Promoted by Nicola Dinan at Millbank Tower, 21-24 Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP, on behalf of Reform UK at the same address. Reform UK Hertsmere is an approved local branch of Reform UK.
Government Strips Hertsmere of Powers Over Major Planning Applications | Reform UK Hertsmere
Government Strips Hertsmere of Powers Over Major Planning Applications
Developers can now bypass Hertsmere Borough Council and submit major planning applications directly to the Planning Inspectorate. Reform UK Hertsmere says residents deserve answers, accountability and a stronger voice over development.
Article Summary
At a Glance
The key points you need to know.
What This Means For Residents
Developers can now choose to submit eligible major planning applications directly to the Planning Inspectorate instead of Hertsmere Borough Council. Residents can still comment on these applications, but the final decision may be made outside Hertsmere. Reform UK Hertsmere will scrutinise these proposals, fight for residents to be heard and hold the council’s leadership accountable for restoring local control.
Key Facts
✓Hertsmere was designated under Section 62A of the Town and Country Planning Act from 15 June 2026.
✓Developers can choose to submit eligible major planning applications directly to the Planning Inspectorate.
✓The designation followed six out of 40 relevant major planning decisions being overturned at appeal.
✓Hertsmere’s performance figure was 15%, above the Government’s 10% designation threshold.
✓The council retains its other planning responsibilities and can still determine major applications submitted directly to it.
✓Reform UK Hertsmere is demanding transparency, a clear recovery plan and meaningful protection for residents’ voices.
What Happens Next
Hertsmere’s designation will remain in force until it is revoked by the Secretary of State. The Government reviews Section 62A designations annually and can remove them if an authority’s performance improves.
Reform UK Hertsmere will press the council’s leadership to publish a transparent recovery plan and report openly on its progress.
The Full Story
Hertsmere Borough Council has been stripped of some of its decision-making powers over major planning applications following intervention by the Government.
From 15 June 2026, developers submitting eligible major applications can choose to bypass Hertsmere Borough Council and apply directly to the Planning Inspectorate, which will determine the application on behalf of the Secretary of State.
This is known as a Section 62A designation.
It does not remove every planning decision from Hertsmere. The council will continue to determine ordinary applications and any major applications that developers choose to submit locally.
Nevertheless, the designation represents a serious loss of local control. Some of the largest and most consequential developments affecting Hertsmere could now be decided outside the borough rather than by locally elected councillors.
Reform UK Hertsmere believes residents deserve both a meaningful local voice and a clear explanation of how the council was allowed to reach this position.
Why was Hertsmere designated?
The Government assessed Hertsmere’s record on the quality of decisions involving major planning applications.
During the assessment period, six out of 40 relevant decisions were overturned at appeal. This produced a performance figure of 15%, above the Government’s designation threshold of 10%.
The Secretary of State concluded that Hertsmere was not adequately performing its function of determining major planning applications and imposed the designation.
Hertsmere Borough Council has argued that the decision is based on a small number of cases and does not reflect the overall performance of its planning service. It has also pointed out that 94% of major applications were determined within the required timescale, well above the Government’s 60% target.
Reform UK Hertsmere
Stay Informed
Keep up to date with council decisions, planning updates, campaigns and community news from across Hertsmere.
We will also monitor major applications submitted directly to the Planning Inspectorate, help ensure residents know how to participate and challenge proposals that fail to protect Hertsmere’s communities, infrastructure and environment.
Those facts provide important context—but they do not remove the need for accountability.
The designation was triggered because too many decisions on major developments failed to withstand appeal. Residents are entitled to know what went wrong, what lessons have been learned and what action the council’s leadership will take to restore Hertsmere’s full planning powers.
What counts as a major application?
Major development generally includes:
✓Housing developments of ten or more homes
✓Housing proposals on sites of at least 0.5 hectares
✓Buildings creating at least 1,000 square metres of floor space
✓Development on sites of at least one hectare
These are precisely the kinds of proposals that can have the greatest effect on local roads, schools, health services, infrastructure, the environment and the Green Belt.
Allowing developers to take these applications directly to the Planning Inspectorate moves important decisions further away from the residents and communities affected by them.
Residents must not be sidelined
Planning decisions shape Hertsmere for generations.
They affect where homes are built, whether adequate infrastructure is provided and whether the individual identities of our towns and villages are preserved.
Hertsmere already faces intense development pressure. Much of the borough is Green Belt, separating communities including Borehamwood, Bushey, Elstree, Potters Bar, Radlett and Shenley.
Reform UK Hertsmere is deeply concerned that local knowledge and residents’ views could carry less influence when major applications are determined outside the borough.
Local decision-making must be competent, lawful and evidence-based—but it must also remain genuinely local wherever possible.
The council leadership must answer for this
The current administration cannot simply dismiss the designation as an unfair technical assessment based on a small number of appeals.
Losing any part of Hertsmere’s ability to determine major planning applications is a serious failure of local governance. It damages public confidence and gives developers an opportunity to bypass local democratic decision-making.
Reform UK Hertsmere is calling on the council’s leadership to:
✓Publish a clear account of the decisions that led to the designation
✓Explain why six major planning decisions were overturned
✓Set out a transparent improvement and recovery plan
✓Demonstrate how future decisions will be lawful, consistent and evidence-based
✓Protect residents’ ability to participate in applications handled by the Planning Inspectorate
✓Report publicly on progress towards having the designation removed
Accountability does not mean approving every development. Nor does it mean ignoring legitimate community concerns to satisfy government targets.
It means making robust decisions based on planning law, sound evidence and the long-term interests of Hertsmere—decisions capable of withstanding challenge.
Reform UK Hertsmere’s position
We believe new housing must be supported by appropriate roads, schools, healthcare and other essential infrastructure.
Previously developed and brownfield land should be prioritised wherever suitable before development is considered on open countryside or Green Belt land.
We will oppose poorly planned and inappropriate development, challenge unnecessary intervention from Westminster and hold Hertsmere’s political leadership to account for failures that have weakened local control.
Most importantly, we will continue fighting to ensure residents are heard wherever decisions about Hertsmere’s future are made.
This is not about defending the council as an institution or accepting the Government’s approach without question. It is about defending Hertsmere’s residents, restoring competent local decision-making and ensuring those responsible answer for how these powers were lost.
