Sky Studios set to appeal refusal of Hertfordshire expansion plans
Sky Studios will be appealing Hertsmere Borough Council’s decision to refuse permission for an expansion onto green belt land. At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday (October 9), the authority’s leader Cllr Jeremy Newmark confirmed that he has “seen a formal notice from Sky of their intention to submit an appeal” to the planning inspectorate. He said it is “now, effectively, a live appeal in process”.
A spokesperson for Sky Studios confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service that they are intending to bring an appeal. Sky Studios want to extend their Elstree North site northwards, between Rowley Lane and the A1 Barnet bypass.
But, in March this year, Hertsmere’s planning committee refused permission for the 71,777 square metre expansion by six votes to five. The site would be on the green belt, but Sky argued it would create thousands of jobs and meet the “very special circumstances” requirement for building on the green belt.
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At the time, a Sky spokesperson told the Local Democracy Reporting Service they were “disappointed” by the committee’s decision to go against officers’ advice in rejecting the application. They said: “We will be taking some time to assess our next steps and will engage further with the council, planning officers and community stakeholders. We remain committed to delivering our plans for Sky Studios Elstree North.”
Cllr Newmark’s comments came in response to a question from Cllr Morris Bright, leader of the Conservative group at Hertsmere council. Cllr Bright said he was “surprised” a report on planning appeals presented to the cabinet had not mentioned the Sky Studios application by name.
He said it “might be one of the largest [appeals] we’ve ever had” and added it could bring a “considerable” cost to the council. The report read: “It is anticipated that at least one other major development refused by the council early in 2024 to be subject to the appeal process, which will almost certainly result in a public inquiry in the early part of 2025.”
Councillors in the council’s cabinet considered the report, which was about the “unprecedented” planning appeal costs the council has had to bear since 2023/24. They approved plans to shift up to £300,000 in additional funding for dealing with appeals.
In 2023/24 alone, the council spent £330,000 on planning appeals and public inquiries for sites including Harris Lane in Shenley, Little Bushey Lane in Bushey, Hartfield Avenue in Borehamwood, and land south of Shenley Hill in Radlett.
This year, it is estimated that £150,000 will be spent on appeals and inquiries. The report noted that the council has won sixty per cent of its appeals over the past four years, including four of the five public inquiries held in the last year.
It said many of the appeals “relate to larger strategic sites within the green belt”, and continued: “The decision to ‘set aside’ the draft Local Plan (Regulation 18) in April 2022 directly led to submission of speculative applications for new development, particularly residential dwellings on green belt land.”
A draft Local Plan was put out for consultation in April this year.