seek to remove more sites or add new ones depending on what suggestions come forward.

The timetable for processing the huge number of responses is likely to take longer than originally expected. As a result the council is aiming for a further Regulation 18 consultation to happen in January / February 2023. This will provide another opportunity for local communities, businesses and other interested stakeholders to comment on content of the draft plan, before the plan is submitted to the government’s Planning Inspectorate for independent examination. The Local Development Scheme will be updated in due course.

The Local Plan Regulation 18 Preferred Policy Options and Sites for Potential Allocation Consultation documents can be downloaded from the links below:

• Part 1: Preferred Policy Options (pdf)
• Part 2: Sites for Potential Allocation (pdf)
  • Appendix 1 Indicative Housing Delivery Trajectory (pdf)
  • Appendix 2 Sites not taken forward (pdf)
  • Appendix 3 Existing Employment Allocations (pdf)
  • Appendix 4 Schedule of Proposed & Retained Public Open Space Allocations (pdf)
  • Appendix 5 Map of Proposed & Retained Public Open Space Allocations (pdf)
  • Appendix 6a Map of Existing & Potential Sites for Allocation – North West (pdf)
  • Appendix 6b Map of Existing & Potential Sites for Allocation – North East (pdf)
  • Appendix 6c Map of Existing & Potential Sites for Allocation – South West (pdf)
  • Appendix 6d Map of Existing & Potential Sites for Allocation – South East (pdf) 

The PDF maps comprising Appendix 6a – Appendix 6d can be viewed on the following interactive online map: http://www.planvu.co.uk/trdc/localplanconsultation2021

An Interim Sustainability Appraisal Report (June 2021) has been produced to accompany the Regulation 18 Local Plan Preferred Policy Options and Sites for Potential Allocation Consultation. The documents comprising the Interim Sustainability Appraisal Report can be downloaded below.

• Interim Sustainability Appraisal Report (June 2021) (pdf)
• Interim Sustainability Appraisal Report Appendices (June 2021) (pdf)
• Interim Sustainability Appraisal Report Non-Technical Summary (June 2021) (pdf)

Potential Sites Consultation Documents (26 October - 21 December 2018)

Potential Sites Document (pdf)

As a result of the Potential Sites Consultation a further 27 sites were submitted and can be viewed here: Additional Sites Document (pdf)

Sustainability Appraisal Working Note (pdf)

Advert (Watford Observer 26 October 2018) (pdf)

The Sustainability Appraisal Working Note was updated following the Potential Sites Consultation and can be viewed here: Sustainability Appraisal Working Note (July 2019) (pdf)

Local Plan Issues & Options and Call for Sites Public Consultation (Regulation 18) 28 July – 8 September 2017 and an additional Call for Sites consultation 30 July – 20 August 2018.

The Issues & Options and Call for Sites Consultation Document identified some of the issues and challenges facing the District and the possible options that could help to address them.

We sought views on the content of the document and how best to balance the delivery of growth across the District, in order to meet the future needs of the community, whilst at the same time protecting the District’s historic and natural environment. The responses received on these issues will help to influence the subsequent drafting of the new Local Plan.

Alongside this consultation, and again in 2018, we invited land owners, agents and developers to submit new sites that could be developed to meet future demand for homes and jobs.

We also consulted on the Sustainability Appraisal which assessed the options being put forward against a range of social, environmental and economic factors which is also downloadable below.

Issues and Options Call for Sites Consultation Document (pdf)

Sustainability Appraisal (pdf)

Representation Form (docx)

Advert (pdf)

Our consultants TRL prepared a Scoping Report, which sets the framework for the future Strategic Environmental Appraisal (SEA) and Sustainability Appraisal (SA) of the new Local Plan. The SEA/SA process seeks to ensure that we take account of all appropriate social, economic and environmental considerations when drawing up our new Local Plan.

Consultation on this draft Scoping Report was carried out earlier in 2017 in accordance with the SEA Directive and the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004. Key consultees were contacted directly and asked for feedback on this report. Following this consultation the Scoping Report was updated to take account of responses from stakeholders and also to update some of the baseline information.

To view the Scoping Report, please click on the following link:

Sustainability Scoping Report, July 2017 (pdf) 

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