The Development Control Committee of Hertfordshire Council was scheduled to consider applications for new facilities and changes to existing sites. The committee was scheduled to review proposals for a new SEND facility in Hemel Hempstead, including external works and access arrangements, and an addendum report concerning village green applications for Singlers Marsh, Welwyn.

Application for Phase 2 Works at Former Laureate Academy Sixth Form Annexe, Gadebridge Road, Hemel Hempstead

The committee was scheduled to consider an application for phase 2 works at the former Laureate Academy Sixth Form Annexe in Hemel Hempstead¹. These works were scheduled to include the creation of a play area with hardstanding, an accessible graded access, a fire stair enclosure, boundary treatments and gates, and a new electronic access gate for the car park. The site was scheduled to be repurposed as a Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) facility, a satellite provision for The Collett School, to accommodate an additional 50 pupils.

The report pack indicated that the proposal was scheduled to bring a previously vacant building back into educational use, aligning with the council's commitment to sustainability by reusing existing structures. The proposed works were scheduled to include permeable paving for the play area to aid drainage and the planting of new trees, contributing to Biodiversity Net Gain².

However, the application was scheduled to be brought before the committee due to significant public objections, primarily concerning highway and parking impacts. Concerns were raised about the loss of the existing car park, which was used by parents and staff from St Cuthbert Mayne Catholic Junior School and Gade Valley Primary School for drop-off and pick-up. Objectors were scheduled to highlight potential increases in traffic congestion, road safety risks, and pressure on residential parking, particularly given the proximity of multiple schools. The Highway Authority was scheduled to note that while the cessation of the car park's use for drop-off and pick-up might cause inconvenience, it was not considered grounds for refusal based on highway safety or network capacity, provided certain conditions were met, including a Parking Management Plan and a School Travel Plan³.

Singlers Marsh, Welwyn - Village Green Applications Addendum

The committee was also scheduled to consider an addendum report regarding village green applications for Singlers Marsh, Welwyn. This report was scheduled to respond to questions and concerns raised at a previous committee meeting in March 2026, specifically concerning the Inspector's recommendation not to register the land as a Town or Village Green⁴.

The report was scheduled to address issues of statutory incompatibility between the land's designation as a Local Nature Reserve (LNR) and its potential registration as a Village Green. Recent case law, including the Cotham School decision, was scheduled to be discussed, which reinforced the principle that land held for statutory purposes could not be registered as a village green if the rights arising from such registration were incompatible with those statutory purposes⁵. The Inspector's recommendation was scheduled to be to refuse the applications on the grounds of statutory incompatibility and the finding that recreational use was with permission rather than as of right.