Watford Borough Council

Town and Country Planning legislation is extensive and complex. The way that the Council makes its planning decisions is sometimes difficult to understand. The basic principle of planning law however is that the Council should be making decisions in a consistent way according to the polices of its plan. In Watford this plan is the Watford District Plan 2000. In addition to the planning policies, a range of national and local planning guidance notes seek to provide additional guidance on what is, and what is not, relevant to the decision making process. National planning guidance can be viewed online at the Planning Portal. Watford’s own planning guidance notes (SPG) can be viewed on the web site.

Not all development requires planning permission from the Council, and Central Government has produced a booklet that explains what proposals are permitted development, which is available from the planning department. It is advisable to contact the planning department to check if planning permission may be required, as there may be particular instances where permission is required that are not covered in the booklet, for instance newer properties may have had the right to extend without planning permission removed by conditions on a planning consent.

In most cases, where a planning application is required some form of notification, either directly, in a letter to neighbouring properties, or indirectly via press and site notices will take place. In some cases (with listed buildings or Conservation areas for example) a combination of both approaches will be used. Decisions on planning applications cannot be made until at least 21 days has elapsed from the time that notifications are sent out. The Council may also seek the views of “statutory consultees” such as the County Council as highway authority or agencies such as the environment agency. In making its decision the Council is required to have regard to all the comments received although it is not bound to refuse an application just because an objection is made.

Planning decisions in Watford are made either by the Development Control Committee or more commonly by the development manager under powers delegated by the Councils Constitution. We have recently introduced public speaking at the Development Control Committee and a procedure note and guidance on this procedure are available from us.

In all cases, a report will be prepared by the planning officer after a site visit setting out the considerations and the reasoning for the recommendation. Copies of the Development Control Committee reports are available 5 days before the meeting by contacting our planning support team on 01923 278293/4 or by visiting the Customer Service Centre at the Town Hall. Once a decision is made, if you have commented, you will be notified of the decision in writing.