Hertfordshire Planning Consultant
Ten councils, one Green Belt county
Hertfordshire has no single planning authority. Ten district and borough councils decide most applications, Hertfordshire County Council handles minerals, waste and its own schools and roads, and almost every town is ringed by Metropolitan Green Belt. Cedar Planning helps owners, developers and householders understand which rules apply to their site and build a case that fits.
Cedar is a Chartered practice led by Dan Malloy MRTPI. We are a Norfolk firm working across England, Hertfordshire included, and we arrange site visits whenever a project needs one.
- RTPI Chartered
- Fixed-fee quotations
- Direct advice from a Chartered Planner
How planning is divided across Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire still runs a two-tier system. Planning applications for houses, flats, shops and offices go to the district or borough council, each with its own Local Plan, design guidance and validation list. The county council decides applications for quarries, waste sites and its own developments such as schools, and it prepares the Minerals Local Plan and the Waste Core Strategy and Site Allocations documents, both now being reviewed through a combined Minerals and Waste Local Plan.
The county also shapes district decisions as a consultee. As local highway authority it comments on access, visibility and parking; as lead local flood authority it reviews surface water drainage on major schemes; and its education and growth teams advise on school places and developer contributions. A scheme that satisfies the district's policies can still stall on a county objection, so we plan for those responses from the outset.
That structure may change. In 2026 the government announced plans to replace Hertfordshire's eleven councils with four unitary authorities. Until any change takes effect, the existing councils remain responsible, and every adopted Local Plan stays in force until it is replaced.
Strategic planning is also returning. Government consulted in early 2026 on the areas that will prepare new spatial development strategies, and the Hertfordshire Growth Board, the partnership of the county and district councils, responded in support of a Hertfordshire-wide geography. Once prepared, that strategy will set the housing and infrastructure framework that each Local Plan must follow.
Start with the right council
Settlement names do not always follow council boundaries. Parts of the growth planned around Hemel Hempstead fall in St Albans district, and Gilston sits in East Herts beside Harlow. Our feasibility studies confirm the authority, the plan and the policies before you commit to drawings.
Hertfordshire-wide planning issues
Green Belt covers about 81% of St Albans district and almost 80% of Hertsmere, but only about 19% of Watford. The proportion, and the council's appetite for release, varies sharply between neighbours.
Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City were the first two garden cities; Stevenage, Hemel Hempstead and Hatfield followed as post-war new towns. Their layouts, estate controls and renewal plans create distinctive planning questions.
The Chilterns reach into west and north Hertfordshire, covering parts of Dacorum, Three Rivers and North Herts. Development in or near it faces the highest landscape protection in national policy.
Hemel Garden Communities plans around 11,000 homes across Dacorum and St Albans by 2050, and the Gilston Area in East Herts, beside Harlow, is planned for 10,000. Nearby sites feel their masterplans and infrastructure phasing.
Planning services across Hertfordshire
Each commission is priced as a fixed-fee quotation once we have seen the site and the relevant council's policies. These are the services Hertfordshire clients most often need.
Planning Applications
Householder, full and outline applications to any of the ten councils, with county highways and drainage matters addressed before the officer asks for them.
View serviceGreen Belt and Grey Belt Sites
Assessments of whether a site in the Metropolitan Green Belt qualifies as grey belt or meets another exception, set against the council's own Green Belt review evidence.
Read the guideLocal Plan Representations
Written submissions and hearing appearances for plans under consultation or examination, from early scoping stages through to Regulation 19 and the Inspector's hearings.
View serviceStrategic Land Promotion
Promotion of edge-of-settlement land through calls for sites and plan reviews, aligned with emerging county-wide strategy and the housing figures each council now has to meet.
View servicePlanning Appeals
Appeals against refusal or non-determination by Hertfordshire councils, often turning on Green Belt harm, very special circumstances or the weight given to older policies.
View serviceHeritage Statements
Assessments for listed buildings and conservation areas, from medieval market towns such as Hitchin and Ware to the planned streets of the garden cities.
View serviceLocal Plans across Hertfordshire in 2026
No two Hertfordshire councils are at the same point. St Albans adopted its Local Plan 2024 to 2041 in September 2026, ending decades of reliance on a 1994 plan. Watford (2022), North Herts (2022) and Welwyn Hatfield (2023) have recent plans, and Stevenage adopted a partial update to its 2019 plan in July 2026.
Elsewhere the adopted policies are older. Dacorum still relies on its 2013 Core Strategy while its replacement plan is examined, Hertsmere is preparing a new plan to 2041, and Three Rivers is working to a ministerial direction issued in March 2026 that required more housing and named extra Green Belt sites. Broxbourne and East Herts have begun new plans under the reformed system.
The practical effect is that the same proposal can be judged against a plan adopted this year in one district and a plan more than a decade old in the next. Where policies are out of date or housing supply is short, the NPPF presumption in favour of sustainable development can carry real weight, even in the Green Belt.
Key policy areas we navigate
Since December 2024 the NPPF has allowed some Green Belt land that contributes weakly to its purposes to be developed. Several Hertfordshire councils have published new Green Belt studies we use to test sites.
Sand and gravel resources in the south and centre of the county are safeguarded by the county council, which can affect larger schemes on undeveloped land.
County highway and lead local flood authority responses are frequent reasons for delay. We prepare access and surface water information to their expectations.
In Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City, estate management controls sit alongside planning permission, so consent from both may be needed for alterations.
A Consultancy That Works With You, For You
Hertfordshire rewards careful preparation. A site's prospects depend on which council it falls in, how far that council's plan has progressed, and how the Green Belt around it has been assessed. Advice at the start avoids designing for the wrong policy framework.
We are not a local firm, and we do not claim to be. What we bring is Chartered experience of Green Belt, plan-making and appeals across England, applied to the specific council handling your site.
RTPI Chartered
Led by a Chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute with more than ten years of public and private-sector planning experience.
Honest Prospects
A realistic view of the planning risks and options before you commit time or money.
Fixed, Transparent Fees
Fixed-fee quotations agreed before work starts, so you know the cost from the outset.
Direct Access
You deal with the Chartered Planner doing the work, not an account manager.
Planning Consultants Across Hertfordshire
We cover every council area in Hertfordshire. See our main Hertfordshire planning consultant page.
Hertfordshire Planning FAQs
Which council do I apply to in Hertfordshire?
For almost all development, including extensions, new homes, changes of use and prior approvals, you apply to the district or borough council for the area. Hertfordshire County Council only decides minerals and waste proposals and its own projects, such as schools, but it is consulted on roads and flood risk for many others.
Has grey belt made it easier to build in the Hertfordshire Green Belt?
For some sites, yes. Land that contributes little to Green Belt purposes, or is previously developed, may no longer be inappropriate development if the national tests are met, including affordable housing requirements on major housing schemes. It does not apply everywhere, and each council's evidence matters. Our grey belt explainer covers the tests.
Will local government reorganisation change my application?
Not yet. Applications continue to go to the existing ten councils, and adopted Local Plans remain in force. Reorganisation into unitary authorities has been announced, but any change to who decides applications is still some way off.
When should I promote land in Hertfordshire?
As early as possible in a council's plan cycle. Several councils are at scoping or call for sites stages, and a county-wide spatial strategy is also expected. Sites put forward early can influence the evidence rather than react to it. Our strategic land promotion service explains our approach.
Do I need more than planning permission in Letchworth or Welwyn Garden City?
Often. Both towns have estate management arrangements that control changes to properties, separate from the planning system. Many alterations need consent under the scheme as well as planning permission or permitted development, so check both before starting work.
Do you visit sites in Hertfordshire?
Yes. We are based in Norfolk and work across England, and we arrange site visits in Hertfordshire when a project needs one. Many early questions can be answered from plans and photographs, so a free 15 minute telephone consultation is a good first step.
Get a Free Quote
Tell us what you are trying to achieve and where the property or site is. We will give you an initial view and a fixed-fee quote.
Or email us at info@cedarplanning.co.uk with the relevant information.
Tell us about your Hertfordshire site and which council it falls in. We can advise on applications, Green Belt extensions or call for sites submissions.