North Hertfordshire Planning Consultant
Garden city, market towns and Baldock's growth
North Hertfordshire mixes the world's first garden city, three historic market towns and a large rural hinterland split between Green Belt and open countryside. Cedar Planning prepares applications, prior approvals and representations for North Herts Council, grounding each one in the policies of the 2022 Local Plan.
Led by Dan Malloy MRTPI, we work across England from Norfolk, including Hertfordshire. We arrange site visits to Letchworth, Hitchin, Royston, Baldock and the villages whenever a proposal needs one.
- RTPI Chartered
- Fixed-fee quotations
- Direct advice from a Chartered Planner
How the 2022 Local Plan shapes decisions in North Herts
The North Hertfordshire Local Plan 2011 to 2031 was adopted on 8 November 2022, replacing policies that had been saved since the 1990s. Policy SP2 sets a requirement of at least 13,000 new homes and a settlement hierarchy that directs most growth to the four towns, with smaller allocations in selected villages.
Around 38 per cent of the district is Green Belt, split between the Metropolitan Green Belt in the south and a separate Luton Green Belt in the west. Much of the northern and eastern countryside around Royston and Ashwell is instead Rural Area beyond the Green Belt, governed by Policies CGB1 and CGB4. The two regimes produce quite different answers for the same kind of proposal.
Day-to-day householder and minor schemes are judged mainly against Policy D1 (Sustainable Design), Policy D2 on house extensions, replacement dwellings and outbuildings, and Policy D3 on protecting living conditions. Heritage cases turn on Policies HE1, HE3 and HE4, which cover designated assets, non-designated assets and archaeology.
Housing supply matters here. The council's November 2025 position statement reported 2.6 years of deliverable supply at 31 March 2025, measured against the Policy IMR1 requirement of 1,120 homes a year. That shortfall is a material consideration, and it gives well-located housing proposals outside protected areas a stronger footing in the planning balance.
Letchworth needs two consents, not one
Most freehold homes in Letchworth Garden City sit within the Heritage Foundation's Scheme of Management. Extensions, windows, roofs, solar panels and even fences need the Foundation's consent under its Design Principles, quite separately from planning permission from the council. We plan both routes together so one approval does not undermine the other.
Planning issues particular to North Hertfordshire
Site BA1 north of Baldock is the district's largest allocation. An outline application for up to 3,200 homes, submitted by Urban & Civic and Hertfordshire County Council, was received in October 2025 after the strategic masterplan was approved.
Whether a site falls in Green Belt under Policy SP5 or the Rural Area beyond it under CGB1 changes the test entirely. Checking the policies map is always the first step for barns, paddocks and edge-of-village plots.
A small area in the west of the district, beyond Hitchin towards the Bedfordshire border, lies in the Chilterns National Landscape. Policy NE3 applies there, and landscape and visual evidence usually needs to be stronger than elsewhere.
Article 4 Directions in the Hitchin and Stockens Green conservation areas remove householder rights such as roof alterations, porches, front boundary changes and painting of frontages, so small works can need an application.
Planning services for North Herts clients
Our work in the district ranges from single extensions in Hitchin to promotion of land for the next Local Plan. Each service is quoted as a fixed fee once we understand the site.
Planning Applications
Full, outline and householder applications to North Herts Council, with the D1, D2 and D3 tests addressed from the outset and any Scheme of Management consent in Letchworth coordinated alongside.
View serviceHeritage Statements
Assessments for listed buildings and the district's 44 conservation areas, from Hitchin's medieval core to Ashwell and Baldock High Street, written to satisfy Policies HE1 and HE3.
View serviceStrategic Land Promotion
Promotion of sites through the new North Herts Local Plan, including evidence on deliverability, landscape and Green Belt purposes for land around the towns and larger villages.
View serviceClass Q Barn Conversions
Prior approval for agricultural buildings across the Royston and Ashwell countryside, checking the building qualifies and that the rural area policies do not complicate the fallback position.
View serviceFeasibility Studies
Early appraisals that test a site against the Local Plan, Green Belt or rural area status, heritage and access, so you know the realistic options before paying for design work.
View serviceLawful Development Certificates
Certificates confirming permitted development or long-established uses, useful outside Hitchin's Article 4 areas where householder rights still apply in full.
View serviceEmerging policy, supply and contributions
North Herts has begun a replacement Local Plan under the government's new plan-making system. A scoping consultation ran from May to June 2026 and the council's published timetable points to adoption around late 2028. Landowners with sites on the edge of the towns should engage now, while options are still open.
The district does not charge a Community Infrastructure Levy. The council's Cabinet decided against CIL in March 2021, so infrastructure contributions continue to be secured through section 106 agreements, guided by the Developer Contributions SPD. Viability and heads of terms therefore need attention early on larger schemes.
Policy themes we work with most often
Policy D1 asks proposals to respond positively to local context, while D3 protects neighbours from unacceptable harm. Both feature in most refusals of extensions.
Policy SP5 sets the overall approach, with CGB1 and CGB4 covering new and existing buildings in the Rural Area beyond the Green Belt.
Policy SP13 and HE1 to HE4 protect listed buildings, conservation areas, locally listed buildings and the district's rich archaeology.
Policies T1 and T2 govern highway impacts and parking, often decisive for flat conversions and infill plots near Hitchin and Letchworth stations.
A Consultancy That Works With You, For You
Professional input pays off in North Herts where two sets of rules overlap: planning and the Scheme of Management in Letchworth, Green Belt and rural area policies on the urban fringe, or conservation controls in Hitchin and Royston. Getting the policy basis right at the start avoids a refusal on grounds that were foreseeable.
The housing land shortfall also creates openings for well-chosen sites. We can tell you frankly whether a proposal has a realistic prospect before you commit.
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.
North Hertfordshire Planning FAQs
Is Heritage Foundation consent the same as planning permission?
No. The Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation grants consent under its Scheme of Management as a landowner covenant, and North Herts Council decides planning applications. You may need both, and one does not guarantee the other. We usually align the drawings so the Foundation's Design Principles and Local Plan Policy D2 are met by the same scheme.
Can North Herts show a five-year housing land supply?
Not at present. The council's November 2025 statement reported 2.6 years of supply at 31 March 2025. Where supply falls short, the NPPF's presumption in favour of sustainable development can apply, although Green Belt and National Landscape policies still carry great weight. Each site needs its own assessment.
My land near Royston is not Green Belt. Does that make building easier?
Sometimes. Much of the north-east of the district is Rural Area beyond the Green Belt, where Policy CGB1 allows only limited categories of development. It avoids the Green Belt tests, but it is still restrictive. Converting an existing building under CGB4 or Class Q is often the more realistic route.
Could grey belt apply to Green Belt land near Hitchin or Knebworth?
Possibly. Land that contributes little to the key Green Belt purposes may qualify as grey belt under the 2024 NPPF, which can open a route for housing where other tests are met. Our guide to grey belt land explains the criteria, and we can test a specific site.
Why do I need permission for small works in Hitchin?
The Hitchin Conservation Area has had an Article 4 Direction since October 2012. It removes permitted development rights for many external changes to houses facing a highway, such as roof alterations, porches, hard surfacing, walls and gates, and painting. Works that would be permitted elsewhere need a householder application here.
What if North Herts refuses my application?
Read the reasons carefully, as they often point to a fixable issue. A revised scheme may be the quickest route, but where the council has misapplied a policy an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate is worth considering. Our householder appeals service covers extension refusals.
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.
Whether it is an extension in Hitchin or land promotion near Baldock, book a free 15-minute call or read about our planning applications and feasibility studies.