Planning decisions in Broxbourne

The Government says these changes will help build 1.5 million homes in England over this Parliament, but unreasonable national targets imposed on Broxbourne are the wrong way to deliver them.

How do the Government’s rules affect planning in Broxbourne?

Four sets of Government rules limit the Council’s ability to refuse planning applications.

1. Higher housing targets: In December 2024, the Government increased councils’ housing targets nationally. In Broxbourne, our target was increased from 454 every year to 770. However, councils must show they have enough suitable places to build those homes over the next five years. Broxbourne cannot meet this and the Government’s rules say planning permission should be granted in most cases.
   • Introduction of grey belt land: To meet the imposed housing target increased, the Government has made some Green Belt land easier to build on by creating “grey belt.” This is land that has previously been developed or does not contribute strongly to particular purposes of the Green Belt. Developers no longer have to show “very special circumstances” to build homes there, provided other tests are met.
2. The Government can remove the Council’s power to decide: When the Council refuses an application, the applicant (developer) can appeal to the Government’s Planning Inspectorate and overturn the decision. If more than one in ten of the Council’s decisions on major schemes are overturned on appeal over two years, the Government can take decisions on large developments away from the Council completely.
3. New rules on who decides planning applications: On 31 October, the Government imposed the National Scheme of Delegation on every council in England, replacing Broxbourne’s own rules on who decides planning applications. Your elected Councillors have lost their say on most applications. Council Officers now have to decide all minor applications and only some major schemes can still reach the Planning and Regulatory Committee: the Chair of the Committee and the Planning and Place Service Director must agree that it raises a significant planning, economic, social or environmental issue. If they do not agree, Council Officers have to decide.

Together, these rules mean the Council cannot refuse as many applications as it used to and puts it under pressure to approve schemes that local people and their elected Councillors oppose. Broxbourne Council did not choose any of this. They are Government rules which the Council and elected Councillors oppose but have been imposed without local consent anyway.

Leader of Broxbourne Council, Councillor Corina Gander and the Council are on your side. Councillor Gander said:

Local people should decide what happens in their community, and the Councillors they elect should be able to stand up for them. The Government has taken that away. Its higher housing targets, grey belt policy and new national rules on how applications get decided means that the chances of developments being approved are far greater. Broxbourne Council did not ask for any of this and it is wrong that these rules have been imposed.

In areas that have received especially high number of developments approvals such as Goffs Oak, our Planning and Regulatory Committee listened to local people and refused two major applications. This year, the Government’s Planning Inspectorate overturned both. Five more major schemes are waiting for a decision in Goffs Oak and the Government’s rules make each of them harder to refuse.

I will keep standing up for residents and pressing the Government to listen to the people of Broxbourne about developments on their doorstep.

Your questions answered

1. Why has the Government made these changes?

The Government has stated that it wants to build 1.5 million homes before the end of this Parliament and that these changes will speed up planning decisions and the delivery of new homes. However, these rules collectively mean that it is now very difficult for the Council to refuse applications and takes most of the decision-making away from locally elected Councillors who listen to your concerns. Councillor Corina Gander and Broxbourne Council do not support these changes.

2. Why can’t the Council refuse more applications?

The Council does refuse applications and will continue to do so if applications do not align with planning rules. Our Planning and Regulatory Committee refused Laurel Park and the scheme at Goffs Lane/Churchgate, but both were overturned on appeal. However, higher housing targets, the five-year supply rule and grey belt policy all make refusals much harder to defend.

As Broxbourne cannot show enough sites to meet the Government-imposed housing targets, the new rules say permission should be granted in most cases. This includes on Green Belt land that is now considered grey belt. This makes it easier for developers to build on because their protections were weakened by the changes.

The Government’s Planning Inspectorate can overturn a refusal and if too many are overturned, the Government can take decisions on large developments away from the Council altogether (see question 9).

3. Did the Council choose these changes, and can it refuse to apply them?

No. The Government has imposed these changes on every council in England. The law also required every council to update their constitution to apply the National Scheme of Delegation. We do not support the changes and will keep making the case for local decisions.

4. Who decides planning applications now?

Under the National Scheme of Delegation, smaller applications, such as house extensions and one to nine homes on a site under half a hectare, never go to the Planning and Regulatory Committee, no matter how contested they become. Officers have to decide them.

Major applications, such as ten or more homes, only go to the Committee if the Planning and Place Service Director and the Committee Chair both agree that the scheme raises a significant planning, economic, social or environmental issue. This is known as the “Gateway Test”. If they cannot agree, Officers decide. The Government expects these referrals to be rare.

5. Can I still comment on a planning application? Do my views still matter?

Yes. You can still comment on every planning application and your Councillors will keep listening to your concerns and speaking up for you. Comments carry most weight when they explain how a proposal would affect your area, such as traffic, local services, design or the environment.

6. What is the ‘grey belt’ and what will happen to our Green Belt?

The Government introduced ‘grey belt’ land in December 2024. This is land that has previously been developed, does little to stop towns sprawling or merging and does not preserve the setting and special character of historic towns.  Developers no longer have to show “very special circumstances” that used to apply to the Green Belt. They only need to show that homes are needed and that the site is in a suitable location, as the Inspector’s decision at Laurel Park showed, where the Council’s refusal was overturned.

Councillor Corina Gander and the Council oppose mass housebuilding across large areas of Green Belt that are now considered grey belt in rural Broxbourne, especially in Goffs Oak, which has a significant number of planning applications in the pipeline.

7. Why were Laurel Park and Goffs Lane allowed on appeal?

The Committee refused Laurel Park because of its location. On appeal in June 2026, the Government’s Planning Inspector granted permission under the grey belt rules as Broxbourne can only demonstrate a housing land supply of 2.13 years.

The Committee refused 93 homes for people aged 55 and over on the playing field behind Goffs Lane over design concerns, but in October 2026 the Inspector allowed the appeal.

8. What happens to applications already submitted, like those in Goffs Oak?

Any application still undecided on 31 October falls under the new rules, including five major schemes in Goffs Oak covering more than 450 homes. Each application will only go to the Committee if it passes the “Gateway Test” (see question 4).

You can still comment on each application.

9. What happens if the Council keeps refusing applications?

If more than one in ten of the Council’s decisions on major schemes are overturned on appeal by the Government’s Planning Inspector over two years (like at Laurel Park and Goffs Lane), the Government can take decisions on large developments away from the Council completely. Applicants could then apply straight to the Government’s Planning Inspectorate and the Council would lose its ability to negotiate the financial contributions that developers must make towards local infrastructure.

10. Whose side is the Council on?

Councillor Corina Gander and the Council are on the side of local people and always have been. We believe that planning decisions belong with the Councillors local people elect and Councillor Gander will keep pressing the Government to listen to them.

Do you have a question on how national planning changes will affect you and your area?

Ask the Leader of Broxbourne Council, Councillor Corina Gander, and Cabinet Member for Planning, Councillor Paul Mason, here.

They will answer your questions during the Planning Unpacked Livestream Q&As, hosted on Facebook and Instagram, at 1pm on Tuesday 17 November and Tuesday 1 December. You can also share your views in our survey here.