Hertfordshire's highways officers want 200 homes south of Wychford Drive refused. The town council objects, and 152 public comments oppose the plan.

Hertfordshire County Council’s highways officers have recommended that plans for up to 200 homes on land south of Wychford Drive, Sawbridgeworth, be refused. Their response went to East Herts Council on 9 November.

Sawbridgeworth Town Council has also objected. By 12 November the planning file held 155 comments from the public: 152 objections and none in support.

The outline application, 3/26/1471/OUT, was made by Wain Estates (Land) Limited and validated on 14 October. East Herts must decide it by 13 January 2027, according to the application’s dates page.

What is proposed

The site is 8.78 hectares of disused, fenced land on the south-west edge of the town, between Wychford Drive, Rowney Gardens, Chaseways and Wheatley Close. It is in the Green Belt. The developer argues it counts as “grey belt” under national policy, which is set out in its planning statement.

The statement says the scheme would include:

  • up to 200 homes, half of them (up to 100) affordable
  • about 3.39 hectares of green space, play space and new habitat, around 39% of the site
  • a single road in, as a continuation of Wychford Drive
  • an emergency-only access via Wheatley Close, along public footpath Sawbridgeworth 17
  • a drainage basin at the southern end

Wain says the first homes could follow about 18 months after outline permission, with the whole site taking five to six years to build. The land would be sold on to housebuilders.

The site has been turned down before. The planning statement lists housing applications refused in the 1970s and 1980s, several appeals dismissed, and a private hospital refused in 1988.

Why the county wants it refused

The county council is the highway authority. Its response gives three reasons for refusal:

  • there is not enough information to judge whether the access arrangements are safe
  • the developer has not shown that safe, direct walking and cycling routes can be delivered
  • the transport assessment leaves out traffic from developments already committed, so the combined effect has not been tested

Officers point to the stepped path between Wychford Drive and Hand Lane. It is the most direct walk into the town centre, and the developer’s own assessment says it is a barrier for wheelchair users and people with pushchairs. A ramp has been suggested, but nothing has been designed or committed. The county also notes that no Stage 1 Road Safety Audit has been submitted.

The county’s view is a recommendation. East Herts makes the decision.

What the town council said

Sawbridgeworth Town Council’s objection, dated 29 October, calls Wychford Drive “a residential cul-de-sac not originally designed to accommodate development of this scale”. It raises:

  • visibility splays designed for 20mph on a road with a 30mph limit
  • queues at the Bonks Hill junction and the Cambridge Road and Station Road mini-roundabouts
  • construction lorries routed through housing estates
  • earlier studies that found the land helps keep Sawbridgeworth and High Wych apart
  • unfinished surveys for great crested newts, and archaeology

It has asked East Herts to extend the consultation. It says residents are in the process of appointing specialist planning advisers.

What other consultees said

  • Thames Water says the foul sewer network does not have enough capacity. It wants no home occupied until upgrades are done or a phasing plan is agreed. It adds that its modelling takes 9 to 12 months.
  • Hertfordshire’s archaeology advisers want a geophysical survey and trial trenches before a decision. A Romano-British cemetery of the 3rd and 4th centuries was found when Rowney Gardens was built in 1935 to 1937. The advisers dispute the developer’s reading of marks in the soil that some suggest may be a Neolithic cursus.
  • Historic England notes the site is next to Pishiobury Park, a grade II registered park. It suggests the council seeks money from the scheme for the park’s management.
  • Natural England does not object if visitor pressure on Hatfield Forest is dealt with. That means £540.07 per home towards the forest, green space on site and a signed dog-walking circuit of about 2.3 to 2.5km.
  • East Herts’ housing team welcomes the 100 affordable homes. It wants 80 of them for rent, preferably social rent, and 20 for shared ownership. Seven would be built for wheelchair users.

What it means for you

The application is still open for comment. The council’s consultation expiry date is 23 November and the latest advertisement expires on 19 November. You can comment on the application page using the reference 3/26/1471/OUT.

No committee date has been set.